During the third week of July, two Senior High Smith County 4-H’ers, Gabe Harville and Kynlee Davis, along with 4-H Agent Rachel Petty and volunteer leader Lisa Harville, had the opportunity to attend the 101st Annual Tennessee 4-H Round-Up & All-Star Conference at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
4-H Round-Up is an annual event that allows Senior High 4-H members to grow their leadership abilities, have fun new experiences, meet friends from across the state, learn more about the UT System, and prepare for their future. This event also serves to recognize 4-H members for their outstanding 4-H project work and leadership accomplishments throughout their 4-H career.
This year’s 4-H Round-Up was an excellent experience for both Gabe and Kynlee, who received multiple awards and recognition throughout the week.
During the Awards Banquet on Tuesday evening, Kynlee and Gabe were each named winners in their respective project areas. Gabe competed in the Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries project, and Kynlee competed in the Poultry project. This statewide competition consisted of 4-H’ers putting together a digital portfolio detailing their 4-H project work and citizenship and leadership experience. They then sat for an interview with a panel of judges to finish out the competition in-person at Round-Up.
As Level II project winners, Gabe and Kynlee both received scholarship money, a silver bowl, and a trip to National 4-H Congress, which will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, this November.
Celebrations continued on Thursday morning, as Gabe Harville was elected by his peers to serve as President of the Tennessee 4-H State Council for the 2024-2025 term. Gabe was selected as the Central Region candidate at Roundup Readiness Day in June and continued his campaign throughout the week against two other outstanding candidates from the Eastern and Western regions.
Gabe consistently displays excellent leadership and initiative at the county, region, and state level and is a true advocate for Tennessee 4-H. He is well-liked and well-respected by his peers, continually leads by example, and has a heart for service. We know that Gabe will thrive in this new leadership role!
On the final evening of the 4-H Round-Up festivities, Kynlee and Gabe both received their Vol State recognition during the closing ceremony. This is the highest level of honor that a Tennessee 4-H member can achieve. The Vol State award is presented to high school juniors and seniors in recognition of excellence in all phases of 4-H work, as well as service and leadership rendered in their communities. Gabe was also officially installed as the 2024-2025 Tennessee 4-H State Council President during this ceremony.
We couldn’t be more proud of these two 4-H’ers and the way that they represent themselves and Smith County at every opportunity! This is the highest honor that a Tennessee 4-H member can achieve during their 4-H career. There is no doubt that their future is bright!
The 4-H Youth Development Program delivers programs through cooperative efforts of the University of Tennessee, Tennessee State University, and public and private sector volunteers. 4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. 4-H educational programs are offered to all youth, grades 4-12, on an age-appropriate basis, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
For further information concerning the many opportunities that 4-H has to offer the youth in Smith County, call 615-735-2900 or email rpetty@utk.edu.
