The 2017-2018 brought a new face to Gateway Christian Academy as Mrs. Brandy was invited to start a 4-H Club and a Cloverbud Club afterschool. Over 50 youth enrolled in the Gateway 4-H Club and over 50 joined as Gateway 4-H Cloverbuds. The 4-H program became the first and only extracurricular offering at the school. This can be attributed to years of building the program and the program's excellent reputation for positive youth development within the county. 

Through an approach that brought multiple, sequential learning experiences to the Gateway youth, a trust was formed and 15 youth finished out their first year as 4-H'ers with a trip to 4-H Camp! 2018 was the first summer camping experience for all 15 of the Gateway 4-H'ers. Two of the Gateway Christian Academy teachers led their 4-H Club throughout the year and became Adult 4-H Camp Counselors!

The response of the adult volunteers credited the long-term club experience with the commitment of the youth and their parents to the 4-H Camp experience. "If they had not been involved in 4-H all year, they wouldn't have been allowed to participate in camp," one of the Camp Counselors said. 

Camp brought many first-time experiences for the 15 first-time campers, like it does for most campers. Aside from the classes and the bonding experiences, the most remarkable observation is the independence that was fostered during their time at 4-H Camp. One of the Camp Counselors reflected on how, at school, the kids are walked from class to class. At camp, they responsibly followed their own class schedule and independently cared for some of their own needs.

This story is a credit to the value of 4-H, the reputation of the Bell County 4-H Program, to the 4-H Camping program, to community development, and to positive youth development.