June 1-3, 2023, District 2 4-H Hosted Junior Leader Lab at Ceta Canyon. 175 campers attended and 30 high school 4-H members served as camp counselors. Even though we experienced some storms this year, we didn’t let the weather keep us from having a great time! Continue reading to learn more about what happens at camp.
Campers were divided into teams based off their grade level and assigned counselors to complete their daily activities with. Each team camp up with their own chant and designed a team flag. This created a fun sense of competition and team spirit!
Teams & Counselors:
Baby Blue Leopards – Bliss Bessire & Brogan Stone
Green Snakes – Reagan Stokes & Addilyn Reed
Yellow Cougars – Braelyn Pointer & Tripp Runnels
Violet Vipers – Brynlee Edwards & Mason Hart
Orange Ostriches – Tatum Westbrook & Quay Schueler
Coral Cheetahs – Kaylee Walker & Halle Stone
Pink Flamingos – Kate Cooper & Lauren Callaway
Light Pink Lemurs – Anzlee Hale & Sydney Miller
Blue Macaws – Rayna Epley & Laney Stansell
Purple Panthers – Brindle Harper & Carson Wood
Teal Giraffes – McKinley Clem & Rexie Sanders
Maroon Monkeys – Kyndal Edwards & Kelton Carver
Turquoise Tigers – Avery Goss & Jadyn Woodley
Dark Red Pandas – Lexie Payton & Landry Miller
Red Zebras – Laiken Beerwinkle & Kambyl Schilling
Workshops & Activities
- Each pair of counselors hosted 20-minute leadership workshops. These workshops were hands-on ways to teach about decision making, problem solving, communication, and teamwork. The counselors strategically planned reflection questions to help our campers make the connection between the activities and how they relate to having qualities of a great leader!
- Community Service Project – each camper attended a community service workshop where they used puff paint on the bottom of socks to make “non-slip socks” that were donated to Lubbock-area nursing homes.
- Craft – this year the craft project really tested the hand-eye coordination of some of our campers! using a small block of wood, nails, hammers, and embroidery floss, our campers made some very unique string art!
- There was a broad variety of educational and active outdoor activities this year: Aquatic Stop, Wind Energy, Zipline, Ropes Course Swing, Swimming, Hike, Line Dancing, Fishing, Games, & Archery.
- Vespers are a reflective time that we carve out each night to help our campers process what they may have learned that day at camp. This is a special time that I encourage you to ask your camper about. The first night the counselors led vespers in their respective dorms by reading a tale where the moral of the story was to make the most of what you have! Night 2 the whole group did vespers together, our graduating seniors left our campers with some words of wisdom as it relates to their 4-H careers.
The Best Part of All
Each evening the campers & counselors showed off their skills at a dance! Dances ranged from line dances to two-step and waltz. The theme for Dance Night 1 was “Safari,” and the theme for Dance Night 2 was “Country vs. Country Club.”
Donors:
Our generous donors help make this camp special! Thank you for your support!
- Counselor Shirts Sponsor – Adam & Kristi Walker
- Day 2 Camper & Counselor Shirts Sponsor – Hargrove Crop Insurance of Snyder, Texas
- Day 3 Camper & Counselor Shirt Sponsor – Premiere Ford of Lamesa, Texas
- After Dance Ice Cream Sponsor – Adam & Kristi Walker
Thank You!
In addition to our donors, I would like to thank the County Extension Agents and interns who came to chaperone this camp and created a safe and fun environment for our 4-H members! Thank you to the counselors who went above and beyond to plan this camp, facilitate activities, mentor and build everlasting bonds with their campers! Lastly, thank you to all of the parents who chose to trust us with your children and encouraged your children to get out of their comfort zone by attending JLL.
Key Takeaway
While I do think the leadership skills that were learned and all the fun we had is important, I think the key takeaway from JLL is that our 4-H members are compassionate leaders! I witnessed 4-H members take the initiative to comfort their roommates who might have been feeling a little homesick. It wasn’t uncommon to see a group offer up a seat at their table in dining hall to make sure everyone had a group to eat with, or watch 4-H members go up to kids they had never met before and invite them to join their group in a game in an effort to make sure everyone was included. This is what makes me the proudest of our 4-H’ers!
All photos can be found here: