Aroostook County 4-H Newsletter January 2019

Dates to Remember

January 20: Everyone Cares Community Dinner, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Houlton Rec Center
January 21: Martin Luther King Day – office closed
January 24: 4-H Leaders Meeting, 6:00 p.m. (Zoom meeting)
February 9: Public Speaking Clinic, 10:00 a.m. at Houlton Extension office, 2:00 p.m. at Presque Isle office
February 17: Everyone Cares Community Dinner, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Houlton Rec Center
March 16: Public Speaking County Tournament
March 17: Everyone Cares Community Dinner, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Houlton Rec Center
March 27 – April 7: Tractor Supply Paper Clover Event
April 1: Livestock Approval Forms due for Horse
April 1: 4-H enrollment forms due for new members
June 1: Livestock Approval Forms due

Happy Birthday to all 4-Hers born in January

Alyssa N
Angelina N
Christina P-M
Tom O
Julia P
Krayton H

Club News

Ultra Clover

Special congratulations are in order for Mallory Williams, part of the Ultra Clover club.  Mallory, riding Smart Lil’ Canon, was the 4D State Barrel Racing Champion at the Maine National Barrel Horse Association Championships.  This qualified her for both the Open and Youth Worlds with these championships.

 Mallory’s State Barrel Racing Champion awards

picture of winning belt buckle horse head stall and leg wraps for horse    female 4H youth with winning trophies

The Ultra Clover Club enjoyed a Holiday Gathering where each club member wore a different set of Christmas themed socks!
4H members and a picture of their feet with holiday socks on

January Leader’s Meeting

The next Aroostook County Volunteer Leader’s Association will be held on Thursday, January 24th at 6:00 p.m.  This meeting will be held via ZOOM and focus on the following topics:

Club Updates
Northern Maine Fair Schedule
Choosing a Fair Theme
Project Records
Public Speaking
4-H State Events:
4-H Page for a day
Citizen Washington
State Public Speaking Tournament
4-H@UMaine
New England Livestock Expo
Maine 4-H Days at Windsor
Eastern States Tryouts
The Big E

Everyone Cares Community Dinner

Is your club interested in a volunteer or community service opportunity? The Everyone Cares Dinner Program, founded by 4-H Alumni Kate Newman in 2013, is looking for clubs who may want to put on a hot meal for those in need.

The dinners are held from 3 to 4 pm at the Houlton Rec. Center on the 3rd Sunday of each month throughout the winter. Upcoming dates are: Jan. 20, Feb. 17, and March 17. Any club who is interested in providing a meal must contact Kate at least one week prior to the date of the dinner they would like to put on for information on that month’s menu as well as details on hosting. The program usually serves about 20 attendees a hot meal complete with beverages and dessert, and a director will be present to assist club’s with the process. Those who are interested in helping out are invited to contact Kate via email at katemurphynewman@gmail.com.

Public Speaking Activities

There will be a Public Speaking Clinic at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 9th, in the Houlton office.  If there is enough interest, we will also hold a clinic at the Presque Isle office at 2 p.m. that same day.  This clinic is a fun and easy way to gain communications skills and to begin the preparation process for the Public Speaking County Tournament, which will be on Saturday, March 16th.  Last year we had 7 students qualify for the State Public Speaking Tournament!

4-H Cookbooks for sale

The Aroostook County 4-H Leader’s Association  put this together last year, and we still have some for sale.  If you would like one, just contact the Houlton office 532-6548 or Presque Isle office 764-3361and we can help you.  Cost is $15.00.

State 4-H News

January, 2019

Save the Date for 2019 Maine 4-H Days

  1. Maine 4-H Days will take place July 19 – 21 at the Windsor Fairgrounds. If you are interested in helping to plan next year’s event, please contact Jessy Brainerd at brainerd@maine.edu or 207.581.3877.
  2. Maine 4-H Days Planning Committee
    July will be here before you know it, and we are looking for a few good volunteers to join the fantastic current Maine 4-H Days Planning Committee. Joining this committee gives you the chance to help come up with ideas and plans for one of our biggest statewide events!  If you are interested in joining the Maine 4-H Days Planning Committee, or have general questions/comments/recommendations about the event, please email brainerd@maine.edu, or call 207.581.3877.
  3. Eastern States Exposition Horse Intents
    2019 Eastern States Horse tryouts intent to participate is available at: https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/animal-science-resources/horse/. AGE CHANGEfor 2019, youth who are aged 13-18 (as of December 31, 2018) are eligible to try out as a rider/driver or teen leader.  Please contact Kristy Ouellette (ouellette@maine.edu) if you have any questions.  Intent to participate forms must be post marked by 2/1.
  4. Citizenship Washington Focus

Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) Start making plans now to visit our Nation’s Capitol during the week of June 29 to July 6, 2019. CWF is a leadership program conducted by the National 4-H Council for high school youth ages 14 to 18. Delegations of 4-Hers from across the country spend six days touring the city and attending leadership skill-building workshops. This summer, the Maine delegation will travel down on Saturday, June 29 and travel home Saturday July 6, 2019. You will stay at the National 4-H Conference Center just outside Washington, DC. Visiting the most popular sites in Washington, DC will be a part of the trip, including spending the 4th of July in our nation’s capitol. There is a mandatory orientation for Maine delegates on April 27th, 2019.  For more information visit https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/annual-events/citizenship-washington-focus/.  Contact your county 4-H office for details about how to be a part of this experience if you don’t hear from them very shortly. All county offices have different criteria/dates to apply, so please contact them ASAP.  Websites are currently being updated.  For specific questions, please contact Heidi Palmer, State Activities Coordinator at:  heidi.thuotte@maine.edu.

 

  1. National Trips
    National 4-H Trip Applications Are due March 8th, 2019 (Conference and Congress) National 4-H Trips are excellent opportunities to meet 4-H members from across the nation. Participants learn about many career options, and learn through educational workshops at Congress or become a part of a team making recommendations to National 4-H Council at Conference. To learn more about these trips, visit: https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/national-trips/. Websites are currently being updated. For specific questions, please contact Heidi Palmer, State Activities Coordinator at:  thuotte@maine.edu

 

  1. UMaine 4-H Unconference – not your average volunteer forum!
    UMaine 4-H Unconference – a volunteer forum led by 4-H volunteers for 4-H volunteers.  UMaine 4-H Unconference will be an organized forum for 4-H volunteers, club leaders, afterschool providers, teachers, parents and teens leaders to gather.  UMaine 4-H Unconference is intentionally designed to have YOU teach and learn from each other. There is no agenda – you come with 4-H ideas and topics you want to talk about or learn more about, and we’ll guide the process to get folks into groups where YOU are the experts.  All experience levels are welcome and no one person has all the answers.  Door prizes will be given at the end of the day. Register online at: https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/volunteers/unconference/Join us for one or both of these awesome dates!  Registration begins at 8:30 and door prizes will be drawn by 3:00.
  • Lewiston  – Saturday, January 12, 2019 (snow date January 19, 2019)
  • Orono – Saturday, January 26, 2019 (snow date February 2, 2019)
  1. 2019 Engineers’ Week Expo
    Every year, near George Washington’s Birthday, engineers across the country celebrate National Engineers Week, as George was a civil engineer who founded our nation. Here in Maine, our custom is to hold a huge “Expo” for all those young engineers (people who explore ingenuity) to visit and get to know us better.  Our next Expo will be in southern Maine at USM in Gorham, with a banquet event the night before in Portland. Those of you who’ve come, already know how intense and fun it can be! We hosted over 3,000 last time it was at USM!Our Expo will be from 9:00-2:00 Saturday, March 2, 2019 in the Field House at USM’s Costello Sports Center.  Snacks will be available, with souvenir tee shirts.  Campus tours will be available.  See http://www.engineeringme.com for general information.  Depending on our sponsors, some busing costs will be available.
  2. Please provide feedback on Project Records!
    Click the following link to take the survey.     https://umaine.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bP1iUM659wuRVrLYou are invited to participate in a statewide research project being conducted by Kristy Ouellette and Jennifer Lobley, Extension Educators at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.  4-H volunteers and staff from all over Maine will participate in this study.Purpose of this research project:  We recognize the value of our 4-H volunteers.  As a state we have rolled out new 4-H Project Records. We want to have a better understanding of your beliefs and understandings of the function of these records. What will you be asked to do?  If you decide to participate, you will be asked to complete an on-line survey with questions pertaining to your attitudes and beliefs regarding 4-H project records in Maine.  The survey will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete. Risks: Except for your time and inconvenience, there are no foreseeable risks to you in participating in this study.  Benefits: You will be eligible to enter into a raffle for a $25.00 gift card to Hannaford.  Confidentiality:  As a participant you will be anonymous. Investigators or a student will enter data into a computer.  Data will be kept on a secured computer with only the investigators or a student having access. Data will be kept for a period of  5 years.  Voluntary:  Participation is voluntary.  If you choose to take part in this study, you may stop at any time during the study.  You may skip any questions you do not wish to answer.   Participation in the on-line survey implies consent to participate.Contact Information: If you have any questions about this study, please contact Kristy Ouellette at 207.353.5550 or kristy.ouellette@maine.edu If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact Gayle Jones, Assistant to the University of Maine’s Protection of Human Subjects Review Board, at 581.1498 (or e-mail gayle.jones@maine.edu).
  3. 2019 Maine State Science Fair
    It’s time to announce the 2019 Maine State Science Fair, to be held Saturday, March 23 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. Prizes and awards include 12 four-year, full-tuition scholarships to The University of Maine (including admission to the UMaine Honors College), and major scholarships from University of New England, College of the Atlantic, and Husson University. In 2018, MSSF awarded over $1 million in scholarships and awards. Other scholarships may be announced in the coming weeks.

