4-H News in Washington County – January 2020
Dates to Remember
January 14: 4-H Family Hour of Code, Porter Memorial Library, 3:30 p.m.
January 15: Snow Date for 4-H Family Hour of Code
January 18: 4-H Public Speaking Informational Session- UMaine Extension Office, Machias, 10 a.m.
January 25: Snow date for Machias 4-H Public Speaking Informational Session
January 29-February 26: 4-H Photography SPIN Club, Porter Memorial Library, Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.
January 30: 4-H Information Night, Porter Memorial Library, 6:30 p.m.
February 1: 4-H Public Speaking Informational Session-Princeton Library, Princeton, 10 a.m.
February 6: 4-H Page Day (see 7. in State News)
February 15: Snow date for Princeton 4-H Public Speaking Informational Session
February 21-23: Becoming an Outdoor Woman Winter Skills Weekend at Bryant Pond (see 4. in State News)
July 16-19: Maine 4-H Days
Welcome to 2020!
The 4-H staff want to send a big THANK YOU to all 4-H members, volunteers, parents, and families! We are looking forward to 2020 and hope you are too! Here are a few of the fun events and some new things to get excited about:
- Public Speaking – 4-H Public Speaking Information Sessions are scheduled for Machias and Princeton. Come find out more about public speaking!
- Photo Contest – Start snapping photos now to submit later this year!
- National 4-H Trips – such as Citizen Washington Focus and National Summits are open to teens in Washington County and are a great opportunity to travel and learn by doing in the 4-H way.
- SPIN Clubs– We are always looking for volunteers to conduct these short term, special interest clubs. Please contact the office to see how you can become involved!
- Project Records– Start your project record now! New project records can be found on the Maine 4-H Project Record website.
- AND SO MUCH MORE!!!! Stay updated by reading the newsletter, visiting the Washington County 4-H website and Facebook page.
Cobscook Currents Continue Community Service Projects
At the December meeting of the Cobscook Currents 4-H Club, the members collected pet food for the Furry Friends Food Bank and made paper stars with volunteer, Helen Lelievre.
4-H Public Speaking Informational Session Added in Princeton
Come and learn all about 4-H Public Speaking! 4-Hers can get resources to assist them in planning their demonstration or illustrated talk for the county tournament in March. We have added another session in Princeton on Feb. 1, snow date of Feb. 15.
Two Sessions
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Snow Date: Saturday, January 25, 2020
10:00 a.m. – Noon
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
28 Center Street, Machias
Conference Room
OR
Saturday, February 1, 2020
Snow Date: Saturday, February 15, 2020
10:00 a.m. – Noon
Princeton Library
40 Main Street, Princeton
Please register by Saturday, January 10, 2020 for Machias and January 24, 2020 for Princeton. You may register online here!
Please call Tara at 207.255.3345 or by email at tara.a.wood@maine.edu for more information about the 4-H Public Speaking Informational Session!
4-H Family Hour of Code at Porter Memorial Library
4-H and the Porter Memorial Library will offer a free “4-H Family Hour of Code” session on Jan. 14, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., at the Porter Memorial Library, 92 Court Street, Machias. The snow date is Jan. 15.
The event, designed for youth and their parents to learn their first hour of coding together, features an introduction to Scratch – a free programming language – and presents career options in the computer science field.
The event is free; registration is required and limited to six families. Register online [extension.umaine.edu/register/product/4hhourofcodeporterwash]. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact 207.255.3345; tara.a.wood@maine.edu.
Learn photography with UMaine Extension 4-H
4-H is offering a special interest (SPIN) club for youth, ages 9 to 12, interested in learning basic photography skills. The club meets five Wednesdays, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m., beginning Jan. 29, at Porter Memorial Library, 92 Court Street, Machias. Remaining dates are Feb. 5, 12, 19 and 26.
