[Image: 4-H]
Welcome to 4-H 2009-2010
We are glad that you are planning to make 4-H a part of this exciting new school year. You won’t be sorry!!! If you decide to become a 4-H member… BE PREPARED to: meet new friends, learn new things, visit new places and HAVE FUN!!!! We have an exciting set of club programs and activities planned for this year.
Some 4-H Facts -
What is 4-H? 4-H is an outstanding international youth organization for youth ages 9-19.
What do 4-H’ers do? 4-H members take at least one project book (no more than three), choosing from over 50 areas of interest. Members read, experiment, investigate and apply skills. Each member prepares a record book explaining this project work. These record books are judged (graded), and members win awards such as trips, scholarships, trophies and medals.
4-H Motto - “To make the best better”
4-H Slogan – “Learn by Doing”
4-H Colors - White (for purity and innocence) and green (for youth, new life and growth).
4-H Flag - White background with green four-leaf clover in center with a white H on each of four clover leaves. The Hs stand for the four Hs in the pledge: Head, Heart, Hands and Health.
4-H Pledge - I pledge my -
Head (right hand to head) to clearer thinking; my
Heart (right hand on heart) to greater loyalty, my
Hands (palms up) to larger service, and my
Health (drop hands to side) to better living, for my club, my community, my country and my world.
4-H Dues - Parish dues are $5 per member for a year. Club dues may be in addition to parish dues. Local leaders will tell you about dues. Attention club leaders: All 4-H Club dues are due by November 1 to the 4-H Office.
4-H Activities - Senior club members (Ninth- through 12th graders) may become parish executive council officers; advisory board members; 4-H University contestants; regular 4-H camp and challenge camp counselors; junior leaders; club officers; members of state boards: fashion board; food and fitness board, tech board; service-learning coordinators, and scholarship recipients. They also may submit records for some state records only contests; participate in special environmental and sporting camps at Camp Grant Walker; and participate in classes and workshops on such topics as building bat houses, food and nutrition, electricity, outdoor skills, clothing and grooming, shooting sports, ATV safety/driving; candy making, Christmas ornaments, cooking and babysittings. Even more, they can participate in Commodity Cookery and Sew With Cotton Contests, pet shows and livestock projects. Projects range from archery to yodeling and many more!!!!!!
Junior members (grades 7-8) may attend 4-H camp; serve as voting delegates for executive council; attend challenge camp (7th graders) or 4-H University (8th graders); submit records for some state records only contests; participate in special environmental and sporting camps at Camp Grant Walker; participate in classes and workshops on such topics as building bat houses, food and nutrition, electricity; outdoor skills; clothing and grooming; shooting sports; ATV safety/driving; candy making, Christmas ornaments, cooking and babysitting. They also can participate in Commodity Cookery and Sew with Cotton Contests, pet shows and livestock. projects.
Elementary (grades 4-6) may attend 4-H camp at Camp Grant Walker; serve as voting delegates for executive council; participate in special environmental and sporting camps at Camp Grant Walker; participate in clinics and workshops on such topics as building bat houses, shooting sports, hunter education, cake decorating, quilting, sewing, food and nutrition, electricity, outdoor skills and clothing and grooming, as well as participation in Commodity Cookery and Sew With Cotton Contests, pet shows and livestock projects, candy making, Christmas ornaments and cooking.
Summer News
4-H Camp
More than 70 4-H’ers (grades 4-6) attended 4-H camp July 20-24. 4-H camp was a blast this year due to excellent campers, camp counselors and volunteer leaders. Camp counselors this year were Lyndsey Hines of Marksville High and Chelsea Bordelon, Lauren Ducote, Travis Canal and Tyler Juneau of APCS. Thanks to all of you for making 4-H camp a “once in a lifetime experience” for our campers!!!!!
4-H University
More than 20 Avoyelles 4-H’ers attended the 95th annual 4-H U educational event this year. Blue ribbon winners were Simone Scallan and Emily McDowell of Bunkie High; Megan Clark, Lance Roblin, Gerald Ducote of Avoyelles High; Travis Canal, Krista Bordelon, Luke Vanderlick, Jordan Moreau, Brooke McNeal and Kera Bordelon of APCS; and Austin Bordelon, Brett Mertens and Beau Voinche of Marksville High. Other participants were Lyndsey Hines of Marksville High, Randall Canal of APCS; David Bordelon of Mansura Middle; Victoria Pitts and Dylan Adams of St. Mary Junior; Eric Doyle of Avoyelles High; Jared and Samantha Yantis of the Home School Club. Avoyelles 4-H is very proud of i’s twp state winners at 4-H U 2009. Chelsea Bordelon, APCS in Child Development won a trip to Club Congress in November, and Zackary Zaunbrecher, APCS in Compact Tractor won a trip to San Antonio, Texas, in August. Congratulations to all of these 4-H’ers for preparing themselves for 4-H U. We are very proud of your accomplishments!!!! . A big Thank You also to our parents /volunteer leaders who helped at 4-H U. They were Deana (Sissy) Canal, Angela Bordelon and Aislynn Bordelon. We really appreciate your help and leadership!! Keep in mind as we start a new club year that 4-H U is held every summer at LSU-Baton Rouge during the third week of June. Demonstration Day qualifies you for the 4-H U contest.
