Excitement filled the air at the plaza of the UT Alumni Memorial Hall on May 16 as 4-H Clover Bowl teams from all over East Tennessee gathered. Teams of four or five 4-H members and their parents chatted, snacked and quizzed each other while waiting for the competition to begin.

Clover Bowl is an enjoyable and educational contest that quizzes 4th – 8th grade 4-H members in six different study areas: agriculture, science, life skills, government, Tennessee and 4-H. Participating in the contest creates more well-rounded 4-H members, while also developing their teamwork, leadership and communication skills. Elementary school students first compete in their school competition, the school then sends a team to represent them at the county contest, and the winning school represents Union County at the Regional Clover Bowl Contest. The winner of the HMMS contests moves directly on to the regional contest.

The opening ceremonies began promptly at 10 a.m. with the auditorium packed full of students and parents. Students had the opportunity to learn more about 4-H and opportunities that are available as they get older. They also learned more about the 4-H All Star program as the All Star officers and representatives from East Tennessee led the program. Honor Club is a fun community service group for 6th ― 8th graders but when they are in high school, they have the opportunity to become a member of the 4-H All Stars if they fulfill the requirements.

There were three awesome teams representing Union County at the Regional Contest. Our 6th grade team from HMMS was made up of Lexxi Cummings, Carson Hayes, Levi Raper, Trip Webb and (alternate) Arabella Nicely. They competed against many other counties and placed fourth after a very close competition. Asher Effler, Harper Hoskins, Dalton Munsey, Dash Webb and (alternate) Lorelie Shreves were our 5th grade representatives from Big Ridge Elementary School. They held their own and received 5th place awards after some tough competitions. Our 4th grade team came from Sharps Chapel Elementary School and team members competing were Jaydon Battles, Tucker Jones, Trey Miller and Kallie Pilkerton. They battled it out until the final round, finally succumbing to the Jefferson County team in a very close competition receiving 2nd place. What an accomplishment for all the students that competed on that day.

A special thank you to all the parents and teachers who volunteered and supported their children in this endeavor. It took many hours of dedicated studying, transportation, changes in their regular schedules, planning for lunches and snacks and fun, positive attitudes and more.

Congratulations to everyone for all their hard work and representing Union County 4-H so well.