April 2014 – May 2014
Montgomery County 4-H
18410 Muncaster Road
Derwood, MD 20855
(301) 590-9638
montgomery.umd.edu/4-H/
A PDF Version of this newsletter is available on the Montgomery
County 4-H Website
Alganesh Piechocinski, CFLE
Senior Extension Educator
4-H Youth Development
(301) 590-2804
algapie@umd.edu
We’ve been adding to our Montgomery County 4-H website! There is now a 4-H
Calendar featuring upcoming events and important dates, and an Activities &
Events section with descriptions of our activities and events and links to important
documents.
David Gordon
Extension Educator
4-H and Agriculture
(301) 590-2813
Dgordon3@umd.edu
Jeannine Shriver
Administrative Assistant
(301) 590-3210
jshriver@umd.edu
ACCESS 4-H – Online 4-H
Enrollment System
enrollment.4-h.org/
4-H County Website
Cluster Sewing Workshops
The Sewing Workshops are open to all youth carrying the clothing project or may
be thinking about carrying the clothing project.
 11 – 13 April 2014 - Fashion Premier Weekend will be held at the 4-H
Camp and Activities Center.
 14 June 2014 - Central Cluster Fashion Revue Show. See flier on page 6.
Adventures in Science
Adventure in Science (AIS) is a hands-on science education activity for children
ages 8-15 running on Saturday mornings from late October to March. The goal of
AIS is to present science as an exciting activity and a way of thinking about the
world, rather than as a compendium of facts. The topics presented reflect the
2014 Dates to Remember
interests of the children and the volunteers, rather than any prescribed curriculum.
Registration for AIS begins on May 12 at noon. Go to the AIS website
April
5 - Healthy Lifestyles Contest http://www.adventureinscience.org to register. Please contact Ms. Alga
6 - National 4-H Conference Piechocinski at algapie@umd.edu if you need more information. Applicants will
be notified of the status of their application (site acceptance or waitlist) by June
11-13 - Premier Fashion
13, 2014.
Weekend
23 - Spring Leader Meeting
26 - Maryland Day & State
Public Speaking
26 - Beef Field Day (MoCo
Fairgrounds)
Healthy Lifestyles Contest
The Healthy Lifestyles Contest will be held at the 4-H office on Saturday April 5. The
four entry categories are poster, table setting, food science exhibit, and menu for junior,
intermediate, and senior age groups. These entries should be brought to the 4-H office by
8:45 am. The table setting and food science exhibits require a short interview with the
judge, but the posters and menus can be dropped off for judging if you are unable to stay
May
for the whole morning. Use of the computer and
12 May – Adventures in
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate/index.aspx
Science Registration
15—Club Articles due for the is strongly recommended for researching the menu entry. The poster theme this year is
June/July/Fair Issue of News & “Make Healthy Living Your Goal.” You can find the registration form and the contest
guidelines at the Montgomery County 4-H website: https://extension.umd.edu/node/7151.
Notes
17 - Wills Spring Fair(Ho. Co. Don’t forget that posters, table settings, and food science exhibits can also be entered in
the county fair. You can count this program as a county-level event in your Diamond
Fairgrounds)
Clover plan. If your entry continues onto the State Fair’s Healthy Lifestyles Contest,
that’s a state-level event in your Diamond Clover plan.
The Visual Presentations Contest WILL NOT take place on the same day this year. Look
for information in a later News & Notes issue on about a separate Visual Presentations
June
Day that will possibly take place in the fall.
14 –Cluster Fashion Revue
12 - MoCo Fashion Show
Judging
Premier Fashion Weekend
TBD - Sheep & Swine Weigh-In Montgomery County is teaming up with our fellow central cluster counties,
(MoCo Fairgrounds)
Frederick and Howard, to bring you a “Premier Fashion Weekend”. 4-H’ers eight
16-23 - National Leadership and above, from beginning to advanced sewers are all welcome to join us for a
Conference
weekend of sewing and overall training for the 4-H Fashion Revue. The program
July
6-11 - 4-H Camp
will begin Friday April 11 2014 and end Sunday April 13 and will take place at
the 4-H Camp and Activities Center located at 3709-B Basford Road, Frederick,
MD (map).
Attendees will work with volunteers as well as each other on sewing, make-up,
hair, interview judging practice, narrations, accessories, and more. This is a great
opportunity for advance sewers to express their leadership skills and for beginners
to get some great insight on fashion and what to expect at the Montgomery County
Fashion show. The weekend will include meals.
