4-H encourages young people to set and achieve their goals. To that end, the Kentucky 4-H Achievement Program was created to reward ambitious and accomplished young people throughout the state.
In the highly competitive 4-H Achievement Program, young people receive recognition and prizes for their accomplishments in 4-H and their community. 4-H’ers can start accumulating points as soon as they start 4-H and begin earning recognition in the sixth grade.
4-H’ers at least in the 10th grade can apply for the gold award. Each district can submit 10 applicants for the gold award. Of the 70 statewide applicants, 30 are selected. The competitive program consists of an application and a panel interview portion.
After careful review from all the judges, this year’s winners included Carter County 4-H member Rickayln Rayburn. Rayburn is a junior at West Carter High School and is the daughter of Ricky & Sherri Rayburn. Gold Achievement winners receive a full scholarship to the 4-H Teen Conference on the University of Kentucky Campus in June and an $800 scholarship towards attending National 4-H Congress Conference in Atlanta, Georgia this fall.
Other Carter County 4-H members who earned Achievement Awards included Silver Award winners Darrin Yates, Trinity Prichard (Carter Christian Academy), Sydney Bush, Ethan Pope, and Brady Sammons (East Carter High School) and Bronze Award winner Ashton Moore (East Carter Middle School). Silver and Bronze recipients will receive a 2/3 and 1/3 scholarship to Teen Conference, respectively. Clover level 1 winners included Matthew Maddix (West Carter Middle School) and Nevaeh Kouns (Homeschool). Kelsey Wilson (WCMS) earned the Clover Level 2 award. Clover Level 3 winners included Olivia Elkin (WCMS) and Emily Felty (ECMS).
In addition to the Achievement Program, Kentucky 4-H honors volunteers and members at the biannual Kentucky Volunteer Forum. Youth who have been members of 4-H for ten years were recently honored at the Forum’s luncheon. Cheron Flaugher (East Carter High School) was on hand to receive the award. Flaugher has been a member of the livestock club and Teen Council while also participating in the Natural Resource & Environmental Science Academy, camp, and numerous other 4-H activities and events. Flaugher is the daughter of Kim and Pat Flaugher of Grayson. Mackenzie Bush (ECHS), a member of the livestock and horse clubs, also received the award. Bush is the daughter of Chad and Melodie Bush of Grayson.
For more information about the Kentucky 4-H Achievement Program, and how you can be involved, contact the Carter County Cooperative Extension Service. Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.