* Applause to the Ski Hi 4-H Club of Beverly, which is celebrating its 100th year of service to the community. Chartered in Beverly in September 1925, the Ski Hi 4-H Club will be celebrating its centennial achievement all year. Randolph County Extension Agent Hannah Fincham said Ski Hi is the first 4-H club in Randolph County to make it to 100 years. Fincham said the club currently has around 43 members and 10 vetted volunteers. This year, club members set a goal of 100 items for each of their chosen service projects, to correspond with the club’s 100th birthday. So far, Swecker said, the club has met or exceeded that goal by making 102 Valentines for the “Holiday Cards 4 our Military” project, collecting 118 canned goods for Tyrand Cooperative Ministries Food Pantry and recently gathering more than 300 filled Easter eggs for the Camp Pioneer Easter egg hunt, set for April 12. Plans are also being made for other 100th anniversary events later this year, including a reunion for former members of the Ski Hi 4-H Club and an exhibit about the Ski Hi 4-H Club at the Randolph County Fair, Swecker said.

* Applause to the Elkins Tree Board, whose Adopt-A-Tree program returns this spring with a goal of having more young trees planted in the city, especially in the First and Second Wards. The Adopt-A-Tree program provides a free young tree to selected participating homeowners in each of the city’s five wards. The application deadline for residents is Friday, April 11. All applicants must be city residents. Approved applicants will be able to pick up their free tree on Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Elkins Tree Nursery, behind the historic Kump House. Members of the Elkins Tree Board recently distributed information to residents in First and Second Wards, which were both identified as part of a targeted area in need of “increased canopy coverage,” a press release from Elkins Tree Board Chair Marilynn Cuonzo states. Using I-Tree technology, the Tree Board determined and identified certain areas of the city that are specifically in need of more trees.

* Applause to the Randolph County winners of the 2025 Young Writers Contest, who have been announced by Randolph County Schools. Sponsored by the Central West Virginia Writing Project at Marshall University, the contest celebrates student writing. More than 50 students in Randolph County entered the contest this school year. The Randolph County winners have been invited to participate in WV Young Writers Day at the University of Charleston in Charleston on Friday, May 2. The day will feature writing workshops for all students and their teachers, as well as recognition for the winners.