The cost for Overnight (Friday–Sunday) Teen Leaders 4-H Age (13-18) is $75.00. Saturday-Sunday Overnight
4-H Age (8-18) $65.00. Day workshops only 4-H Age (5-18) $35.00. For more information and to register, go
to the county 4-H website: https://extension.umd.edu/node/7152
Club Leaders Meeting
The spring meeting will be on 23 April at the Montgomery County 4-H building and will start at 6:30 PM.
Light dinner will be served. We will update the 4-H Program, discuss the Fair activities, and network with
each other.
Please call or email Jeannine Shriver and let her know if you are attending. Leader meetings are important for
the development of the 4-H Program and sharing of new ideas. If the Club leader can’t attend, we strongly
suggest that a Co-leader or Project leader attend this important meeting.
Maryland Day and State 4-H Communications Contest
Grab your family, friends, and neighbors to join 4-H for the 2014 Maryland Day on Saturday April 26. The
event will take place at the University of Maryland at College Park. Throughout the campus, there are funfilled activities, demonstrations, exhibits, performances and other events that will demonstrate the impact of
this world-class university. Various 4-H clubs will have table presentations through the campus so be sure to
stop by and support your fellow club members.
In addition, as part of Maryland Day, our Montgomery County public speaking champions will be
competing against 4-H youth from around the state to display their ability to speak comfortably before a crowd.
Contestants will check in at the Plant Sciences building at 9:30 AM and the contest begins at 10:00 AM.
Awards presentation is at 3:00 PM. on Ag Avenue.
Check out the Maryland Day website here: http://www.marylandday.umd.edu/
Find out more about the 4-H Communication contest here: https://extension.umd.edu/montgomerycounty/state-4-h-communications-contest-maryland-day-2014#overlay-context=montgomery-county/4-hyouth/4-h-activities-events
Spring Judges School
The Spring Judges School will be held on Saturday 26 April in Cockeysville, MD. The Judges Certification
Program provides a large pool of qualified and educated judges for fairs, shows, and expos. For more
information, please visit the web site at www.maafs.com.
Will’s Fair – May 17th
The Wills Fair website is not quite up yet, but will be soon, and you will receive an update when it is. This is
the spring show held at the Howard County Fairgrounds for central Maryland counties. It is a very low key
show and offers a great way to get you and your animals some experience before the county fair.
An update will be sent as soon as the website is updated and available. Entries again this year will be sent to
the Carroll County 4-H office.
Dairy Judging
We are looking for new kids to participate, particularly in the junior and intermediate age brackets. Beginner
training starts as soon as possible. Practices with the entire group will begin in early to mid-May and last
through the summer. For those that make the county team, the state contest will take place on the Saturday of
Labor Day weekend at the State Fairgrounds from 8:00 AM through mid-afternoon. New people interested in
taking part should contact John Doody at jrdoody@hotmail.com as soon as possible.
Livestock Judging
If you are interested in learning what the judges are looking for at the fair, learning how to describe animals
and how to pick out the best ones that will win, judging is for you. You don’t have to have any of these animals
to be involved, just a desire to learn about animals. We focus on sheep, swine, beef and meat goats. Judging
will teach you valuable public speaking skills. We are beginning this year with several office practices and then
we will head out to local farms to judge live animals. The first practice is May 6. If you are planning on
coming or are interested in learning more about livestock judging please contact David Gordon at
dgordon3@umd.edu or 301-590-2813.
Fair Animal Exhibitor Orientation
All 4-H animal exhibitors (this is all animals, even pets, dogs, cats, etc.) at this year’s Montgomery County
Agricultural Fair will once again be required to attend an exhibitor orientation meeting. Topics will update you
on new rule and procedure changes for animal and public health, 4-H rules, and fair policies, as well as helpful
tips for having a positive fair experience. The sessions will again be offered at 8:30 AM on all four workdays,
which will be held at the county fairgrounds on July 12, 19, and 26 and August 2. If you cannot attend any of
these trainings you need to contact David Gordon, dgordon3@umd.edu or 301-590-2813 to schedule a makeup
time.
4-H Market Animal Exhibitors
If you are a 4-H member and plan to have market hogs, lambs, or goats this year, you are required to fill out the
2014 Market Animal Registration Form and return it to the 4-H office by May 26.
These forms will be mailed or e-mailed out to the members of the Sheep & Swine, and Meat Goat clubs. If you
are a member carrying one of these projects and in a different club, please contact the 4-H office to have a form
sent. You can also download the form using this link:
http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/4-H/Livestock%20Registration%20Form.pdf
Make sure you fill out both sheets. In addition all market hogs, sheep and goats must attend the Montgomery
County Weigh-in on June 7 at 8:00 AM. Here they will be officially weighed and tagged. If they are not,
they will not be allowed to show at the fair.