4-H Horse Shows
The Avoyelles 4-H Horse project is steadily increasing in numbers!! Great News!! Participants in the quad-parish (Avoyelles, Grant, Rapides, Pointe Coupee) show held in Lecompte, La., this summer were Kellsie Adams, Bryce Adams, (APCS), Samantha Coco (Avoyelles), Bruce Lemoine II (Avoyelles High) and Madison Bordelon (LES). Some of these exhibitors went on to compete at the District Hose Show in Lafayette. Madison Bordelon and Bruce Lemoine II qualified for the State Horse Show held in Monroe.
Shooting Sports
This program combines classroom education with shooting classes to teach safe and responsible use of firearms including decision-making, self-discipline, concentration and social responsibility. The program offers the opportunity to participate in parish, district, state and national competitions in shotgun/rifle/archery marksmanship. The 4-H Shooting Sports Program would like to congratulate 4-H members that participated in the program and to those that attended regional and state competition during the months of April and May. Attending regionals held in Grand Cane, La., in the archery competition were Austin Bordelon, Kera Bordelon, Krista Bordelon, Amelia Canal, Megan Clark, Alex Voinche, Grant Doyle and Douglas Guillory. Attending rifle competition held in Grand Cane, La., were Justin Dauzat, Nadine Maddox, Austin Causey, Randall Canal, Dadrienne Thibodeaux, Brittany Vaccaro, Bobby Williber, and Nathan Gentry. Those involved with shotgun competition at the Shreveport Gun Club were Nathan Gentry, Justin Dauzat, Dalton Franks, Chelsea Bordelon, Eric Hale, Miachael Canal, Taylor Broussard, Kera Bordelon, Randy Canal, Travis Canal, Brandon Dauzat, Jonathon Dauzat, Jordan Moreau, Aubrey Naquin, JohnnyThevis and Eric Doyle. Hats off to those 4-H’ers. Avoyelles 4-H placed first in the junior modified trap shotgun competition.
We would like to encourage any Avoyelles Parish 4-H member to join the Shooting Sports Program. It is educational, disciplined and yet still fun. See your school 4-H sponsor or call the 4-H office for more information in participating or volunteering for the program. Instructors are: Lonnie Bordelon , Billy Tingle, Catherine Dauzat & Luke Ducote – Rifle; Kim Naquin & Justin Naquin – Shotgun; Carolyn Bordelon & Alyssa Bordelon – Archery& Project Coordinator. The Shooting Sports Project is open for membership for any 4-H’er who as an interest in SAFE and PROPER use of firearms and archery equipment. Many thanks to all of the parent volunteers in this project. Shooting Sports is extremely dependant on volunteer support – Avoyelles 4-H is blessed with great volunteers/ Thanks!!! Make Plans to be a part of Avoyelles 4-H Shooting Sports this year and have a “Bang” of a good time!!!!!!!
4-H Commodity Cookery Contest
Avoyelles 4-H’ers competed in the Area District 4-H Commodity Cookery Contest on March 5. Participants were Justin Dauzat, Victoria Pitts, Marlee Tuma, Hannah Hirtzler, Kelin Desselle, Jonathan Dauzat, Jacob Ryland, Kerra Franks, Billie Belt, Jenna Dowden, Amber Dubea, Riley Foreman, William Vanderlick, Alex McCaleb, Hailey Price, David Bordelon and Nicholas Ferguson.
4-H Ambassador Contest
The 4-H Ambassador Contest was held at LSU-Baton Rouge on April 21, 2009. Avoyelles 4-H was well represented by these two participants: Austin Bordelon – Marksville High – 1st place in Poultry Illustrated Talk Contest; and Kelsey Jeansonne – APCS – 5th in Egg Illustrated Talk Contest. Great Job!!!
State Record Book Contest
Hannah and Victoria Pitts (St. Mary 4-H) submitted their goat project records for state competition in July 2009. Hannah and Victoria both placed in the top 10 in elementary and junior competition respectively – Fabulous !!!!!
Calendar:
September 1 -- State Fair Livestock Show entry deadline
September 24 -- Build a Bat Box Workshop – 4-H Office - 1-4 p.m.
