Catawba County 4-H recently held their annual 4-H Achievement Celebration, recognizing award winners from 2023. 4-H’ers from three age groups were recognized with the Achievement Award for their outstanding accomplishments and involvement from the past year. The Achievement Awards winners were Selah Sigmon, Uriah Sigmon and Lily Bean.
Selah Sigmon, 16 years old, received the senior teen 4-H Achievement Award. She is 16 years old and has been in 4-H for 8 years. She has served as the county 4-H President for the past year, was the state portfolio winner for Electric and the state silver portfolio winner in Health and Safety. Sigmon is a teen volunteer for 4-H, teaching several summer workshops and serving as a teen leader for a home-school STEM 4-H Club. She has attended NC 4-H Electric Congress, Citizenship Focus, and 4-H Congress and was the county delegate to attend NC Youth Voice, the youth tract that is part of the NC County Commissioners Conference. Sigmon is a member of several 4-H clubs including Catawba County Youth Council, Teen Cooks, and DIG. She is a dual enrollment student at CVCC.
Uriah Sigmon, 12 years old, has served as County 4-H officer for 2023 and is club President in DIG and Kicking Clovers Martial Arts 4-H clubs. Sigmon was a district and state presentation winner in Electric. He participated in the regional and state Shooting Sports Contest, earning 2nd place in Muzzleloading at the Regional Contest. Sigmon is a member of several 4-H clubs including Top Shots Shooting Sports, It’s Electric, DIG and Kicking Clovers Martial Arts. He has participated in 4-H Summer Spark workshops, attended NC 4-H Electric Congress, and participated in the the NC WHEP (Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program) contest.
Lily Bean, 11 years old, was the Junior Achievement winner. She was a district and state presentation winner in the Entomology category. She has earned numerous awards in 4-H horse activities and contests, including Horse Communication Arts, Hippology, and District and State Horse Show. She has been actively involved in 4-H County Council and member of the Catawba Equestrians 4-H club. She is a student at Mt View Elementary and has been in 4-H for four years.
During the evening, Clare Bravo, Uriah Sigmon, and Valeria Lemus-Almanza were also recognized with the Making Living Better Citizenship Award. Bravo is 10 years old and a member of Catawba Equestrians 4-H Club. Lemus is 16 years old and a member of Challenger High School Juntos 4-H Club. Helping Hands Youth Volunteer Awards were presented to Selah Sigmon and Ava Smith. Smith is 12 years old and a member of Catawba 4-H Equestrians.
Youth project record book winners were announced with winning books for each curriculum area and age group advancing to district judging. Overall winners were: Uriah Sigmon, Healthy Lifestyles; Samuel Golden, Citizenship and Plant Science; Lupita Ortiz, Personal Development and Leadership; Kaytlin Thompson, Animal Science; Selah Sigmon, Science and Technology and Natalie Newton, Communication Arts
4-H is a volunteer-led youth development program offered by Cooperative Extension for children ages 5-18. For information about joining or starting a 4-H club in your area, contact Donna Mull, 4-H Agent, at donna_mull@ncsu.edu