    The Maine State Science Fair is open, without cost, to all Maine high school students who complete their own research or engineering project individually or in teams of 2-3. The purpose of MSSF is to present, learn, and discuss science with peers and STEM professionals from across Maine.  Projects are invited from across all STEM disciplines: life sciences, agriculture, mathematics, computer sciences, psychology, energy, physics, marine science, environmental sciences, ecology, chemistry. All STEM projects are considered!Important dates for this year’s MSSF:
    – January 18 – student registration
    – February 1 – research plan deadline.
    – March 1 – preliminary research results deadline.
    – March 23 – Maine State Science Fair.More information can be found online at: https://www.jax.org/education-and-learning/high-school-students-and-undergraduates/maine-state-science-fair
  4. 4-H Page Day in Augusta – January 29, 2019
    UMaine Day at the Legislature, Tuesday, January 29, is approaching.  It’s a day where Cooperative Extension gets to highlight our awesome programs, and 4-H is one of the best! Since legislators like to see 4-H members from their districts, 4-Hers (age 13 or older) are encouraged to serve as Honorary Pages. The Maine 4-H program has up to 30 slots for Honorary Pages.What does a page do? Legislators are constantly communicating and making decisions while in session and pages make that communication possible. Pages hand out information packets or place the paper information on their desks. Pages will also run communication and documents directly from legislator to legislator.If you are interested in serving as a page, please contact  Diana at 207-622-7546 or hartley@maine.edu.NEW: Expanded Page Day: Explore American Civics even more in Augusta!
    Afternoon tour and activities with the newly opened First Amendment Museum. After lunch we invite participants of Page Day to explore this new museum experience located in the Gannett House, next door to the Blaine House, on State Street, in Augusta. From 1:30-2:30pm on January 29 the First Amendment Museum will showcase displays as well as have interactive experiences to explore the “Five Freedoms” guaranteed by the First Amendment. There may be limited space for this tour, please indicate when you RSVP for Page Day whether you and your chaperone plan to join.We would love to pages from all over the state represented. Slots, representing different state senators and representatives, will be filled in the order they are received, but the final deadline is January 20th.  If the slot for your legislative district has been filled, your name will be added to a wait list in the order it is received.  If you are leaving a message, please be sure to say “I am interested in serving as a 4-H Page at the Legislature on January 29”.  Your slot will be reserved if you leave this complete information:
    – Full Name
    – Age
    – Mailing Address
    – County
    – Phone Number
    – Email Address (this is how we will confirm you)
    – Name of your School
    – Name of your 4-H Club
    – Name of your Maine State Representative
    – Name of your Maine State Senator
    – Name of your Adult Chaperone
    – Adult Chaperone’s cell phone number4-H Honorary Pages will be in the Capitol from 8:30am– 3:00pm.  A parent or 4-H volunteer must provide transportation and chaperoning.  If you have questions, please let Alisha know at alisha.r.targonski@maine.edu.