Students Rhonda Mosley’s class at Straughn Middle School held its first 4-H meeting of the school year on Wed., Sept. 14. Here are highlights from each period’s meeting:

First period:

Class officers were elected. They are: President Erin Goodman; Vice President Zachary Grooms; Secretary Tyler Myrick; Reporter Braylyn Sherwood; Song Leader Madison Jones and County Council Representative Matthew Lilly.

Each officer is invited to go to the 2011 leadership luau, which will be on Thurs., Sept. 29, at the Covington County Extension Office from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. There, new officers will learn for their duties this year.

Tanya Bales, county 4-H Agent, gave students the member’s guide, the Alabama 4-H Parent and Youth Consent Form, and they completed the 4-H member registration form. Afterwards the group talked about other handouts she gave. There is going to be a field trip to the Auburn homecoming game on Sat., Nov. 19, and an outdoor sports day on Nov. 11, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Cost is $20.

Submitted by Braylyn Sherwood, reporter

Second period

Class officers were elected. They are: President JP Thomasson; Vice President Sara Wilson; Secretary Caroline Wood; Reporter Tyler Mitchell; Song Leader Trystian Barber and County Council Representative Abby Livingston.

Each office is very important, so to get the officers ready for their jobs this year, they are invited to the Leadership Luau on Sept. 29, at the Covington County Extension Office. The County Council Representative also has to attend four Saturday morning meetings at the County Council Extension Office during the school year.

Students were given the member’s guide, a parent consent form, and they filled out the member registration form. Tanya Bales, county extension agent, gave us other handouts and registration forms for two field trips in November. Several want to go to the Auburn homecoming game and the Outdoor Sports Day because they said they know both will be lots of fun.

Submitted by Tyler Mitchell, reporter

Fourth period

During fourth period, the meeting opened when Tonya Bales, county extension agent, explained the responsibility of each 4-H officer, and then she asked every student running for an office to tell the group why they should vote for them. Students voted and elected the following students to fill the officer positions:

• President: Gordie Cartwright;

• Vice President: Ozalynn Davis;

• Secretary: Brady Thrower;

• Reporter: Hannah Lawless;

• Song Leader: Meredith Bell; and

• County Council Representative: Will Hattaway.

The group will attend officer training meeting at the Covington County Extension Office in Andalusia later this month. Will Hattaway, the Covington County 4-H Council Representative, will earn extra banner points for the club by going to four required Saturday morning County Council meetings at the 4-H Extension Office. At those meetings, the council will decide on different 4-H activities for the group to participate in this year. He will come back to school the next Monday and report the information from the County Council meeting to the club.

Bales gave each student a folder with a member’s guide and a parent volunteer letter. At the October 4-H meeting, students that have both of these forms in their folders will win a prize like t-shirts, stickers, balloons, bracelets or other prizes.

She also gave us two field trip registration forms, and both of the field trips will be in November. The first field trip is to Camp Alaflo in Coffee County on Veteran’s Day, and it is the Southeast Regional Outdoor Sports Day. Several of us went to it last year, and we had lots of fun. The cost is only $20, and it will cover the cost of lunch, transportation on a school bus to the camp, and a t-shirt. The second field trip is to the Auburn homecoming game against Samford University on Nov. 19. The cost is $35, and it pays for transportation, lunch, dinner, a 4-H shirt and the ticket to the game.

The group said they are all excited about 4-H this year, and the next meeting will be held on Oct. 12.

Submitted by Hannah Lawless, reporter

Fifth period

The fifth period class chose as their officers: President Laura Ashley Johns; Vice President Brandon Hudson; Secretary Jessica Aplin; Reporter Macey Howell; Song Leader Parker Grooms and County Council Representative Abigail Thomas.

An officer training meeting will be on Sept. 29 at the Covington County Extension Office so officers will know what their responsibilities are. They can earn extra banner points for the club by going to County Council meetings at the 4-H Extension Office and then reporting the information from the council meeting to the club. Any officer is invited to go to the meetings, but it is required for the County Council Representative to go to four of them.

A member’s guide and a parent volunteer letter were given to us in a 4-H folder, and each student that brings both of these forms to next month’s meeting will be given a reward.

The group is excited about the 4-H field trips in November that Ms. Bales told us about today. One of the field trips is to Outdoor Sports Day at Camp Alaflo. At Camp Alaflo, there will be a veteran’s tribute since the field trip is on Veteran’s Day, and some of the activities will be shooting sports, archery, fishing, fire safety and hiking. This year they will have reptiles there so we can learn about different reptiles, and archery is an activity that they didn’t have last year. Several members of our club went on this field trip last year, and they said it was lots of fun. Cost is $20, and the registration fee includes lunch and a t-shirt.

The second field trip is to Jordan-Hare Stadium at Auburn University for the Auburn homecoming football game on Nov. 19. Cost is $35, and it pays for transportation on a charter bus, lunch, dinner, a 4-H shirt and the ticket to the football game. Registration is limited to 55 participants, so any member wanting to go should hurry and get the permission form and money turned in to Mrs. Mosley. Deadline to register is Oct. 26.

The next meeting will be Wed., Oct. 12.

Submitted by Macey Howell, reporter