Animal Leases and Project Cards
This is just a friendly reminder that all breeding and performance animal leases are due to the 4-H office no
later than June 1. Copies of these leases can be downloaded on the 4-H website. You must also fill out and
turn in the release form. All of the documents can be found online:
Breeding Animal Lease Guidelines:
http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/4-H/BreedingAnimalLeaseGuidelines.pdf
Performance Animal Lease Guidelines: http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/4H/ASG%20Performance%20Animal%20Lease.pdf
Animal Lease Statement of Understanding & Release:
http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/4-H/ASG%20Animal%20Lease%20Release.pdf
Horse and Dog project members are required to turn in project cards on their animals, also due June 1. If we
do not have these cards on file you will not be allowed to exhibit at the fair. Your club leaders should be able to
provide you with these cards in the coming month or you can contact the 4-H office to get copies. Copies can
also be downloaded from the state website:
Dog: http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/4-H/DogCard.pdf
Horse: http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/4-H/HorseIDcard2010.pdf
Poultry, Rabbit and Cavy Registration Form
The state requires all of the poultry, rabbit and cavy members to register their animals. The registration is done
on the standard state form and must be turned into our 4-H office by June 1. Below are links for the
instructions for filling out the form and the form. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the 4-H
Office.
Poultry, rabbit, cavy registration form: http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/4H/Maryland4HPoultryRabbitandCavyRegistrationForm.pdf
Form guidelines and instructions: http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/4H/Maryland4HPoultryRabbitandCavyRegistrationFormGuidelinesandInstructions.pdf
4-H Exhibit at The Damascus Heritage Museum
The Damascus Community 4-H Club has an exhibit about their club and 4-H from February through May. The
museum is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12-5 pm. The local Future Farmers of America (FFA) club
also has an exhibition. The Exhibit is called "FFA and 4-H: Not Just Cows and Plows." There are all sorts of
exhibits, from Woodworking to Sewing to Crafts to Insect Collections to Photography. The club is proud of
what they do and they would love to share their creativity with the public.
At the Heritage Museum there are 4-H scrapbooks spanning several years, including one for the very first years
the club existed. There is also a display of several of the club members' winning entries from the Montgomery
County Fair and the Damascus Community Fair. The club will also be holding demonstration days once a
month so you can see firsthand what they do.
MASCD Coloring and Poster Contest
The Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts annually sponsors a coloring and a poster contest that
are open to ALL students, not just 4-H’ers. The entry deadline for the Montgomery County level contests is
June 6, and Karen Walker at the Montgomery Soil Conservation District, (301) 590-2855, is the contact
person for all questions. The coloring contest is for students in Kindergarten through 5th grade and the poster
contest is for older students. Coloring contestants can go on to compete at the state level, and poster contestants
can go on to compete at the state and national level.
 For the coloring contest only wax crayons are to be used and the entries are to be done by the
participating child ONLY. Judging will be based on neatness, attention to detail and how well
directions were followed. Make certain to fill out the info on the back of the picture or the entry will be
disqualified. The picture is not copyrighted or protected as long as it is not sold. State winners in each
class will receive $25.
 The poster contest is open to students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. The theme for the poster
contest is Dig Deeper – Mysteries in the Soil. At the national level, first-place winners in each category
will receive $100, and second-place winners will receive $75.
To download the coloring contest picture and guidelines, and to download the poster contest rules and
resources, visit the Montgomery County 4-H website: https://extension.umd.edu/montgomery-county/soilconservation-coloring-poster-contests-2014
The contest deadline is June 6. Entries may be brought in person or mailed in a flat envelope to the
Montgomery County office, located at the Agricultural History Farm Park:
Montgomery County Soil Conservation Office, Attn: Karen Walker, 18410 Muncaster Rd, Derwood, MD 20855
Camp Tawasentha
Preparations for Camp Tawasentha are in full swing. If you are interested in joining us this year for camp,
please be sure to get your application in now! The registration as well as other paper work can be found on the
4-H website: https://extension.umd.edu/montgomery-county/4-h-youth/4-h-camp-forms
This year the camp will take place from July 6 to 11. We offer swimming, fishing, and canoeing on 24 acre
Cunningham Lake. We have several nature trails and a nature education center. Campers can enjoy
educational hikes led by a trained naturalist. We also offer an orienteering course led by a specialist in World
War II history. This counselor also leads a special over-night hike to the rustic camping ranges where the
campers can enjoy a primitive camping adventure.
