Air Rifle Achievements

4-H members of the Clearfield County 4-H Riflery Club recently took part in 2 local competitions. The purpose of both events was to offer an opportunity for 4-H youth to showcase and demonstrate their knowledge on shooting an air rifle, as well as their overall shooting sports abilities and skills.

On Saturday, April 5, 4-H’ers traveled to Kersey to take part in the Central Region 4-H Shooting Sports Day and joined over 40 youth from the counties of Clearfield, Jefferson, McKean, and Potter. The event took place at the Fox Township Community Building. In the 8 to 10 year old age division, Hunter Connor of Luthersburg took second place and Abby Jamison of Luthersburg took fourth place. Other Clearfield County participants in this age group included Cassandra Folmar and Brittany Sallack, both of Luthersburg. In the 11 to 12 year old age division, Shelbie Jamison of Luthersburg took third place, In the 13 to 15 year old age division, Chelsea Folmar of Luthersburg got second place. Braden Sallack of Luthersburg also participated in this age category.

In the team categories, Clearfield County’s team of Abby Jamison, Hunter Connor, Cassandra Folmar, and Brittany Sallack took home second place honors in the 8 to 10 year old team event. Chelsea Folmar, Shelbie Jamison, and Braden Sallack took home second place honors in the 13 to 15 year old team division.

On Sunday, April 20, fifteen 4-H members took part in the Clearfield & Jefferson County 4-H Shooting Sports Day held at the DuBois Rifle & Pistol Club located on McCracken Run Road in DuBois. The event was open to all youth between the ages of 8 and 18, as of January 1st, who are currently enrolled in the 4-H program. All participants must currently be taking a 4-H shooting sports project and completing the appropriate project book requirements.

In the novice division, which was open to 4-H members ages 8 through 10, Lance Carrier received first place. Lance is the son of is the son of Jeff Carrier of Brookville. Following in second place was Hunter Wolfe. Hunter is the son of Keith Wolfe of Brookville. Hunter Connor received third place. Hunter is the son of Chris and Tammy Connor of Luthersburg. Devin Muth took fourth place. Devin is the son of Jeff & Penni Muth of Luthersburg. In fifth place was Tyler Gotwald. Tyler is the son of Carl and Michele Gotwald of Brookville. Sixth place honors went to Brittney Sallack, who is the daughter of Todd and Becky Sallack of Luthersburg. Other participants were Cassandra Folmar daughter of Scott & Crystal Folmar of Luthersburg, Abby Jamison daughter of Jeff and Lori Jamison of Luthersburg, and Tyler Muth son of Jeff & Penni Muth of Luthersburg. In the junior division, which was open to 4-H members ages 11 and 12, Brittany Sprague, daughter of Don and Brenda Sprague of DuBois, took first place honors. Shelbie Jamison, daughter of Jeff and Lori Jamison of Luthersburg, was given second place honors and third place went to Rebecca Sprague daughter of Don and Brenda Sprague of DuBois. Our final age division was intermediate for youth between the ages of 13 and 15. Chelsea Folmar was awarded first place. Chelsea is the daughter of Scott and Crystal Folmar of Luthersburg. Braden Sallack son of Todd & Becky Sallack received second place, and Kyle Pisarcik, son of Jeff & Jayne Pisarcik received 3rd place.

All fifteen 4-H members that competed in this event received a participation ribbon. First place winners received a gold medal, second place winners received a silver medal, and third place winners received a bronze medal. All first place winners in each age division will also receive a plaque. Ribbons were awarded through sixth place in each category. All 4-H members and their families were also served pizza and desserts.

All participants also received a gift card or prize along with the announcement of the overall team scores. The winning novice team was Jefferson County’s team of Lance Carrier, Hunter Wolfe, and Tyler Gotwald with a combined score of 346. Second place went to Clearfield County’s team of Hunter Connor, Devin Muth, and Tyler Muth with a combined score of 252. Third place team honors were another Clearfield County team with member Cassandra Folmar, Abby Jamison, and Brittany Sallack with a combined score of 168. We combined the junior and intermediate age categories with teams consisting of members from both Clearfield and Jefferson counties. The winning team had members Chelsea Folmar, Brittany Sprague, and Rebecca Sprague with a combined score of 353. The second place team had members Shelbie Jamison, Kyle Pisarcik, and Braden Sallack with a combined score of 326.

“A very special thank you goes out to all of the 4-H Volunteer Leaders and Parents from the Clearfield and Jefferson Counties for all of their help in putting on these events, as well as the encouragement and training they give to the youth members.” Jana Lynne Davidson, Children & Youth Development Educator.

Communications 101 - