The Bryan County 4-H staff surprised a fifth-grade 4-H’er on Dec. 12 when they interrupted the Bryan County Elementary School lunchroom to announce that Dy’Amond McGhee would receive a free Dell desktop computer.
Dy’Amond was one of 33 students statewide to receive a refurbished 850 mHz Pentium III computer — complete with a monitor, keyboard and mouse — through the annual University of Georgia/4-H Need-a-Computer Contest.
To enter the contest, 4-H’ers had to fill out an application, write an essay and submit required reference and activity forms.
Dy'Amond joined 4-H in August but still found time to participate in every activity and event offered. She donates to service projects, completes all of her assignments and is prepared for every meeting, according to 4-H leaders. She serves as an officer in her school 4-H club and is a member of the 4-H Project SAFE BB Team.
“A child who is intelligent can make the largest growth to mastery when given the opportunity to use technology,” said Katelyn Finnegan, Dy’Amond’s fifth-grade teacher. “Dy’Amond is constantly engaged in becoming more fluent with this. She is so hardworking and could only take her learning to another level if she could use it at home.” 
Dy’Amond’s teachers said they are certain she will use the computer to help her with her schoolwork and continue a successful career with 4-H.