Bristol Junior Steer & Heifer Show

The 71st Annual Bristol Jr. Steer & Heifer Show was held Wednesday, May 6th.  Sullivan County had (9) nine 4-H members exhibit 13 steers and 8 heifers.  Members in the Beef project have worked for several months in preparation for this event.  They have developed valuable life skills including decision making, responsibility, building positive self-esteem and goal setting.  This has been done through animal selection, studying animal nutrition and health, participating in the county beef show and project group, as well as many other related 4-H activities.  The Bristol Show is the culmination of their hard work and dedication to their project.  While at the event youth not only exhibited their animals but also took part in a skill-a-thon.  This is a series of educational stations that tests the youth's knowledge in different aspects of the beef project such as animal nutrition, anatomy, health care, meat cut identification and other project information.  The Bristol show is a multi-state event; youth competed with other exhibitors from Virginia helping to build relationships in today's more connected and diverse society.

Congratulations to Leah Elsea of Mary Hughes who had the Champion Angus Heifer, Reserve Commercial Heifer, was Senior Division Showmanship Winner, and won the Chippy Carrier Award for most overall show points.

Congratulations to Aubrey Mason of Indian Springs Elementary for earning 2nd place in the Junior Division Beef Skill-a-thon.

Other SC School members competing were:  Avery Mason-Central High, Will Chapman-East High and Cory Tate-East High

4-H Citizenship Day

On Friday, May 8th fifth grade members from across the county took part in the Sullivan County 4-H Citizenship Day.  Students selected by their 5th grade teachers were invited to the county seat of Blountville for the day where they learned first-hand about local government and services.  Students heard from many elected and appointed officials including State Rep. Bud Hulsey of Kingsport, County Mayor Richard Venable, Sullivan County Road Commissioner, Trustee, Property Assessor, Registrar of Deeds, County Clerk, Election office, UT-TSU Extension, Board of Education, Justice Center and Sheriff's Department staff and more.  It was a very busy and informative day for these students as they visited each of these offices.  We hope they were able to share their Citizenship Day experience with their classmates.

Eastern Region 4-H Clover Bowl

The Eastern Region 4-H Clover Bowl was held Wednesday, May 13th on the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  Sullivan County was well represented at this event which tests students in grades 4-8 knowledge of TN History, Agriculture, Family & Consumer Sciences and 4-H.  The event consists of four member teams competing in a single elimination, quiz bowl style tournament format.  Counties from thirty-three counties are eligible to participate.  Sullivan County teams earned their spot by winning the County 4-H Clover Bowl at NE State in April.

This year's Sullivan County teams were:

4th grade:  Indian Springs Elementary-  Eastern Region Champions (First)     Finn Hounshell, Parker Leming, Rachel Niebruegge, Byron Wolfe.  Coach Mrs. Teresa Calhoun    

5th grade:  Rock Springs Elementary- Eastern Region Champions (First)     Stephen Mingle, Fletcher Gibson, Noah Morelock, Belle Ford.  Coach Mrs. Jessica Hollomon

6th grade:  Bluff City Middle-     Kendall Arnold, Riley Skaggs, Cayden Bawgus, Caleb Hale

8th grade:  Bluff City Middle-  Eastern Region Reserve Champions (Second)     Tyler Marshall, Caleb Turner, Ellie Pritchard, Rebekah Skaggs.  Coach Mrs. Nancy Turner

Special thanks to all the teachers and parents who assisted students with preparing for 4-H Clover Bowl this year. 

Anna (4th grade) and Adam (5th grade) Miller, students at Central Heights Elementary, recently traveled to Peru.  They stayed on a boat on the Amazon River and traveled to villages via a smaller boat called a skiff.  They watched the locals prepare food and then dined with them.  They swam in piranha infested waters and also fished for piranha.  (They learned that piranha do not attack unless a person is bleeding.)  They met lots of animals, including monkeys, snakes, poisonous frogs, birds and pink dolphins.  They also shopped in the marketplace.  Anna kept a journal and presented it, along with a photo album, to her class.  This was a trip of a lifetime for these wonderful students!

Fourth Grade math students under the direction of their teacher, Mrs. Sarah Reynolds have completed board games that will be used next year in math centers. The students have taken great pride and ownership of this colloborative project. Each student has put forth excellent effort to construct games that support math objectives and challenge all future users in concrete ways. This is math with a purpose! 

Rock Springs Elementary School 5th Graders are the 4H Eastern District Clover Bowl Champions. The team consists of Noah Morelock, Stephen Mingle, Fletcher Gibson, Belle Ford and coached by 5th grade Science teacher Jessica Hollomon.

Sullivan Gardens K-8 students slam-dunked the TCAPs this year. The day before testing began students participated in a pep rally complete with encouraging signs throughout the buildings.   The first day of testing, students were greeted by encouraging chalk messages going up to the school. Each day our amazing parents and community provided healthy snacks for students to ensure they could give their best. Student attendance was nearly perfect all three days. We are so proud of them all!