Calvert County Office
Community Resources Building
30 Duke St, Room 103
P.O. Box 486
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
410-535-3662 or 301-855-1150
Fax: 410-535-2438
www.calvert.umd.edu
Calvert 4-H Chatter
November 2012
Dear 4-H Members and Supporters,
In a flash, we’ll be ending 2012 and moving into 2013. For those
of us in University of Maryland Extension, this is the time we set
goals for 2013 and put together our Individual Extension Plans.
You should be doing this as well. Both YOU, individually, as a
4-H Member or a 4-H Volunteer, and COLLECTIVELY, as your
4-H Club need to determine what your goals and activities will be for the next year. We have
asked for your Annual Club Plans in the past, but have not managed to get responses from some.
Now more than ever, we’ll need to know what your aspirations are for the coming year. So get
started on those plans now. They’ll be due before you know it!
In 2013, there will be some significant changes in the way we do business as 4-H. For example,
ALL CLUBS will have to be re-chartered. There will also be other items that we’ll need to
take care of. Change is always challenging, but I’m confident that you all will meet the
challenge with positive 4-H spirit!
We will be holding training sessions for our 4-H Volunteers about the upcoming changes, and
we will require meeting with all 4-H Club Volunteer Leaders. Stay tuned for details about the
training sessions. Meanwhile, get started gathering information as follows: Our office MUST
get your CLUB REPORTS by January 31, along with a list of all club members enrolled, all
club volunteers, and officers for the year. This is no longer something that you can ignore. MD
State 4-H MUST have the information if your group is to continue as a 4-H Club.
*To access additional club resources regarding the upcoming changes, go to
http://www.maryland4h.org/For%20Volunteers/Club%20Resources.cfm.
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for our 4-H youth! Happy Holidays!
Sincerely,
Elaine Long Bailey, Calvert County 4-H Youth Development Educator
4-H Enrollment Forms AND FEES are DUE!
Please turn in all completed 4-H Enrollment or Re-enrollment Forms, along with the $10 Dues, to the
UME-Calvert office ASAP. Remember: for 4-H members to participate in any 4-H activities, we MUST
have your completed forms, signed by 4-H members and their parents, as well as the $10 Dues. Checks
should be made payable to University of Maryland.
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New Club Charter Guidelines for TAX-EXEMPT status - ALL must participate!!
EIN’s, List of Club Volunteers, List of 4-H members in the club, Club Officers, Club By-Laws,
Club records/annual plan, Annual Financial forms, treasurer’s book, bank statements, official
agreement, club inventory. What do these have to do with your 4-H club? This is the
information we will need to get from you in order to complete your club charter so that you have
tax-exempt status through 4-H. Lots of exciting things ahead! Please be sure to attend one of the
trainings scheduled for our club leaders, so that we can get everyone set for 2013! We will be
holding the trainings for the club leaders on Tuesday, December 4, at 6:30 p.m., Monday,
December 10, at 10:00 a.m. and Tuesday, December 11, at 6:30 p.m. Please contact us and let us
know which of these three dates will work for you.
Northeast Regional 4-H Volunteer Forum 2012
Our office was a Host Site for the recent Northeast Regional 4-H Volunteer Forum. The forum
consisted of a series of three webinars, with classes and activities done by experts from around
the country. We were excited that the winner of a $100 Gift Card drawn the first night was an
attendee at our site! It was also great to see some of our 4-H teens present for some of the
programs. The webinars were held November 5, 12 and 19 at 7:00pm. We learned many great
things through this online forum. There was a lot of helpful information and ideas for those
serving our youth in Calvert County 4-H.
Calvert County Fair – Spectacular weather, superb 4-H members,
awesome volunteers, and supportive community members … these were
the ingredients for a very successful 2012 Calvert County Fair. We are
proud of you all for your efforts to make this a successful event! Many
people came to us to say that “This was the BEST fair they’ve ever been a
part of!” We appreciate all your hard work to make this possible! We had
a record number of club booths this year; a total of six club booths,
including Creative Crafters, Chesapeake Clovers, Patuxent Young
Farmers, Patuxent Elementary Cloverbuds, and Giddy-Up 4-H and
Giddy-Up 4-H Clovers. We also had 3 club banners entered in the
Fair and 2 Club Scrapbooks. What a wonderful way to showcase
your 4-H Club. We also had several clubs
participate in Youth Day at the Fair. Giddy-Up
4-H promoted HealthRocks along with their
campaign to educate youth about the dangers of
drug abuse. The Chesapeake Clovers also participated
on Youth Day. They promoted 4-H and sold paracord
bracelets that their club had made. The new “Herdsmen
Awards” were given to those 4-Hers who went above
and beyond helping out at the fair. They were always
willing to help with whatever they were asked to do and even did things on
their own to make things run smoothly. Kudos to Jordan Mister, Alex
Droneberger, Joseph Watson and Matthew Watson! Great Job!