Campers who want a challenge can experience our outdoor confidence course, led by professionals trained to
help campers safely test their physical ability and gain team building skills. We also have a rifle and archery
range with certified instructors. We have crafts, leatherworking, dance and theater for campers who enjoy the
arts. There is also a special drumming course. We provide our culinary-inclined campers a chance to learn
outdoor cooking skills.
Our camp is certified by the American Camp Association (ACA), so we meet exacting safety and training
standards. Last payment is due June 1. For more information, please call Mike Laudwein at 301-590-2824.
4-H SCHOLARSHIPS
Robert & Shirley Mangum Memorial Scholarship for Ornamental Horticulture & Related Studies
This scholarship awards $2,000 to encourage collegiate studies in the fields of ornamental horticulture,
floriculture, greenhouse growing, interior landscaping and related studies. The application deadline is April
15, and the scholarship will be awarded in May. You may obtain more information and a Scholarship
Application at their website at http://mangumscholarship.com/.
The Maryland 4-H Foundation, Inc. Academic Scholarships
Each year Maryland education scholarships are awarded to current Maryland 4-H members or alumni who will
be enrolled at an accredited college, university, or post high school vocational program in the fall of the year in
which they apply. Eligible individuals wishing to apply for any of the 15 scholarships may obtain further
information and a Maryland 4-H Scholarship Application from the Maryland 4-H Foundation website at:
http://www.mymaryland4hfoundation.com/how-we-give/scholarships
To be considered for any of the Maryland 4-H Foundation Scholarships, a completed application must be
received at the Maryland State 4-H Office on or before June 1, 2014. No applications will be accepted by fax.
Maryland Grain Producers Scholarship
The Maryland Grain Producers will award up to eight scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each in 2014. The
scholarships are to provide financial support to students interested in pursuing an agriculturally related career.
The selection is based on the student's agricultural background, family farm involvement, financial need, grade
point average, agricultural related studies, career goals, and extracurricular activities. Applications must be
received by June 1 at the Maryland Grain Producers office. The website for the application is
http://www.marylandgrain.com/Scholarship%20Program.htm
2014 4-H FASHION REVUE
CENTRAL CLUSTER
FREDERICK, HOWARD, & MONTGOMERY COUNTIES
What: The central cluster’s annual Fashion Revue, which gives 4-H’ers a chance
to demonstrate their fashion sense and their sewing and modeling skills and talents. To participate in the Fashion Revue, you must first attend the judging.
Who: 4-H Clovers (5-7), Juniors (8-13), Intermediates (11-13), and Seniors (14-18)
When & Where:
Judging for Montgomery County 4-H’ers ONLY
When: Thursday, June 12, 2014; starting at 4:00 PM
Where: Montgomery County Extension/4-H Office
18410 Muncaster Rd
Derwood, MD 20855
Fashion Revue Event
When: Saturday, June 14, 2014
Where: Urbana Elementary School
3554 Urbana Pike
Frederick, MD 21704
To download the entry form and see the rules, visit this link:
https://extension.umd.edu/montgomery-county/fashion-revue-2014
Montgomery County 4-H’ers should send entry forms and address questions and
concerns to:
Alganesh Piechocinski
University of Maryland
Montgomery County 4-H Department
18410 Muncaster Rd
Derwood, MD 20855
(301) 590-2804
ALL PARTICIPANTS—PLEASE BRING A DOZEN OF COOKIES TO
SHARE WITH EVERYONE AT THE CLOSE OF THE SHOW.
The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion,
ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression.
The Fashion Revue is an educational activity which allows
youth to develop life skills in the following ways:
Decision Making
Youth develop and apply decisionmaking skills when selecting fabric,
patterns, or ready-to-wear garments.
Leadership
Youth expand their leadership skills by
working in committees to plan the
fashion revue.
Communication
Youth apply their skills in writing and
speaking by developing and presenting
narrations for the Fashion Revue.
Creative Thinking
Youth create the theme, design stage
decorations, and choreograph the
Fashion Review
Self Confidence
Youth develop poise and increase self
esteem through modeling.
Responsibility
Youth accept obligations and assume
responsibility for completion of a set of
goals.
