The DJCBA is pleased to sponsor Shane Lapen and Holley Schwartz as the Youth in Beekeeping recipients for 2017. Each youth recently received and installed a package of bees to care for this beekeeping season. They are assigned mentors to assist them with their beekeeping experience and were introduced to club members on April 9. Shane Lapen, son of Mark and Kathy Lapen of rural Beaver Dam, is a 10th grader at Beaver Dam High School and a member of Beaver Dam FFA. He is interested in learning more about using honey bees to pollinate his home garden and honey production. He is especially interested to learn how beekeeping offers another aspect to the wider realm of agriculture. Holley Schwartz, daughter of Greg and Tracy Schwartz of Watertown, is a homeschooled student and member of the Watertown Badgers 4-H Club. Holley’s interest in horticulture led her to learn more about the honey bee’s role in fruit orchards and how to make value added products from the hive. The applicants were selected as part of the club’s promotion and educational initiatives for youth interested in beekeeping.