Annual Maryland 4-H Volunteer Forum in Ocean City,
November 16-18 at the Carousel Hotel
The Maryland 4-H Volunteer and Teen Forum was held November 16-18, 2012 at the Carousel
Hotel, in Ocean City, MD. This was a great opportunity for teen and adult volunteers to learn the
knowledge and skills necessary to achieve Maryland 4-H's three major goals - Strengthening
Clubs, Enhancing Volunteer Development, and Reaching New and Underserved Audiences.
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Talk with some of our attendees to learn more, and plan to attend next year. If you or your club
would like to teach a class at the Volunteer Forum next year, please let us know.
State 4-H Bicycle Contest – By Austin Garner
This year I was able to compete in the MD State 4-H Bike Rodeo.
First I went to the Patuxent River 4-H Center in Upper Marlboro, MD,
to compete against 4-Hers in our Southern MD area. There were
competitors from Anne Arundel and Charles County. I was the only
4-Her competing from Calvert County. It was a rainy day, but the
event organizers took their time and explained what was expected and
how we were being judged. That was a big help. After winning the
overall Intermediate, I was qualified to compete at the State Fair.
We recreated the course at our house so I could practice and
even had our club's members come over to give it a try. Maybe
next year we could have more Calvert 4-Hers compete. There
are 3 parts to the competition. There is a written test on bike
safety, a parts identification component and then the best part is
to ride a course showing hand signals and checking for traffic,
etc. I enjoyed the State Fair and finished second in my age group. The senior 4-H'er that wins
their group gets to go to the National Competition in Indiana. I also got a cool t-shirt, a Second
Place ribbon and a $10 check for competing.
HealthRocks Camps
This summer we were excited to team with Wilson Ennis Club House and the East John Camp to
provide HealthRocks! 4-H Training. Both camps were lots of fun, and centered around making
healthy and wise decisions and thinking through situations that we all encounter each day.
Topics included smoking, drug abuse and alcohol, and the consequences we face when making
wrong choices. The events also were loaded with engaging, active games to entice participants
to exercise and have fun. If your club would like the Calvert 4-H HealthRocks! Team to do
some activities, contact the office.
4-H Watershed Discovery Camp What do you get when
you combine marsh grasses with hydrologic cycle relays and BUGS?
You get Calvert 4-H Watershed Discovery Camp. Ms. Jackie Takacs
and Dr. Herb Reed took the reins to deliver a fun week of actionpacked activities and learning for our youth. Ms. Ari Strahl
coordinated and oversaw the full camp, and EVERYONE had a great
time. This camp was done in collaboration with MD Sea Grant and
Jefferson Patterson Park. Participants learned about the water and the species in it, around it, and
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because of it. They were fortunate to tour the river on a Morgan State University research boat.
On their tour, they dredged for oysters and recorded various measure of water quality. They also
used GPS’s to find their treasure of the day and had many more adventures. They transplanted
grasses along the water’s edge to help preserve the beach and they removed some invasive plants
from around the edge of the water. A big hit was that the 4-H campers got to ride around the
park on BOB, the Big Oblong Bus, that runs solely on solar energy!
Farm to School Week
On September 19 and 21, we celebrated Farm to School Week with Beach
Elementary School and St. Leonard Elementary School, respectively. The
kids learned about planting seeds, seed identification and some of the products
we receive from the farm. They learned how products harvested on farms are
used in many of the products we eat today. They also
learned about buying local produce from farmer’s markets.
And they got to shuck and eat Swann Farms corn on the cob
for lunch. What a special treat! Many of the kids had never
eaten corn on the cob before. We also taught planting and
seed identification to the students at Huntingtown
Elementary School on Harvest Day, October 31st!
Robotics Club – We will be starting a Lego
Mindstorm 4-H Robotics club on January 22, 2013.
If you are interested in joining our new 4-H Robotics club, please
call the office and let us know or send an e-mail to
astrahl@umd.edu. We have planned our first meeting for 7:00
p.m. on January 22, 2013, in the Calvert County 4-H Extension
Office conference room. We look forward to hearing from many
4-Hers, families and friends. We can use all the help you can offer
in this program. We especially need adults familiar with the
programming aspect of the NXT brick.
