Many BIC Elementary  students recently made the big decision to take on a whole new world of responsibility by joining the agriculture program and opting to show livestock. These students are Emma Waltrip, Slade Hawkins, Sawyer Hawkins, and Annalyse Harris.

Showing livestock requires that each student must care for their animal daily, by feeding their animal, cleaning their pens, maintaining their hygiene, and preparing them for the show. This can obviously be a monumental duty for such young people, but these students have proven to be up to the task.

4th grader Annalyse Harris chose to show a pig. She said that while training the animal came easily to her, caring for it was more difficult, but she still had fun with her animal and looks forward to her next showing season.

2nd grader Slade Hawkins showed a goat which he named “Martin.” He loved the process of caring for the animal, but said brushing him was definitely his least favorite part. He also hopes to continue the practice of showing livestock.

Kindergarten  student Sawyer Hawkins picked a goat, just like his older brother, but he named his pet “Chris.” Sawyer had no complaints about any of the steps involved in animal showing, but he said his highlight of the whole event was staying in a hotel, and he hopes to continue working with animals alongside his brother.

3rd grader Emilyn Waltrip followed in the footsteps of her older sister, Alivia, in participating in the livestock program. She said her most memorable moment from the showing season was working with her animal at the State Fair. She said her animal was particularly moody that day, and difficult to work with, but the animal was better behaved in the other shows that she participated in.

These students are the next generation in a long line of BIC students who have got the opportunity to learn the value of taking on the responsibility of caring for another living being, and participating in a healthy competition where they can learn self discipline, good sportsmanship, and other skills that they can carry with them throughout their lives.