Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by the Burke County Genealogical and Historical Society.
About The true citizen. (Waynesboro, Ga.) 1882-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 2025)
The True Citizen, Wednesday, October 8, 2025 — Page 1B Burke County 4-H succeeds at the 2025 Food Challenge Contest SAVANNAH KENNEDY County Extension Educator Coached By: FACS Agent Terri Black and 4-H Educator Savannah Kennedy This summer, Burke County 4-H revived its Food Challenge program, forming a senior team for the first time ever, alongside a junior team. Teams are made up of 2-4 students, with juniors competing in grades 6-8 and seniors in grades 9-12. The Food Challenge is a highly competitive event where teams must advance through district competition in order to reach the state level. Beginning in July, both Burke County teams practiced weekly to prepare. In August, they competed at the district com petition, where they cooked a dish and recorded a short video describing their creation. On Saturday, September 20th, the Burke County Junior and Senior Food Challenge teams traveled to Rock Eagle 4-H Center to compete against more than 10 other teams from across the state. After complet ing orientation with contest of- ficials, the competition began. The Junior team was chal lenged with three mystery ingredients: eggs, potatoes, and spinach. The Senior team re ceived eggs, garlic, and shred ded cabbage. Each team had to incorporate their assigned mystery ingredients into a dish while also selecting from a pantry of additional items to complete their meal. During the 40-minute cooking por tion, teams carefully tracked the ingredients they used and calculated the nutritional facts for their dish. Once time was up, they presented their fin ished meal to a panel of judges, explaining the food groups represented, nutritional value, serving size, and the steps they took to prepare their dish. When the contest came to a close, Burke County 4-H had so much to celebrate! The Senior Food Challenge Team earned an impressive 2nd place finish, securing their spot to represent Georgia at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in Junior Food Challenge Team members, from left, are Emmalyn Crockett, Cole Edenfield, Troy Hollingsworth and Madalynn McClain. Senior Food Challenge Team members, from left, are Brayden Evans, Asa Murray and Besty Murray. New Orleans, LA next August. This is a tremendous honor and an exciting opportunity for our 4-Hers to showcase their skills on a national stage. Our Junior Food Challenge Team also had a strong show ing, placing Sth overall in a very competitive division. Both teams demonstrated out standing creativity, teamwork, and determination from the very start of practice through the final round of competition. We are incredibly proud of the hard work these young people put into this experience. Their dedication and commit ment are a true reflection of the 4-H spirit, and they have certainly made Burke County proud! Georgia 4-H empowers youth to become true leaders by developing necessary life skills, positive relationships, and community awareness. As the premier youth leadership organization in the state, 4-H reaches hundreds of thousands annually through UGA Exten sion offices and 4-H facilities. How one BCHS student is impacting school culture BRANNON BRADDOCK Jbraddo4@gmail.com You may have seen on a re cent Facebook post that Burke County High School is hosting its own little mini game every day. The high school recently posted the attached photo with the caption: “Students, Fac ulty & Staff: They’re sneaky. They’re tiny. They’re closer than you think. Found a Mini Bear yet? When you find it, take a selfie, post, and use the hashtag #BearBuilt. Hide it again to spread the love! Let the fun begin!” As students and staff members found the Bears, they were supposed to take a photo and post it to social media before rehiding them. The idea, though, surpris ingly didn’t come from any teacher or worker at Burke County High School. The idea was dreamed up by Burke County High School freshman Morgan Hollien. Speaking with Hollien, she said, “High school has been really inter esting. I’ve had some fun and some stress due to a sickness, but I’m having a lot of fun overall.” Morgan is a member of many clubs, including Art Club, BCHS’s D&D Club, FFA, Beta Club, and BCHS’s Bear Watch News, and she’s doing her part to make Burke County High School the amaz ing place it is. Part of that fun is this new tradition she has started. The idea came from a mem ory outside of school. Her grandma was out of town one week, so she and her family snuck into her home and hid a bunch of small plastic ducks as a prank. As her grandmother found the ducks, she would laugh and wonder how many Over the past few months, Burke County High School student Morgan Hollien has been hiding small glass bears as a way to contribute to the overall climate and culture of Burke County High School ducks were really in the house. Hollien thought it would be a fun idea to do the same thing at the high school, but this