4-H Awards & Recognition - Portfolios
The 4-H Portfolio is a lifeskill builder!!! Yes, this is the beginning of the development of a
resume which is essential for young adults. We use a 4-H Resume, an Essay and an
Interview process to select outstanding Maryland 4-Hers and reward their efforts with
opportunities to represent Maryland at some of the National 4-H Events.
Encourage senior 4-H members to submit a portfolio. The National 4-H Conference trip due
date for portfolios is October 15th. Plan NOW to submit YOUR resume for consideration for
these fun, educational trips in 2013. The essay topic this year is "How do the life
development skills you have learned through 4-H help you serve as a mentor to others?"
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This topic will be changed annually, and is used from July to July so that it covers the full
year of trips - National 4-H Conference in the Spring and Miniwanca, West Virginia 4-H
Older Members' Camp, Virginia 4-H Congress in the Summer, and National 4-H Congress in
the Fall. To find out more information about the Portfolio Program visit
www.maryland4h.org and under Resources for Youth and Families select Awards &
Recognition.
Record Books and Club Books are due to the 4-H office
by February 8, 2013
Why do we do Record Books? What’s so important about telling others about
my experience in 4-H? Record books are your way of showing others what
you’ve been doing in 4- H throughout the year. We enjoy reading your stories about
your year in 4-H, working with your projects. And we love to see the pictures you include
of you with your 4-H projects. This is how we can honor you for your achievements in 4-H
throughout the year. Teaching others about your 4-H projects can bring you much joy and
encouragement.
Club Scrapbooks are also a neat way to show others what your club has been doing in 4-H
throughout the year. You have lots of pictures of your activities; we want you to share them with
others through your club scrapbook!
Treasurer’s Books are a very necessary and important way for your club to be fiscally
responsible in 4-H. Your treasurer’s book helps you complete your annual financial forms for
Maryland 4-H, which is a mandatory process, required by Maryland 4-H.
Secretary’s Books let others know who is attending their club meetings and what your club has
done throughout the year. What kind of activities and community service projects has your club
participated in throughout the year? 4-H is everywhere in the community; we’d like to highlight
your hard work!
Annual Club Plans also help us to know what you’re doing throughout the year in your club
and around our community. It’s great seeing how your clubs are helping in the community,
especially with some of the devastating storms we’ve just recently had on the east coast. Club
Plans also enable us to see activities that other clubs or people in the community may help you to
conduct.
Art Walk Prince Frederick will be held on December
8, 2012, 11:00am-5:00pm at the Community Resources Building in the
Lobby. This event is sponsored by CalvART Gallery, promoting the arts,
music and fun. The Creative Crafters will be at our building making and
selling crafts. Is there anything you would like to do for this event? Let us
know if you would like to participate as a club.
Horsemanship Standards Testing – How do you tie a quick release knot?
What is a buckskin? Why is grooming a horse important? These are some of the skills and
information that 4-H’ers have to know to pass the MD Horsemanship Standards Tests. On
November 3, 2012, several 4-Hers from Calvert and St. Mary’s tested their skills in knowledge
and riding to obtain their next level of achievement in horsemanship standards. Thanks to Ms.
Natalie and Mr. Troy Garner for hosting the testing, and to Ms. Bridget Dellar, for working as
one of our examiners! To learn more about MD 4-H Horsemanship Standards, go to
http://www.4hhorse.umd.edu/activities/Horsemanship%20Standards.html. There is information
about the program, as well as study materials and skills required for each level available there.
Stay tuned for the next testing that will be scheduled in Spring, 2013.
Equal opportunity employer and equal access programs.
The Patuxent Young Farmers 4-H Club support their community, and
give back. This fall, they donated 549 pounds of meat to the End Hunger in Calvert County
Food Pantry at Chesapeake Church. The meat came from 3 hogs that 4-Hers had raised as their
4-H projects in 2012. Buyers purchased the stock at the Calvert County 4-H Livestock Auction
and donated them back to the club. Right now over 10,000 families in Calvert County rely on
local food pantries to provide their next meal. What a great way to help others in our local
community and promote the goals of 4-H! Thank you PYF!
Patuxent Young Farmers 4-H Club also donated a very thoughtful and generous gift to the
Sheldon Goldberg Center for Breast Care at Calvert Memorial Hospital in honor of Ari Strahl
because of her battle with breast cancer this past year. What an encouragement that was to Ari.
Way to go, PYF!
