April 2014 – May 2014

Montgomery County 4-H 18410 Muncaster Road Derwood, MD 20855 (301) 590-9638 montgomery.umd.edu/4-H/ Alganesh Piechocinski, CFLE Senior Extension Educator 4-H Youth Development (301) 590-2804 algapie@umd.edu 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/ 2014 Dates to Remember

April 5 - Healthy Lifestyles Contest 6 - National 4-H Conference 11-13 - Premier Fashion Weekend 23 - Spring Leader Meeting 26 - Maryland Day & State Public Speaking 26 - Beef Field Day (MoCo Fairgrounds) May 12 May – Adventures in Science Registration 15—Club Articles due for the June/July/Fair Issue of News & Notes 17 - Wills Spring Fair(Ho. Co. Fairgrounds)

A PDF Version of this newsletter is available on the Montgomery

County 4-H Website

4-H County Website 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.

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

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

http://www.adventureinscience.org to register. Please contact Ms. Alga

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

13, 2014.

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

for the whole morning. Use of the computer and

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate/index.aspx

is strongly recommended for researching the menu entry. The poster theme this year is

“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.

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

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.

June 14 –Cluster Fashion Revue 12 - MoCo Fashion Show Judging TBD - Sheep & Swine Weigh-In (MoCo Fairgrounds) 16-23 - National Leadership Conference July 6-11 - 4-H Camp

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

Day that will possibly take place in the fall.

Premier Fashion Weekend Montgomery County is teaming up with our fellow central cluster counties,

Frederick and Howard, to bring you a “Premier Fashion Weekend”. 4-H’ers eight

and above, from beginning to advanced sewers are all welcome to join us for a

weekend of sewing and overall training for the 4-H Fashion Revue. The program

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 fun-

filled 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/montgomery-

county/state-4-h-communications-contest-maryland-day-2014#overlay-context=montgomery-county/4-h-

youth/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/4-

H/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/4-

H/Maryland4HPoultryRabbitandCavyRegistrationForm.pdf

Form guidelines and instructions: http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/4-

H/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/soil-

conservation-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 tal-

ents. 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 decision-

making 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

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.

AIS participants line up to ask questions of Dr. Mather

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

that the WWII veterans could see their memorial. The attendees were thrilled to

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.

Jessica with Jeff Miller, Co-founder of Honor Flight

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

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

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

Checking measurements before sawing

The finished playground!

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.

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.

Lauren Guernsey explains about the succulents in her dish garden: Aloe, Topsy Turvey, Zebra and Lifesaver

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!

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 Babb Extemporaneous Int. Champ

Faith Cheung Extemporaneous Int. Res Champ

Jessica Corazza Extemporaneous Sr. Res Champ

Aidan Douglas Extemporaneous Jr. Champ

Eric Guernsey Extemporaneous Jr. Res Champ

Patrick O'Hanlon Extemporaneous Sr. Champ

Assad Jenkins Interpretive Int. Res Champ

Attiyah Jenkins Interpretive Sr. Champ

Raisa Niederhelman Interpretive Int. Champ

Heather Guernsey shows the master gardener her plants after she dusts off the leaves with a paintbrush

Aurea Sellmyer Interpretive Jr. Res Champ

Ellie Vandegriff Interpretive Sr. Res Champ

Catherine Zellers Interpretive Jr. Champ

Jordan Al-Faleh Prepared Sr. Res Champ

Patrick O'Hanlon Prepared Sr. Champ

Matthew Rogers Prepared Int. Res Champ

Luke Ryba Prepared Int. Champ

Aurea Sellmyer Prepared Jr. Champ

Claire Wheeler Prepared Jr. Res Champ

Jordan Al-Faleh Radio Spot Sr. Res Champ

Jordan Cencula Radio Spot Int. Champ

Jessica Corazza Radio Spot Sr. Champ

Eric Guernsey Radio Spot Jr. Res Champ

Heather Guernsey Radio Spot Int. Res Champ

Lauren Guernsey Radio Jr. Champ

4-H Advanced Electric Club 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).

Students and parents involved with their projects

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 Cooperative Extension—work in concert to educate students and citizens about critical issues and to solve problems in agriculture, food systems, and the environment. The college is an equal opportunity employer and provides equal access programs.