County Departments Partner to Engage Youth in Summer Programming

August 23, 2021

Henderson County has over 35 departments designated to perform specific tasks to ensure smooth operations throughout the County. Each department functions independently and provides excellent service. However, when these departments collaborate, services can be enhanced and improved for County citizens. With the common goal of providing educational summer enrichment for students after an educational year unlike any other, multiple departments combined their efforts to provide quality programming this summer.

Four County departments- Cooperative Extension, Parks and Recreation, Environmental Programs, and Soil and Water Conservation- aligned to engage hundreds of students in interactive educational formats.  Soil and Water Conservation was invited to the 4-H Agriculture Day Camp offered by Cooperative Extension for the horticulture-themed day. Soil and Water Conservation provided a full lesson on soils, which included a soils investigation, scavenger hunt, and the creation of soil bracelets. The Parks and Recreation department offered summer camps for students each Monday at Jackson Park. The Soil and Water Conservation department partnered with Parks and Recreation to provide lessons for those campers on topics including the water cycle, watersheds, soils, and conservation. Cooperative Extension shared their expertise about plants and tree identification via trail hikes and park exploration at the Parks and Recreation camps. Lastly, the Soil and Water Conservation department offered a Kids in the Creek event to the Henderson County Education Foundation’s STEM campers at Mills River Park. The Henderson County Environmental Programs Coordinator, Christine Wittmeier, partnered with Soil and Water Conservation by providing interactive educational content about the County’s waste system and the benefits of composting.

The departments not only provided helpful content to Henderson County citizens, they had fun while doing it! The teamwork was beneficial for all involved and will hopefully lead to continued partnerships among departments.  We are proud and thankful for the opportunity to work together to enhance outreach to the students of Henderson County!