We are now entering day 104 of the COVID-19 Modified Operating Procedure for Extension. Unfortunately, the spread of COVID-19 continues to increase in our state and across the nation. However, we must stay focused on the future. To be focused on the future, we must take the COVID-19 safety protocols very seriously and acknowledge that there are no quick fixes. We must continue to stay the course as outlined in our reentry plan; again, our motto is “Slow is Fast.” Please continue to continuously wash your hands after coming in contact with surfaces, wear face coverings, practice social distancing, and if you are sick, please stay home. We will continue to adapt our county reentry status based on the COVID-19 data from SC DHEC. As soon as we decide what our next steps will be, I will send out an email to all employees and we will post the information on our website.
The 4-H Program Team continues to adapt to this “new normal,” and this week, they are hosting their 4-H Virtual Congress. They will recognize the top four senior 4-H members who have outstanding accomplishments in 4-H leadership, citizenship, and project work with the Presidential Tray. It is the highest honor that a South Carolina 4-H’er can achieve.
Extension programming reaches a variety of stakeholders. Helping our youth gain the knowledge and skills to be responsible, productive, and contributing members of society so that we can continue to improve the well-being of South Carolinians is critical. While watching the Macy’s firework show this past weekend, I became familiar with Amanda Gorman. She is the first Youth Poet Laureate of the United States.
The following is a brief bio from her website, amandascgorman.com.
“Called the ‘next great figure of poetry in the US’, at 19-years-old, Amanda Gorman is a published author and the first-ever Youth Poet Laureate of the United States of America. She’s spoken around the country from the UN to the Library of Congress, alongside the likes of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Hillary Clinton. Her first poetry book, “The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough,” was published in 2015 by Penmanship Books. She is the founder and executive director of One Pen One Page, which promotes literacy through free creative writing programming for underserved youth. She is a Harvard junior in the top of her class and writes for the New York Times student newsletter The Edit.”
I ask that you try to take time to watch the brief video of her Independence Day poem performance. Her work has a deep meaning.
Please continue to follow the recommended safety protocols to inhibit the possibility of additional COVID-19 cases. As always, please take good care of yourselves and your families, and thank you for what you do for Clemson Extension.