4-H Club Corner
Healthy Lifestyles Workshop
by Jordan Al-Faleh
Due to inclement weather in January, the Healthy
Lifestyles Workshop was held on Saturday, February
22, at the Montgomery County Heritage Garden
Room. Several Lucky Clover seniors assisted in
leading and running activities at the workshop. The
workshop was truly fun and made us think about
nutrition differently. It doesn’t always have to be “you
can’t do this or that” to be healthy—there are hundreds
of things you can do to make your life and diet
healthier. First Mrs. Dobos and Patrick O'Hanlon
gave an illustrated talk about the Nutrition Facts label,
which is currently undergoing a redesign. Mrs. Dobos
followed this with an explanation on how the Menu
entry for the Healthy Lifestyles Contest is created
using the MyPlate website. I for one LOVED the
chance to learn how to make animals out of different kinds of food (especially our banana dog!) This fun
activity was led by Mrs. Anna Hamann. After lunch Adam Crawley, Katie Koster, and I ran a Nutrition
Jeopardy game pitting two teams against each other. The cardio-kickboxing portion, led by Mrs. Wallace from
the ProFIT club in Gaithersburg, was really active and fun. The whole event ran very well, the activities were
all fun and hands-on, and the day ended perfectly with frozen yogurt sundaes. To top it off, we had a zoo of
food animals to take home!
Adventure in Science Presentation Day
On March 8 at the National Institute of Science and
Technology, 180 AIS participants presented the results of the
experiments and research projects they had been working on
for the past several months. In addition to the AIS presenters,
the event was attended by approximately 400 family
members, friends, and other guests. Topics included: The
Sweetest Fungicide (Mold), Programming a Computer to Play
Tic-Tac-Toe, Star Formation, Windmill Efficiency, and Does
Stress Affect Short-term Memory? After the presentations, we
were treated to a fascinating talk given by guest speaker Dr.
John C. Mather, an astrophysicist and cosmologist who, along
AIS participants line up to ask questions of Dr. Mather
with his partner, Dr. George Smoot, received the Nobel Prize
in Physics for mapping the cosmic background radiation, which helped support the Big Bang theory. After Dr.
Mather’s talk, several AIS participants were given the opportunity to ask him about astrophysics and his work
at NASA.
Tuskegee Airmen Presentation
by Raisa Niederhelman, Clarksburg Helping Hands 4-H Club
When I heard the first few words of John McCaskill’s presentation on the Tuskegee Airmen, I was instantly
hooked. The combined history lesson and motivational speech bundled into an interactive conversation was an
inspiring end to my Friday night. Hearing how passionate Mr. McCaskill was about the change the many Air
Force members of WWII brought about and the legacies they are leaving behind for us was truly incredible.
Mr. McCaskill was an excellent speaker and knew just when to pause his speech to get the kids involved by
having them stand at the different posts of an (imaginary) WWII era bomber plane. He even brought along an
authentic uniform that would have been worn by a member of the crew on one of these planes! Mr. McCaskill
told us about the opportunities he had to meet with and interview veterans of World War II and all of the
fascinating stories of determination, strength, and togetherness he had been privileged to hear straight from the
men who fought in the war. At the end of this fantastic presentation, Mr. McCaskill turned this same message
of community to the audience and said, “The only things you need to be successful in life are Character: doing
the right thing even when no one is watching, Competency: doing what you say you’re going to do and striving
to be the best at it, and Chemistry: the ability to get along well with others.” I left the 4-H office that night
feeling inspired and empowered; like I could do, say, and change anything that needed to be done, said, or
changed.
4-H and Honor Flight Summit
By Jessica Corazza
Rachel Harris has encouraged and mentored me into organizing the 4-H
volunteer presence at the WWII memorial this year. She suggested that we
attend the Honor Flight Summit on February 22, 2014 at a hotel near BWI
airport. My mom, Carolyn Corazza and I attended for one of the 3 day summit.
It is held annually for all the Honor Flight Hubs from each city across the entire
United States to come and learn how to improve their volunteer activities with
Honor Flight.
There were over 200 attendees and only two from a volunteer organization. That
was my mom and I from Montgomery County 4-H!! I felt very proud to
represent 4-H in that fashion. It was an awesome and rewarding experience.
Everyone at the summit was there to volunteer their time and energy to assure
Jessica with Jeff Miller, Co-founder
that the WWII veterans could see their memorial. The attendees were thrilled to
of Honor Flight
see a teen take interest in their veterans. Many times they said that what the WWII vets have done for our
country is lost within the younger generations.
We met the Chairman of the Honor Flight program, Jim McLaughlin and Co-Founders Jeff Miller and Earl
Morse. They could not have been more gracious and accommodating. They asked about 4-H and what I was
going to do. When I explained that I was going to coordinate the volunteers for the first Saturday of each
month to meet and greet the veterans at the memorial with each Honor Flight, they were ecstatic.
At the summit I learned about the hubs coordinate the flights and guardians. I also learned how they raise
money to make the flight at no cost to the veteran. I was fortunate enough to sit beside the newly formed
Capital Area hub directors. We were able to collaborate on a volunteer service project for April 5th.