time as a community-building exercise. She and her mom originally wanted to do ducks, but thought Bears would be better for obvious reasons. The game has turned into a massive way to help improve climate and culture. Not to say that the climate and culture of the high school is bad by any means, but waking up early can be a drag sometimes.What bet ter way to make mornings more enjoyable than to introduce a game like this? “I’ve seen kids hiding them all over campus,” said Hollien, “and I think some teachers are even having a competition to see how many they can find.” Hopefully, this can spur a movement of students helping out to make the school a better place. We’ve seen glimpses of that with Hollien, and she would love to see some of her favorite middle school traditions, like House Wars and music over the intercom, migrate their way to the high school. Other students have started contributing in their own ways to the school cli mate. For example, the high school just took a senior trip to an Atlanta Falcons game. The band has begun playing music in the morning as an introduc tion to school, and students like Hayden Hall are moving to make a difference by being on the student council. What new events would you like to see from Burke County High School? Find your near est employee and make your voice heard! I4.97 ■ "I', 1 / i The Burke County High School seniors, along with numerous faculty and staff members, trav eled to the Atlanta Falcons game on September 28 in Atlanta. Many seniors got to enjoy their first time in Atlanta, taking home a free flag, buying souvenir cups from the concessions stand, and even getting the chance to see one of their favorite YouTubers in person. X 1 • T BCHS takes seniors to Falcons game BRANNON BRADDOCK Jbraddo4@gmail.com On September 28, the Burke County High School class of 2026 took a trip to Atlanta to watch the Atlanta Falcons game. The trip, spearheaded by assistant principal Maurice Boyd and a host of other Burke County High School teachers, was a success that will hope fully inspire similar outings for future seniors. When speaking with Boyd, he extended his thanks to numerous people. “This trip wouldn’t have been possible without an amazing team of supporters who gave up their Sunday to be with our stu dents,” he said, “A huge thank you goes out to our incredible chaperones.” Boyd also ex tended gratitude to the Burke County Sheriff’s Department, including the high school’s dedicated SROs, Deputy Rob erts and Deputy Miles. “Thank you for your presence and support throughout the day,” he said. He also sang praises for Mrs. Rosie McBride, who was up at 4:00 a.m. preparing a hot breakfast and lunches for the students, as well as to Burke County Public Schools’ transportation department for ensuring safe travels. “Thank you all for giving your time, energy, and heart to make this trip such a joyful and memo rable experience for our Class of 2026,” he concluded, “Your support truly made the differ ence!” As a side note, the Falcons won their game against the Commanders 34-27. Michael Penix, Jr. looked better than ever under center, going 20/26 for 313 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. Drake London led the Falcons in receptions, catching 8 for 110 yards and a touchdown, though many other receivers, such as Kyle Pitts, played pivotal roles. Bijan Robinson rushed 17 times for 75 yards and a touchdown in addition to hav ing a major part in the passing game. On another side note, Burke County High School students got a pleasant surprise while waiting for the buses to pick them up. Senior Bruce Rackins noticed one of his favorite You Tubers, Doodaman, walking down the sidewalk recording for a new video. Rackins called out to him, and many students took photos with Doodaman. These awesome seniors may appear in a future video on his YouTube channel. What other trips would you like to see the high school se niors take? Find your closest high school representative and make your voice heard. Doing so could mean more trips like this in the future! Tigers United 2025 Presents Scholarship Fundraiser Tigers United 2025 will hold its scholarship fundraiser on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 4 p.m. The event will be held at the historic Waynesboro Ice Plant, located at 260 Barron Street. The gathering is a party with a purpose, raising support for Burke County High School Class of 2026 graduates who plan to attend Savannah State University. The honorees for this year’s fundraiser are: Rashad "Bean” Carter, Quentin Terry, Jr. and Christopher Gavin Walker. The fundraiser is led by a committee of SSU alumni, including Dr. Thaddeus L. Shubert (Class of 1983),Corey Dent (Class of 1996), Kadeshia Ready (Class of 2017), An gela Saxon (Class of 2018) and Mychon Dishmond (Class of 2020). Special recognition is being given to Honorary Chairperson Cynthia B. Mobley (Class of 1947) for her lasting contribu tions and support. For additional details, con tact Dr. Thaddeus L. Shubert at shubertthaddeus@gmail.com. Rashad "Bean” Carter Quentin Terry, Jr. Christopher Gavin Walker