October 1 -- Rapides Parish Fair Livestock Show entry deadline
October 5 -- First Junior Leader Meeting - 4-H Office - 6 p.m. (All members in grades 8-12 are invited)
October 10 -- Poultry/Rabbit Clinic – 4-H Livestock Barn – Marksville – 2 p.m.
October 16-18 -- Rapides Parish Fair Livestock Show
October 20 -- Officers Training Day/Adult Leader Training - Bunkie Youth Center - 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
October 21-Nov. 8 -- Louisiana State Fair - Shreveport, La.
October 29 -- Pumpkin Carving Party – LASAS Cafeteria – 5:30 p.m.
November 6 -- Patchwork Pillow Sewing clinic – 4-H Office - 9 a.m.-noon
November 7 -- Possession deadline for beef, dairy, goats, sheep participating in Spring Livestock Show
November 14 -- Avoyelles 4-H Food Fair – Marksville Elementary Cafeteria – Registration 8:30 a.m.
**If you have any special needs or assistance, please contact a 4-H agent at 964-2245.
New for 2009-10!!!!!!!!!!
* Avoyelles 4-H will have a new look this year as far as club names and membership. With the closing of the three public middle schools (Mansura, Marksville, Bunkie), the three public high schools will now have 7th-8th grade membership in their clubs.
Clubs will be named: Avoyelles High 7-12
Bunkie High 7-12
Marksville High 7-12
We are excited about this new organization of the public school system in Avoyelles and we see a “Bright” 4-H future for these three new clubs. The monthly club meetings will be held together; however, competition will still be divided between Junior (7th-8th) and Senior (9th-12th) levels.
* 4-H Project books, with the exception of Discovering 4-H and all livestock projects, will not be issued this club year. The reason is due to the yearly increases of project book costs in combination with the low number of project/record books entered for competition in March. As agents, we felt that the project books were no longer meeting the needs of the majority of the 4-H population in our parish. Workshops and clinics are a seemingly more effective method of educating Avoyelles 4-H’ers; therefore, several fun and educational clinics/workshops have been added to the 2009-10 4-H calendar. That being said, 4-H Achievement Day will no longer be on the Avoyelles 4-H calendar; however, 4-H Demonstration Day will remain. We hope to see greater interest in demonstrations, communication and engineering projects through this change. Discovering 4-H project books for first year 4-H’ers in grades 4-6 and all elementary, junior, and senior livestock project books will be issued and judged as in years past. Please give us your feedback on the major change in 4-H!!!!!!
* Avoyelles 4-H T-shirts (short sleeve) are being offered for sale again this year. Cost is $12 pershirt. See your leader or an agent for an order form. Cash or checks (payable to Avoyelles 4-H) accepted.
* Earn a free out of state of trip next summer!!! Become an Avoyelles 4-H Junior Leader. Are you in grades 8-12? Are you dependable, honest, open-minded and courteous? Do you like having fun, laughing, and learning? If you have these qualifications and want to meet other 4-H’ers just like you, mark your calendars and come to the 4-H office in Mansura on Monday, October 5, at 6 p.m. for our first 4-H Junior Leader Club meeting of the year ……..Bring a friend, too!
Avoyelles 4-H Fundraiser
The Avoyelles 4-H Foundation will be hosting a 4-H Garage Sale on Saturday, October 10, beginning at 6 a.m. We need your help to make this fundraiser a success. Please begin to send items to the 4-H office so that we may begin to price them early. Items we are looking for include: furniture, baby items, clothing, kitchen utensils, household items, knick-knacks and garden supplies. If you have other suggestions for the garage sale, please let us know. Please mark the date and please come visit us at the 4-H office on October 10.
Livestock News
Well, livestock show season is here again…..are you ready???? Time to start selecting the perfect show project, preparing the perfect stall/paddock, halter breaking and taming, choosing the perfect feed and additives to create the “perfect” project, and of course encouraging the perfect parents that you live with to go along with all of this!!!! Avoyelles 4-H is always looking to add your name on the livestock show database so please consider a livestock project this year. Livestock projects can be as small a dwarf rabbit or as large as 2,000-pound breeding bull, so no matter your likes or dislikes there is certainly a livestock project that will fit your needs and likes. Please contact, 964-2245, the 4-H office if you are interested in a livestock project (rabbits, poultry, goats, sheep, beef, horses) this year. Possession deadlines are quickly approaching, so don’t hesitate if you are interested in a livestock project this year…We want You on the Avoyelles 4-H Livestock Show Team!!
Congratulations to all 4-H’ers who took part in the summer circuit livestock shows that took place all across Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas on almost every weekend in the summer. Katelyn Bordelon, goat exhibitor, and Matthew Decuir, sheep exhibitor, both took part in the summer shows….great job kids!!!
Esther C. Boe
Associate Extension Agent
Trent Clark
Associate County Agent