If you want to feel the passion and hear stories of true bravery come down to the memorial and volunteer with
us. It will change you forever. Don’t wait till next year because we are losing 1000 veterans every day.
Please come and give the Veterans the thanks they desire with your fellow 4-Hers.
The It’s a Horse Thing 4-H Club Enjoys
“A-Day-At-The Races”
On 15 March the “It’s a Horse Thing 4-H Club” attended “A-Day-At-The
Races” at the Laurel Racetrack. In addition to experiencing live racing,
members had the opportunity to see the horses being prepared for the race
and talk to one of the Racetrack Stewards. One of the races was named after
the club. After that race, the members had their picture taken in Winner’s
Circle with the race’s winning jockey.
MY GOAT PLAYFROUN
By Patrick J. O’Hanlon; Pictures by Lauren Guernsey
For my Eagle Scout Project in Boy Scouts, I researched, designed, and built a
goat playground that could be moved from pasture to pasture with the approval
of Mr. Trey, the Farm Park Work Leader at the Montgomery County
Agricultural History Farm Park. Fifty-five friends from various clubs (Boy
Scouts of America, Farm Animal Care Team, 4-H Lucky Clovers, 4-H Dairy
Goat Club, and 4-H Flying Tigers) came out to assist me with building a
pyramid (trapezoid), a jungle gym (trestle), and a seesaw on seven different
days at various times.
I led the construction using Checking measurements before sawing
my diagrams, my model, and the instructions I wrote. I
explained how to use the power drills for making holes and
to put screws in to hold the lumber together. Safety
procedures were followed to insure there would be no
accidents. After the pyramid was constructed the goats tried
it out and approved the project. It was a great experience. I
was so lucky to have so many people willing to lend me a
helping hand, especially my friends in 4-H Lucky Clovers!
Being a leader and seeing my project being built under my
guidance was truly amazing and then to see the approval of
the goats, wow! Thank you to every-one who helped make
The finished playground!
this project a success.
A Script for All Ages - The 4-H Public Speaking Workshops
by Heather Guernsey
The Central Cluster Communication Workshops were held on Saturday, January 25th and February 1 at the
Howard County Fairgrounds. Anyone from Howard, Montgomery or Frederick Counties was invited to attend
this program. Samantha Murdock and David Gordon helped teach the workshops. About 25 4-H’ers attended
the workshops including several Lucky Clovers officers and club members. The workshops were held to give
everyone practice with all the different kinds of public speaking in preparation for the Public Speaking Contest.
There are 4 different categories of public speaking that you can enter in: prepared speech, interpretation, radio
spot and extemporaneous. You can also give a visual presentation at the Healthy Lifestyles Visual
Presentation contest.
At the first workshop on Saturday, January 25th, everyone started by filling out information about themselves
in order to make a prepared speech. Everyone was divided into teams of 2 and each person practiced
introducing their teammate using the information that was filled out on the form. It was fun and we learned
about speaking loud and clear, standing straight and tall and making eye contact with the audience while
speaking. Then we practiced extemporaneous speaking. This was really fun because each 4-Her came up and
popped a balloon and the topic floated down out of the popped balloon! Everyone got a chance to practice
extemporaneous speaking. All of the practice speeches were shorter than the time requirements for the public
speaking contest, but that was done so everyone would have a chance to try it. Next, everyone was divided
into groups of 4 to create a radio spot for a fictional 4-H club. Each group could decide what kind of club they
were making up. Then each team made a 30 second radio spot to encourage people to join their club. Each
team got to present their radio spot. Some teams had each member read a part of the spot, and some teams just
had one person do it. For the public speaking contest, you can only enter by yourself, not as a team.
At the second workshop on Saturday, February 1, everyone got a chance to see what was harder - giving
instructions or following directions. To do this, everyone was divided into teams of 2. You had to sit with
your back to your teammate and each person had a clip board, paper and pen. One person had to give
instructions about what to draw to their teammate (both drew at the same time) and then we compared
drawings at the end to see how much alike they were. Each person got a turn to be the speaker or the listener.
Some people said that following directions is harder and some people said giving instructions is harder. I think
both are hard!
We also heard an example of an interpretation. This could be dramatic, poetry or humorous. This is hard
because you have to memorize the whole script and you are judged based on your interpretation. The example
was from the point of view of a teddy bear that had fallen out of a car on the highway. It was really good,
especially the part about the 2 light times and 2 dark times that the 'bear' had experienced. I guess it was lost
for 2 days!
