Lewis County 4-H Congress

Lewis County 4-H Congress

Submitted by:

Whitney Dixon, 4-H Agent

and Klayr Shepherd, 4-H Congress

Delegate and Student

Lewis County 4-H was proud to send Miss. Klayr Shepherd and Miss Emmy Carroll as the 2024 delegates of the 4-H Congress in Nashville this Spring. We are grateful to Blake Warren at Farm Bureau and Caleb Odom at McDonald Funeral Home for once again sponsoring this trip. Klayr Shepherd served as the reporter while on the trip and has submitted her trip update below. Our youth are doing great things! We appreciate all of those involved in making trips such as these possible for our students.

Recently, My classmate, Emmy Carroll, and I (Klayr Shepherd) were blessed with the opportunity to attend the 2024 annual 4H Congress. During our time at Congress, we were allowed access to where the action happens, which in our case was the State Capitol. Both Emmy and I got to vote on bills in a mock session. Emmy toured the Senate Chambers while I toured the House Chambers. We voted on 4 bills. The "Sunshine" Bill (24-001) which if passed would require all Tennessee counties and cities to stay on Daylight Saving Time and eliminate the traditional time change in the spring and fall, the "Free School Lunch" Bill (24-002) which if passed would mandate that all public county and city schools in Tennessee provide free breakfast and lunch to all students, the "Tennessee Twelve Months of School" Bill (24-003) which if passed would require all ninety-five counties to adopt a year-round calendar for all public school systems, and the "Tennessee Ag in the Classroom" Bill (24-004) which would require all high school students to have a 1/2 credit in an Ag class in order to graduate. Emmy and I also got the opportunity to meet with our state senator, Dr. Joey Hensley, and our state representative , Mr. Jody Barrett, who represents Lewis County in Congress. They were both extremely welcoming and very enthusiastic about our interests and our futures. During our time in Nashville, we also toured the Zoo at Grassmere and later toured the historical downtown Nashville. On the last night of our trip, we attended the formal 4-H inaugural ball where were introduced to many sponsors of the Tennessee 4-H program. Emmy and I met many inspiring people of our own age and formed many long-lasting friendships all while learning how our government works. We are both beyond grateful for this opportunity and thankful for the people who made it possible.

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