Explore UMaine Extension’s 4-H program while learning about digital single lens reflex photography equipment, lighting, composition, and skill-building. Participants are encouraged to bring their own DSLR camera if possible. Some cameras will be available to borrow.
There is no cost; enrollment is limited to six youth. Register online [extension.umaine.edu/register/product/4hphotospinwash]. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Tara Wood, 207.255.3345; tara.a.wood@maine.edu.
Still Two Scholarships Available for 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Greenland Point This Summer
Don’t miss out on one of the two remaining $125-scholarships to the 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Greenland Point for the 2020 summer camp season! The scholarships will be given on a first-come, first-served basis to Washington County 4-H members so contact the office today to reserve yours by calling 207.255.3345 or emailing tara.a.wood@maine.edu. To find out more about the Greenland Point 4-H Camp and Learning Center, visit the website.
4-H Information Night
News from the State
- Save the Date for 2020 Maine 4-H Days
Maine 4-H Days will take place July 16 – 19, 2020 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. - 4-H Science Saturdays are Returning in 2020!
Thanks to the generous support of the Maine 4-H Foundation, we will be offering opportunities for middle/early high school aged youth to visit the UMaine campus for targeted science or engineering experiences! Science Saturday programs run from 10 AM – 1:30 p.m., and include time for youth to engage in hands-on activities with professors and current UMaine students, as well as time for lunch in a UMaine dining hall! We need your input! What topics should we offer? Please let us know by filling out the survey. - 4-H Statewide Teen Dance Seeks Planning Committee Members
There is a small group of 4-H members who would like to plan a statewide formal dance for teen 4-H members across the state. We are looking for teen volunteers who would like to be a part of the planning committee for this Winter event. FMI please contact Maddie Gray maddicus83@gmail.com. - Winter Becoming an Outdoor Woman Program
The 2019 Winter Becoming an Outdoor Woman program will be held on February 21 – 23, 2020 at Bryant Pond 4-H Camp and Learning Center, 17 Conservation Lane, Bryant Pond ME 04219 in Oxford County. This fun weekend is geared towards women seeking new ways to get outdoors, meet new friends, and challenge themselves. All meals and lodging are provided and space is limited to 36 participants. FMI: Becoming an Outdoor-Woman Winter Skills Weekend website or call 207.665.2068. - Maine 4-H Project Records Survey
The final survey regarding the Maine 4-H Project Records is available. You 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. This is the third of three surveys. 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. You will be entered in for a drawing of a Hannaford Gift Card. The survey is available online. - Maine 4-H Horse Team
February 1st the deadline to submit the intent to participate in the Maine 4-H Horse Team. You will find the intent form here. FMI please contact Kristy Ouellette, ouellette@maine.edu. - 4-H Page Day in Augusta – February 6, 2020
UMaine Day at the Legislature, Thursday, February 6, 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. It’s fast-paced and pages will be moving around the chambers quite a bit, taking direction from the Clerks. We will meet at 8:30 for 4-H pictures and an orientation. Then at 9:00 a.m., we will divide our group with one going to the House and the other to the Senate where each group will receive their instructions. Session will begin by 10:00 a.m. and will likely conclude around 12:30 p.m., but the timing is never certain.NEW: Bicentennial Exploration with the Maine State Museum! The Museum will host our group from 1:30-3:00 p.m. with a free interactive learning series they have developed around documents and artifacts from 200 years ago- giving everyone a new understanding of the process Maine underwent to achieve statehood. The voting might surprise you! What were the moral implications of Maine achieving statehood? Statehood is a messy process and we’re diving into it! Their Bicentennial exhibit will not yet be open, so they are offering us a sneak peek!If you are interested in serving as a page, please email Alisha Targonski at r.targonski@maine.eduwith the subject line “Page Day.”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 31. If the slot for your legislative district has been filled, your name will be added to a waitlist in the order it is received. Your slot will only be reserved if you send this complete information:
– Full Name
– Current Age
– Mailing Address, Town, Zip Code
– County (find it here: type town name into www.google.com)
– Phone Number
– Email Address (this is how we will confirm you)
– Name of your School/Homeschool
– Name of your 4-H Club
– Name of your Maine State Representative (find it here)
– Name of your Maine State Senator (find it here)
– Name of your Adult Chaperone
– Adult Chaperone’s cell phone number4-H Honorary Pages will be in the Capitol from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. A parent or 4-H volunteer must provide transportation and chaperone. If you have questions, please let Alisha know at alisha.r.targonski@maine.edu. - Higher Education Scholarships
The Maine 4-H Foundation provides a number of scholarships for graduating seniors. The applications are found online and are due in the county office by March 1 and to the Maine 4-H Foundation by March 8th. Please see the rubric and application requirements online at https://extension.umaine.edu/4hfoundation/funding/. - Camp Scholarships Available
The Maine 4-H Foundation has camp scholarships ranging from $100-$200 available for 4-H members to any one week of 4-H camp. Try one of our University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Centers at Blueberry Cove, Bryant Pond, Greenland Point and Tanglewood. Call the camps to ask for a scholarship. Scholarships are based on need and first-come, first-serve. https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/camps/ - 2020 Maine 4-H Beef ESE Intent to Participate
The 2020 Maine 4-H Beef ESE Intent to Participate Form is now available online. Forms must be submitted to your county office by January 10, 2020 and will be forwarded to the Aroostook County Extension Office, Attn: Mari Glatter, 18 Military St, Houlton, ME 04730. This is a requirement for all youth intending to participate as members of the 4-H Beef Team at the Eastern States Exposition in September 2020. - National 4-H Dairy Conference
The 66th National 4-H Dairy Conference will be held September 27 to September 30, 2020 in Madison, Wisconsin. It will be held in conjunction with World Dairy Expo and attendees will have the chance to visit Expo as part of the conference agenda. Additionally, the conference will offer opportunities to learn more about careers in agriculture, seminars on dairy topics, and a wealth of chances to interact with dairy 4-H members from across the country.More info about the conference can be found here (check back for updates as they happen): The Maine 4H Animal Science Dairy Committee would love to try and send/support a team of motivated kiddos who are involved with the Dairy Goat, or Dairy Cattle Project Areas for this very unique and meaningful opportunity.The National 4H Dairy Conference requires that 4H team members: Have spent at least 3 years in those project areas, and be at least 15 years old but not yet older than 18 (4H age).We are also looking for potential VOLT Chaperones who might like to help organize and facilitate this trip. If we have an idea of how many kids are interested we can plan our fundraising efforts accordingly. Interested parties can contact Tara Marble at marble@maine.edu, or 207-778-4650 at the Franklin County Office. - Congratulations to the Agri-Science & Healthy Living Summit Delegates for 2020
In early December, delegates were chosen to attend the National Youth Agri-Science and Healthy Living Summit Trips to be held in Washington, D.C. this Winter. Summits provide an opportunity for youth to learn more about their own sparks and create an action plan to bring back to Maine to teach or provide resources for area youth. These ten scholarship spots are generously funded by the Maine 4-H Foundation. Congratulations to Agri-Science delegates Noah B. (Cumberland), Owen B. (Penobscot), Natalie D. (Cumberland), Susannah H. (Piscataquis), and Rachel W. (Cumberland)! Congratulations to Healthy Living Summit delegates Kalayaan C. (York), Nathan D. ( Knox/Lincoln), Maddie G. (Androscoggin/Sagadahoc), Jordyn M. (Androscoggin/Sagadahoc), Samuel P. (Washington), with Grace T. (York) as an alternate! If you have any questions about these Summit Trips or would like more information about applications for next year, please contact Sara Conant, conant@maine.eduor Alisha Targonski, alisha.r.targonski@maine.edu about Healthy Living, and Tara Marble, tara.marble@maine.edu about Agri-Science.