Welcome to my Blog!

Hello! Okay, I am fresh from the Central Region Cooperative Extension IT Camp and I am officially a blogger!!! Please stay tuned to this blog to keep up-to-date with all the latest Clearfield County 4-H news.

Please check out the previous post for information on a Communications 101 Workshop that Susan Alexander and I will be hosting on Thursday, April 24, 2008 in the DuBois area. More details will follow to those that register. All I can say is that after this workshop - I think you will be as excited as I am about new technology! Did I mention there will be refreshments and SPECTACULAR prizes given out to participants??? This will be a great experience for those interested in participating in the 4-H Public Speaking & Presentation Contest on June 3, 2008.

I was also very excited that we had such a great turn out of close to 35 at Phil Clauer's Poultry Presentation last night. I think he did cover everything you wanted to know about poultry, but was afraid to ask. Thanks Phil for travel to Clearfield and sharing your poultry knowledge with us!!!

Well, I am off to the Central Region 4-H Teen Retreat this weekend. We are expecting close to 45 teens from 12 different counties. Let's keep our fingers crossed for great weather!

Communcations 101

Workshop will be held on Thursday, April 24, 2008. Location TBA (DuBois Area).

How do you communicate with your friends? With your teachers? With your family? With your 4-H leaders? Today, we have many methods of communicating. This course is designed to help you understand the various methods and to provide you with pointers on how to make your communications more effective. Topics that will be covered will include: cell phones, internet tools – email, blogs, wikis, etc., texting versus writing, and speaking in public.

Do you understand the difference between a wiki and a blog? Do you know who can see what you place on the internet? Did you always want to participate in the annual 4-H Public Speaking & Presentation Extravaganza, but are too scared to stand in front of your peers and give a speech? Or maybe you just feel that you don’t know enough about public speaking to feel confident? Well if this is the case, please join us at 6:00 P.M. on Thursday, April 24, 2008 in DuBois for a Communication Skills Workshop. This workshop will definitely get you prepared for the Bi-County Public Speaking & Presentation Contest being held June 3rd, as well as other public speaking opportunities that you will have throughout life and knowledge to use as you communicate via the internet or your cell phone.

Refreshments will be provided between 6:00 P.M. and 6:30 P.M. Participation awards will be presented to those that attend and a special drawing will be held for an overall award.

Pre-registration is required! Full details will be provided to those that register.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Jana at (814) 765-7878 Extension 3 or Susan at (814) 849-7361 by Monday, April 21, 2008.

This workshop will be cancelled if registration is low.

The 2008 Clearfield & Jefferson County 4-H Club Officer/ 4-H Volunteer Leader Training is a Big Success

On Saturday, January 26, 2008, the Tri-County Church of God in DuBois, PA welcomed 42 4-H members currently serving as club officers and 39 4-H volunteer leaders and parents to take part in our annual bi-county training. This year’s
workshops included:
· Conflict Resolution presented by Patty Anderson, County Extension Director for Penn State Cooperative Extension of Clarion County
· 4-H Club Office Training (Club officer roles, how to be an effective 4-H club officer, & parliamentary procedure) presented by Renold Sossong, 2006 Vice- President of PA State 4-H Council and Laura Sankey, 2006 4-H Summer Program Assistant for Clearfield County
· Horse Management presented by Dr. Ann Swinker, Extension Horse Specialist for Penn State University
· Exploring 4-H Projects in Wildlife & Forestry presented by Megan Liedl, 4-H Volunteer Leader and 2007 4-H Summer Program Assistant for Jefferson County
· 2 Craft sessions on scrapbooks and learning to make items from potato chips bags lead by Susan Alexander, Extension Educator for Penn State Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County and Sue Delaney, 4-H Parent
· Using Effective County/Teen Council led by Jana Davidson, Extension Educator for Penn State Cooperative Extension of Clearfield County

Clearfield County 4-H members and leaders that attended were:

· 4-H Club Officers: Michaela Barber, Yvonne Bush, Laken Delaney, Lark Delaney, Marissa Douthit, Abby Dressler, Cheyenne Frantz, Victoria Garner, Alexes Hannold, Melinda Hutchins, Elizabeth Lanager, Daniele Marshall, Katie McAndrew, Amanda Owens, Kelsea Palmer, Taylor Papevies, Alex Russell, Katie Russell, Derica Skarbek, Lance Stone, Tyson Stone, Danielle Troutman, Devon Turner, Morgan Turner, Curtis Woodring, & Scott Woodring

· 4-H Volunteer Leaders: Tammy Angeletti, Jeff Bush, Sue Delaney, Janet Douthit, Tania Dressler, Karen Garner, Larry Garner, Tammy Hutchins, Cindy Lanager, Deb Owens, Heather Mabie, Deb McAndrew, Jill Stone, Diane Troutman, Mark Turner, Dan Woodring, & Julie Woodring

Anyone interested in helping serve on a planning committee to help in the planning of next year’s training can contact me.

Pennsylvania 4-H Forestry Field Day

Pennsylvania’s 4-H Forestry Field Day is slated for May 10, 2008, from 9:45 AM - 3 PM at Laurel Haven Conservation Education Center, Julian, PA (near Penn State). This event is open to all 4-Hers who have taken, or are planning to undertake any 4-H forestry project.