Kudos
Congratulations to Carrie Jones who won Little Miss Calvert County Farm Bureau
and to Sarah Manning who was named Miss Calvert County Farm Bureau.
Taylor Garner, Josiah Manning and Sarah Manning competed in the 2012 Miss
Tranquility/Lord Calvert Contest. They represented themselves and 4-H very
well, and were helping in various capacities at the Calvert County Fair. Congrats,
all!
Congrats to Josiah Manning for competing at the National
4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl, Sarah Manning for competing at the
National 4-H Livestock Skillathon, and Rachel Manning for competing
on the intercollegiate level at the National 4-H Livestock Judging
competition. These were all held in Louisville, Kentucky in November.
Pictured right is the 2013 MD State 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl Team.
Hats off to the Calvert 4-H All Stars and to Giddy-Up 4-H Club for decorating trees for the
Calvert Hospice Festival of Trees. The trees were lovely, and will brighten the holiday season
for many! Also, we salute
Becky Jones, Carrie Jones, and
Lilly Walton, for building
gingerbread houses to raise
money for Hospice during the
Festival of Trees, and Jordan
Mister, who volunteered
helping throughout the
weekend. Way to serve your
community, everyone!
Lynn Hoile and Zachery Lecky have several Angora goats for which they
need to find homes. Angoras are a very interesting wool breed. They would
like to sell these goats to some 4-Hers. Since they are moving, they need to
find a good home or homes for them. If you are interested, please contact
Lynn Hoile at Lynn1338@msn.com. You can also call her at 554-282-6311.
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Calvert County4-H’ers Here and There in ACTION
Equal opportunity employer and equal access programs.
Upcoming Events for 2013
January 2013
2
New Year’s Day Observed – Office Closed
3
Market Beef Registrations due to 4-H Office
8
Volunteer Association Meeting, 7 pm
10
Senior Portfolios and Resumes due to Calvert 4-H Office
12
Market Steer Weigh-in at Calvert County Fairgrounds, 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
15
Senior Portfolios and Resumes for National 4-H Congress, West Virginia Older Members
Conference, Virginia 4-H Congress and Camp Miniwanca due to Maryland 4-H
Office for judging (contact Sandra Corridon, corridon@umd.edu )
18
Completed Diamond Clover Reports Due to 4-H Office (for previous year)
18-20 Horse World Expo/4-H Horse Art Contest – Timonium
20
Maryland 4-H Gala, Carriage Room, Laurel Park, Laurel, MD
21
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Observed – Office Closed
19
Completed Diamond Clover Reports Due to 4-H Office (for previous year)
26
Record Books due to Leaders
TBD Animal Science Leader’s Forum
February 2013
2
Interviews for National 4-H Congress, West Virginia Older Members Conference
Virginia 4-H Congress, and Camp Miniwanca at Queen Anne’s County Extension
Office, Centreville, MD (inclement weather, February 16)
5
Interviews for National 4-H Congress, West Virginia Older Members Conference
Virginia 4-H Congress, and Camp Miniwanca at Maryland 4-H Center
(inclement weather, February 19)
7
4-H Record Books due to 4-H Office
7
Leaders’ Reports (Secretary’s Book, Annual Club Plan) due to 4-H Office
7
Treasurer’s Guidebook and Annual Financial Report due to 4-H Office
9
Demonstrations and Fashion Revue (please pre-register by 1/27/2013)
9
Interviews for National 4-H Congress, West Virginia Older Members Conference
Virginia 4-H Congress, and Camp Miniwanca at Carroll County Extension
Office, Westminster, MD (inclement weather, February 23)
11
Record Book Judging
12
Volunteer Association Meeting, 7 pm
18
4-H Day in Annapolis
18
President's Day Observed – Office Closed
23
Achievement Night Potluck Dinner – Calvert County Fairgrounds, Prince
Frederick, MD (please RSVP via e-mail or telephone by 2/15/2013)
March 2013
1
Quality Assurance On-Line Training opened http://www.maryland4h.org/AHQA/
2
Maryland 4-H Livestock Skillathon, Hagerstown MD
12
Volunteer Association Meeting, 7 pm
TBD Dog Bowl Contest – Charles County
13
Diamond Clover Plans Due to 4-H Office (for 2013 – Independents & Levels 5 & 6)
TBD Broiler orders due
17-23 National Agriculture Week
22
Public Speaking – All Saint’s Church (please pre-register by 3/15/2013)
29
Good Friday Observed – Office Closed
Equal opportunity employer and equal access programs.