Codington County 4-H Celebrates Achievements at Annual Recognition Event

Northeast Radio SD News - Watertown, SD - Codington County 4-H kicked off the new year by celebrating the accomplishments of its members and thanking its dedicated volunteers at the 2025 4-H Recognition Event on Sunday, October 26. The event saw a strong turnout of 4-H youth, along with their parents, leaders, grandparents, alumni, and friends.

Jodi Loehrer, SDSU Extension 4-H Educator, congratulated all the youth on an "incredible 4-H year" and expressed thanks to the "awesome volunteers." The event served as both a celebration of the past year's successes and a call to action for members to set new goals for the upcoming 4-H year.

2025 Major County Award Winners

Several 4-H members and supporters received special recognition for their outstanding contributions and achievements throughout the year:

Award	Recipient(s)	Club(s)
All Around Showmanship	Marty Mickelson	Dakota Clovers
County Citizenship Medal	Derek Flisrand, James Kahnke, Marty Mickelson, Lexi Riley	Norco, Dakota Clovers, Country Clovers
County Leadership Medal	Adrian Flisrand, Deklynn Gaulrapp, McKynlee Gaulrapp, James Kahnke, Carlee Mushitz	Norco, Torchlighters, Country Clovers
DeBerg Scholarship	Olivia Whiting	Torchlighters
Junior Jackson Award	McKynlee Gaulrapp	Torchlighters
Senior Ronke Award	Adrian Flisrand	Norco
Lexie Stormo Herdsmanship Award	Cavaliers 4-H Club
Linda Lenards Community Service Award	Caleb Fischer	Torchlighters
2025 4-H Leaders Scholarships	James Kahnke	Norco

Recognizing Dedicated Volunteers and Supporters

The event also honored the individuals and organizations whose support is essential to the 4-H program:

·         Volunteer Award: Jason Gaulrapp and Tricia Walker

·         4-H Alumni Award: Lois Hyde and Danielle Flisrand

·         Friends of 4-H: Foley Law Office and Sioux Valley Coop

·         Meritorious Service to 4-H: Karla Orthaus

In addition, Leaders Service Awards were presented, with Jill Orthaus (Country Ramblers), Penny Thyen (Prairie Hustlers), and Tricia Walker (Cavaliers) each receiving the Pearl Clover Award for 15 years of service.

Beginner Award Winners

The future of 4-H was also highlighted with the Beginner’s Awards going to:

·         Miles Flisrand (Norco)

·         Landon Granquist (Country Ramblers)

·         Hazel McGregor (Country Ramblers)

·         Hudson Peterson (Cavaliers)

·         Corbin Raml (Cavaliers)

·         Eleanora Shepherd (Country Ramblers)

Join 4-H for the 2025-2026 Year

Enrollment for the new 4-H year is currently open. Youth aged 5-18 are welcome to join. 4-H Cloverbuds is for children ages 5-7 as of January 1, 2026, and Traditional 4-H begins for youth who turn eight by January 1, 2026.

Parents interested in enrolling a child for the first time are encouraged to call the Codington County Extension Office at 605-882-6300 for more information.