On April 21 2024, a Youth Fishing Derby will be held at Waynesburg Sportsmen’s Association Pond in Waynesburg, PA. This exciting free event is sponsored by the Rockets Launching Leadership class at Jefferson-Morgan. The Fishing Derby is intended to promote both fishing and love of the outdoors. The event will be open to everyone under the age of sixteen. The only requirement to join the event is to preregister.
The Rockets Launching Leadership class, or RLL, is a class held at Jefferson Morgan. Those taking the class are required to plan and promote two activities or events per year that will benefit both the school and the Greene County community. Students can choose their own events, given their teacher’s approval, and are encouraged to pick activities that appeal to their personal interests. In the RLL class, the students receive hands-on experience and learn how to make events a success.
“My teacher suggested to do something like the derby for my project because I enjoy the outdoors and I wanted to share my love for the outdoors with others in our community,” says Eli Taylor, one of the students in charge of the Youth Fishing Derby. Two other students, Alaina McCollum and Cera Jamison, are planning and organizing the Youth Fishing Derby along with Eli.
Jodi Fulks, Business/Computer Teacher at Jefferson-Morgan, shares about Waynesburg Sportsmen’s Association’s involvement in the event: “The Waynesburg Sportsmen’s Association is allowing us to use their pond, because they too, wanted to do something for the youth in the community. The RLL students invited the leaders of the Waynesburg Sportsmen’s Association to our school to meet with them to discuss the details of the derby. The gentlemen were very much on board with helping and we appreciate the collaboration. Many times, with our different events/activities that we do in the RLL class, we are fortunate to work with several local clubs, organizations, and businesses.”
Each child who participates will receive a t-shirt. There will also be several prizes that can be won. “There are different fish categories and different age groups for winners. Prizes will be fishing equipment, gift cards and any other donations that we may receive from local businesses,” Jodi says. “We would like to thank our sponsors for stepping up to help us. Big expenses for the event are stocking the pond, giving every pre-registered youth a shirt, and awarding prizes,” Jodi adds. If a local business would like to donate prizes, they can email Jodi at jfulks@jmsd.org.
“The most valuable aspect of our derby is that we are learning how to organize and plan an event. And we wanted to get our youth to get outdoors and enjoy what Greene County has to offer,” Alaina says.
If you are interested in your child participating in the Fishing Derby, you must pre-register by March 25, 2024. You may do so by emailing Jodi at jfulks@jmsd.org. The event will run from 8am to 11am with check in at 7:30am.