York County 4-H January News
Upcoming Events
Eastern States Team: Horse, Dog, Dairy Cows, Dairy Goats, and Sheep Intents due February 1.
4-H Volunteer Leaders Meeting 2/5 @ 7:00 pm
Workshops – Feb. vacation week (still figuring that out but there will
be another Public Speaking Workshop)
Tracking Day – Feb 9th at Lake St. George State Park (9:30am -12:30pm) Please call the office to register (207.324.2814)
Leaders Banquet 3/3
Overnight Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program Camps (ages 9 and up):
April 15-17 at Tanglewood 4-H Center and April 17-19 at Bryant Pond
4-H Center
4-H Club News
13 Clubs located all over York County! Club news contains news that the clubs have shared with the office!
Nature Kids
Nature Kids 4-H club was very busy between Christmas and New Years! Kids each painted magic wands, learned two magic tricks, perfected them and put their public speaking skills to work by becoming a traveling magic show. We traveled to FIVE different nursing homes and preformed about a half hour show that included audience participation at each venue(each nursing home resident even had a wand to use!). Our biggest audience had 42 residents. The audience was wowed, roared with laughter, gasped with amazement and begged us to come back again. 4-Hers were confident pubic speakers, acted like professional magicians and warmed the residents’ heart with their interactions. It was a great activity for all! – Maya Bough, Leader – Jacqueline Lipsky
Kidding Around
Kidding Around packed Operation Christmas Child boxes for our November meeting. Operation Christmas Child is a program that delivers Christmas boxes to children in remote areas of the world who would not otherwise receive a Christmas present. We packed 13 boxes which will be delivered to children in the Dominican Republic. This is the our 15th year we have done this. – Debbi Cole, Leader
York County Shepherds
January meeting. We voted in new officers: President, Aidan, Vice President: George, Secretary: Annalise, Treasurer: Amelia, Group Photographers: Chloe and Sersha
Donna and Kim did a demonstration and hands on activity about the ruminant digestive system.
The group showed an interest in ice fishing and MAYBE having a warden show up to speak with the kids a little. (Fingers crossed on that! )
We are working on getting some items/projects to enter into the exhibit hall for the fairs.
York County Beef Club
January Meeting York County Beef Club attended the Animal Science Bonanza in Walpole, New Hampshire. They attended three sessions learning about Bio-security, Feeding your 4-H animal and Dairy Judging. During the January meeting the group learned about A2 milk.
State News January 2019
Courtesy of Jessy Brainerd
Save the Date for 2019 Maine 4-H Days
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 jessica.brainerd@maine.edu or 207.581.3877.
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 jessica.brainerd@maine.edu, or call 207.581.3877.
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 CHANGE for 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 (kristy.ouellette@maine.edu) if you have any questions. Intent to participate forms must be post marked by 2/1.
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.
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: heidi.thuotte@maine.edu
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)
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.
Please provide feedback on Project Records!
Click the following link to take the survey. https://umaine.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bP1iUM659wuRVrL
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. 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).
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 deadline.
– 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-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 diana.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 number
4-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