Next we got to try a visual presentation. This is a presentation with visual aids, including a poster. We were
divided into teams of 2 or 3 and asked to choose an item from the table to do a visual presentation on. There
were items like a coffeemaker, a flower arrangement, a tie, and threads to make bracelets. One team
demonstrated how to make coffee. My brothers demonstrated how to tie a tie, my sister demonstrated how to
make a flower arrangement and I demonstrated how to make friendship bracelets. We talked about what we
liked about each presentation when it was done.
At the end of the program, everyone was invited to enter the Central Cluster Communications Contest on
Saturday, March 1.
Lauren Guernsey explains
about the succulents in her
dish garden: Aloe, Topsy
Turvey, Zebra and Lifesaver
GARDENS GALORE - The 4-H Gardening Workshop
written by Heather Guernsey
The 4-H Gardening Workshop was held on Saturday, March 15th at the 4-H office in
Derwood. Alga Piechocinski and Mike Laudwein helped coordinate the activity
which was open to any 4-Hers age 8 to 18 in the county. Eighteen 4-Hers from
Montgomery County came to the workshop. More than 1/3 of the participants were
Lucky Clovers: Jordan Cencula, Shea Cencula, Heather Guernsey, Lauren Guernsey,
Oliver Jenkins, Trinity Jenkins, and Lindsay McLaughlin. Other county 4-Hers
included Sara Dove, Jessica Corazza, Sarah Lehrman, Emma Rothbaum, Breyanna
Durrin, Alexis Durrin, Tara Toth, Kristina Bennett, Caitlyn Whirley, Hayden Whirley
and Jackson Douglas.
We were glad to have six volunteers from The Neighborhood Garden Club of
Gaithersburg/Washington Grove to teach us how to plant beautiful dish gardens. The
volunteers were Marci McComb, Margaret Binns, Carolyn Piccardi, Janice Short,
Lynne Knox and Lynn Furrow. The adult volunteers are master gardeners, so they
wanted to make sure we learned the right way to make and care for our gardens. Each
of the master gardeners presented different information about plants that we needed to
know to care for our garden.
First, we made a dish garden with four succulents call Aloe Juvenna, Echeveria
Runyonii (Topsy Turvey), Zebra Haworthia and Lifesaver Plant. We used
shallow clay pots for our dish garden. Then we got to be creative and make our
shoe gardens. I used red galoshes, but some people used cowboy boots, high top
sneakers and even a dress shoe! Everyone's gardens were really creative! My
sister even used a big toy car!
Thanks to all the 4-Hers who came to the workshop, and special thanks to the
master gardeners from The Neighborhood Garden Club of
Gaithersburg/Washington Grove!
Heather Guernsey shows the master
gardener her plants after she dusts
off the leaves with a paintbrush
Lucky Clovers are Toastmasters at the
Central Cluster Communication Contest
by Heather Guernsey
The Central Cluster Communication Contest was held on Saturday, March 1st at Oakdale Elementary School
in Ijamsville, MD. The contest lasted from 9:00 AM to 2:15 PM with an awards ceremony from 2:30 PM to
3:00 PM. There were four divisions: Clovers - age 5 to 7, Juniors - age 8 to 10, Intermediate - age 11 to 13,
and Senior - age 14 to 18. Clovers could participate, but were not judged. There were 4 different categories of
public speaking that you could enter in: Prepared Speech, Interpretation, Radio Spot and Extemporaneous.
Math isn't my favorite subject, but three divisions times four categories is 12 areas that needed judging, so we
thank the coordinators and judges for all their time! Rules for the categories were given in the last 4-H News
and Notes. I also gave a description of each of the categories in my article about the Communication
Workshops in last month's Lucky Post.
4-H’ers could enter multiple categories, and they did. About 60 4-H’ers entered the contest, but a total of 129
speeches were given during the event, which means that most 4-H’ers entered at least 2 categories (I should get
math credit for this…). Most of the speeches were from Montgomery County (72), followed by Frederick
County (32) and 25 from Howard County. Out of the 72 speeches from Montgomery County 4-Hers, 31 of
them were from Lucky Clovers! So almost half of the speeches from Montgomery County came from
members of the Lucky Clovers! (I really should get math credit for this…) Many thanks to our club members
for entering.
It was a great day for the Lucky Clovers - 11 of the top 24 awards went to Lucky Clovers! So almost half of
the awards for all of Montgomery County went to Lucky Clovers! The Champions get to represent
Montgomery County in one category at the State 4-H Public Speaking Contest on Maryland Day, Saturday,
April 26 at the University of Maryland. Reserve Champions can represent Montgomery County if the
Champion is unable to represent the county with their speech. Way to go, Lucky Clovers!
