TIFTON — Tift County 4-H recently competed in the Southwest District Project Achievement contest held at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center.

District Project Achievement is a public speaking competition where 4-Hers choose a topic of interest and present a 10- to 12-minute speech on the subject, said Dustin Thomas, Tift County AmeriCorps service member.

They are also required to submit a portfolio which represents all of their hard work during the past year in categories such as project work, community service, leadership activities and other 4-H and school organizations.

The competition teaches 4-Hers professional skills such as leadership, critical thinking, oral/written communication, responsibility, public speaking, etc.

Tift County had 14 4-Hers attend the competition in grades 7-12. Seven juniors competed with five receiving first place in their project area and two placing second.

Pranav Shankar received first place in the Physical, Biological and Earth Sciences category. Lilla Beecher received first place in the Better Breakfast category. James Wise received second place in the Outdoor Recreation category. Max Nelson received first place in the Computer Information Technology category.

Daniel McEachin received first place in the Physical, Biological, and Earth Science category, Rihanna Bentley received second place in the Dairy Foods category. Rachel Hancock received first place in the Performing Arts General category.

Seven senior 4-Hers excelled at the competition. Amare Woods placed first in Computer Information Technology. Coleman Mangham placed first in Physical, Biological and Earth Sciences. Molly Wells competed in the Fruits, Vegetables, and Nuts category.

Bethany Samuel placed first in International. Colin Williamson placed first in Target Sports. Philycia Hamilton placed first in History. Leila Rimes placed first in Workforce Preparation and Career Development.

“This is an outstanding group of 4-Hers and we are so proud of all of them for all the hard work they put into their projects over the past 14 months,” Thomas said.

Senior 4-Hers who placed first in their projects at the district contest advance to State Congress.

“This is a weeklong event held in Atlanta, Georgia, where 4-Hers will have the opportunity to compete against 4-Hers across the state of Georgia with their presentations and portfolios, as well as undergo an interview process,” Thomas said. “4-Hers who compete in this level of competition can earn the highest honor as a Georgia 4-Her, which is called Master 4-H Status. This title shows they are the best in the state in their project area.”

Tift County 4-H also had two 4-Hers relieved from the Southwest District Senior Board. The district board of directors is a group of 16 4-Hers, eight juniors and eight seniors, who help lead their peers and host many events for the district over their one-year term.

4-Hers who wish to serve on the board must campaign all weekend at Rock Eagle during DPA, Thomas said.

They write a campaign speech to present in front of their peers, create posters and make many new friends during this process,” he added.

“In addition to project competitions, we were excited to have two Tift County 4-H members, Bethany Samuel and Molly Wells, serving as 2021-2022 Southwest District senior board members,” Thomas said. “Molly and Bethany have done a stupendous job representing our county at the district level.

“As their term is ending, we are happy to announce that after campaigning hard all weekend, Tift County 4-H members Coleman Mangham and Max Nelson were elected to serve on the 2022-2023 Southwest District senior and junior boards of directors. Amare Woods was also honored as a graduating senior 4-H member.”

The group was led by Ashley Carroll, 4-H agent, Justin Hand, 4-H agent, Lauren Dubberly, 4-H educator, Thomas and Annabelle Putman, 4-H AmeriCorps service member.

“We would like to give a huge thank you to all of the staff, volunteers and donors who made this opportunity possible for our 14 competitors,” Thomas said. “We could not have accomplished all that we did without your help and support.”

For more information on Tift County 4-H, contact (229) 391-7980.