The event has two options. There is an "Exploratory Tract" for younger 4-Hers (ages 8-11) and a "Competitive Tract" for older youth (ages 12-18). All adults and 4-H volunteers are welcome to attend. Participants signing up for the Exploratory Tract will learn tree identification, compass use, and tree measurement, which are all components of the Trees + Me = Forestry 4-H project. This is non-competitive, educational, and fun. No advance study is required for the Exploratory Tract. 4-Hers in the Competitive Tract will participate in a forestry knowledge and judging contest. A project book with everything one needs to know for this tract is available as a download at the web site listed below or by contacting your County Cooperative Extension Office. The top four teens (ages 14 years and up) will go on to participate in the National 4-H Forestry Invitational.

There is no fee for this event, but all youth and adults planning to attend should sign up through the Clearfield County Cooperative Extension Office at (814) 765-7878 Ext.3 or jld289@psu.edu. Participants must bring their own sack lunch and drink, and everyone is encouraged to dress for field conditions. Additional information and
directions

4-H Wildlife Field Day - Always Wild!

A wildlife "field day" for fun and learning is scheduled on Saturday, April 26, 2008, (9:30 AM - 3:00 PM) at Rock Springs (Ag Progress Days Site) near Penn State. This state event is wide open to all 4-H'ers (ages 8 -18) interested in or currently taking wildlife projects. 4-H adult volunteers and parents are also encouraged to attend.

There will be two program options offered concurrently at the event. The first option is the "Exploratory Tract," designed for youth ages 8-11. It will include hands-on wildlife educational activities and guest speakers. This year's theme for the Exploratory Tract is "Pennsylvania's Game Species.” Game species are those that are hunted or trapped. The management of these species helps to protect and preserve habitat for all wildlife species. Come explore leaning about our game species through fun outdoor activities! The second is the "Competitive Tract." It will offer youth, ages 12-18, a chance to participate in a wildlife habitat evaluation contest. This is an educational competitive event that provides a great opportunity for youth to apply their knowledge about wildlife to real life situations. The Competitive Tract will also include a guest speaker, and a habitat tour. There is a project book that 4-H'ers should study before coming to this event. It is available on request through the County Cooperative Extension Office, or it can be downloaded from the web site listed below. Four 4-H members, between the ages of 14 and 18 years old, will be selected to attend the 2007 National Wildlife Evaluation Event. Volunteer Leaders, Agents, and parents are welcome to attend the field day to observe either option. A free picnic lunch will be served for all. Attendees are encouraged to dress for the field, and bring along snacks and water bottles.

There is no fee for the event, but all youth and adults planning to attend should sign up through the Clearfield County Cooperative Extension Office at (814) 765-7878 Ext.3 or jld289@psu.edu Let us know which option your youth wish to undertake. Additional information and directions to the event can be found on the event web site: http://pa4h.cas.psu.edu/79.htm Sign-up deadline is April 18, 2008. Sign-up soon!

Ready, SET, Go 4-H

This year’s Southern Alleghenies Regional 4-H Camp will be held a little differently this year. We have decided to offer two separate camps. We will be offering a Mini 4-H Camp for all 8 year olds, as well as interested 9 & 10 year olds, from Sunday, June 15th to Monday, June 16th, 2008 at Camp Kanesatake located in Spruce Creek in Huntingdon, PA. The cost is $55.00, but Clearfield will pay $25.00, leaving your cost $30.00!

Traditional 4-H Camp will take place from Monday, June 16th through Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at Camp Kanesatake near Spruce Creek in Huntingdon, PA. 4-H members between the ages of 9 to 14 years of age as of January 1st, 2008 are welcome to attend. The cost is $140.00, but Clearfield will pay $25.00, leaving your cost $115.00!

A registration brochure was attached to the March/April 4-H Newsletter and additional brochures can be obtained by contacting the Extension Office! All payments should be submitted with the applications – checks can be made payable to “PSCE Clearfield County Program Funds”

Hurry – the registration deadline is Friday, May 2nd! All 4-H members that submit registrations after this date will be put on a waiting list!!

2008 PA 4-H Leadership Conference Offers a First for Clearfield County

Three teens recently took part in the PA State 4-H Leadership Conference, which was held Friday, February 15 – Sunday, February 17, 2008 at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference in State College. This year’s theme was “Groovin’ into Leadership”

Yvonne Bush of DuBois, Abby Dressler of Rockton, & Katie McAndrew of Brockway all took part in this conference. Yvonne and Katie are with the Town & Country 4-H Horse and Pony Club and Abby is with the Open Range 4-H Club.

Youth between the ages of 13 and 18 were eligible to take part in this 3-day event that enhanced leadership skills through a variety of workshops in the area of public relations, responsibility, stress management, positive attitude, public speaking, team building, time management, finding your strengths, goal setting, and running effective meetings. I had the opportunity to present the Public Relations workshop, which focused on Putting your Best Foot Forward and also co-presented the 4-H Ambassador Training with Kathy Weller, Extension Educator from Snyder County. Keynote Speakers on Friday and Saturday evening also helped get the teens motivated about leadership and looking at leadership in a different way!

Youth had the opportunity to choose a general leadership track or ambassador track, which was specifically geared to being a 4-H county ambassador.

All youth took part in a statewide service learning project titled “Checkout the Silver,” which partnered with the PA Farm Bureau’s Food Checkout Day. Youth were asked to bring pop tops and silver coins with them to the event and on Sunday, February 17 a donation was made to the PA Farm Bureau, which will benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Danville, PA. This will continue to be the statewide service learning project each year, so please keep collection coins and pop tops!!!