The winners in Montgomery County are:
Trevor
Faith
Jessica
Aidan
Eric
Patrick
Assad
Attiyah
Raisa
Babb
Cheung
Corazza
Douglas
Guernsey
O'Hanlon
Jenkins
Jenkins
Niederhelman
Extemporaneous
Extemporaneous
Extemporaneous
Extemporaneous
Extemporaneous
Extemporaneous
Interpretive
Interpretive
Interpretive
Int. Champ
Int. Res Champ
Sr. Res Champ
Jr. Champ
Jr. Res Champ
Sr. Champ
Int. Res Champ
Sr. Champ
Int. Champ
Aurea
Ellie
Catherine
Jordan
Patrick
Matthew
Luke
Aurea
Claire
Jordan
Jordan
Jessica
Eric
Heather
Lauren
Sellmyer
Vandegriff
Zellers
Al-Faleh
O'Hanlon
Rogers
Ryba
Sellmyer
Wheeler
Al-Faleh
Cencula
Corazza
Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey
Interpretive
Interpretive
Interpretive
Prepared
Prepared
Prepared
Prepared
Prepared
Prepared
Radio Spot
Radio Spot
Radio Spot
Radio Spot
Radio Spot
Radio
Jr. Res Champ
Sr. Res Champ
Jr. Champ
Sr. Res Champ
Sr. Champ
Int. Res Champ
Int. Champ
Jr. Champ
Jr. Res Champ
Sr. Res Champ
Int. Champ
Sr. Champ
Jr. Res Champ
Int. Res Champ
Jr. Champ
4-H Advanced Electric Club
Students and parents involved with their projects
You are invited to join us to learn all about
electricity. The 4-H Advanced Electric club meets
at 7:30 PM on the third Wednesday of the month
from September to July at the 4-H Center. The
next meeting is on April 16, 2014.
Club members learn electrical and electronic
principles and practices. Starting with atoms,
electrons, and protons, and then advancing to build
simple circuits. The projects can be entered in the
fair. If you are interested in participating, please
contact the club leader Ed Hogan at 301-926-9547
or contact the 4-H office. All are welcome the
attend meetings.
Before the meeting Jessica Corazza gave a presentation on Honor Flights. Honor Flights bring World War II
Veterans from around the country to the Mall in Washington DC to visit the World War II memorial.
Volunteers are needed to help veterans visit the memorial.
Then the club members got to work on their project boards. Everyone drilled, cut out the holes, and cut their
project board.
The Wild West Wrangles 4-H Club
By Tessa Breitenbach
The Wild West Wranglers 4-H Club is all about "Hands on Horses",
offering a number of activities to its members to do just that!
Frequent field days involving horses, going to the annual Maryland
Horse Expo and participating in horse trainer Scott Purdum's Fun
Farm Horse Day are just a few to mention. Club members also
participate in the annual fund raising activity of acquiring sponsors
for the St. Jude's Trail Ride in May with donations aiding in finding
cures for children's diseases such as cancer.
Yet, this club isn't only about horses. Over the past six months, the
Wild West Wranglers have been taking donations up to Howard
County Animal Control and Adoption Center (HCACAC).
HCACAC is a shelter that relies mostly on donations to run. The club's reporter, Tessa Breitenbach
rescued/adopted Harley a two year old black Labrador mix from their facility in February of 2013 and brought
to the club's attention the items the shelter could accept as donations. From May to December of 2013,
donations of gallon bags of aluminum cans and newspaper bundles have been taken up to the shelter. In 2013
alone, the club has managed to donate approximately half a ton of newspapers, and around 273 gallons of
aluminum cans. These newspapers and cans are sold to a company that pays the shelter for them and 100% of
the money goes to helping the animals in the shelter in one form or another!
In January, instead of the cans and newspapers, the club was able to donate thirteen, thirty six lb. bags of both
puppy and dog food to the shelter through club members Aaryanne and Alyssa Cloutier's mom, who just
happens to be the club's leader. Mrs. Cloutier, through volunteering with an organization which distributes
donated food products to aid others, was able to make this donation on behalf of the club. With the difficulty
of the weather, no more donations were taken until late March, when the club collected 13 blankets and quilts,
and 35 towels to donate to HCACAC, and 20 sheets for baby squirrel bedding at the Second Chance Wildlife
Center in Montgomery County. In the future, the hope is to continue these donations keeping the animals at
HCACAC and the Second Chance Wild Life Center safe, warm and happy.
Prepared by Anna Hamann
For the latest news & events, please visit http://www.agnr.umd.edu/news
©2010 University of Maryland College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ three units—Academic Programs, the Agricultural Experiment Station, and Maryland
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