St. Mary 4-H Celebrates Achievement Day March 30

The St. Mary 4-H Clubs Parish Advisory Council and Leaders’ Association will be staging the annual Parish Achievement Day celebration at the Oracabessa High School, St. Mary, on Tuesday (March 30).
The days’ events will begin at 9 a.m. and will include competitions in public speaking, 4-H Boy and Girl of the Year, home economics, environmental and agricultural events and agri-processing.
Held under the theme, “Youth involvement in local food production for sustainability”, the function will also feature displays by a number of government and non-government entities, a lunch hour concert and a prize giving ceremony.
Speaking to the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Charlene Edwards-Butler, 4-H Parish Development Officer for St. Mary, said that a minimum of 50 4-H clubs are scheduled to participate in the events, adding that the competitive towel folding, involving community 4-H Clubs, will be introduced at the function.
She also stated that a number of events, including table setting, recitation, pet identification and plant identification, will also be conducted for the first time for 4-H Clubs in basic schools.
Noting that special focus will be placed on banana and its by-products, Mrs. Edwards-Butler said this will be done to showcase the wide range of derivatives that can be realised from bananas, through agro-processing, and the enormous economic opportunities inherent in that line of production.
Stating that the events have been carefully planned to attract the interest of the public and intensify the friendly competitiveness of the participating clubs, she said she was confident that the function will achieve the same level of success that has attended previous ones.
Paying tribute to the teachers and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to prepare the 4-H clubbites for the event, she said support and commitment have played a pivotal role in keeping the organisation active and vibrant over the years.