Four Franklin County high school students earned top honors as state champions in the Consumer Decision Making Contest at the Tennessee 4-H State Fall Judging Day event held recently at the University of Tennessee.

The team of Amelia Maxon, Sam Pfister, Lily Boswell and Madelyn Harrell will go on to compete in the National Consumer Decision Making Contest at the Family and Consumer Sciences National Championship in San Antonio, Texas, in January 2024.

In addition to finishing first as a team in the overall category and taking the top prize as a group in the oral category, Maxon, Pfister and Boswell respectively finished first, second and fifth overall as individuals. Harrell and Boswell finished second and third, respectively, in the oral category as individuals.

“The Consumer Decision Making Contest allows youths to develop and utilize their decision-making skills by placing in six classes of consumer-oriented items: bedding, brewing appliances, dental care, fast food, lighting and subscription shopping,” Hunter Isbell, Extension agent II for Franklin County, said.

Youths are also required to give two sets of oral reasons over the classes they have placed and complete a group-think process as a team. Group think requires members to work together to place a class, review and select options according to an identified scenario and then give an oral presentation on their choices.

“Franklin County 4-H empowers all youths to become true leaders by developing necessary life skills, positive relationships and community awareness,” Isbell said. “As the largest youth-leadership organization in the state, Tennessee 4-H reaches more than 180,000 people in a typical year through UT Extension offices and 4-H facilities.”

To sponsor the local youths who will be competing in the FCS National Championship Contest in January, please call the Franklin County UT Extension Office at 931-967-2741 or send a check (payable to the Tennessee 4-H Foundation) to the UT Extension office, 330 Joyce Lane, Winchester, TN 37398.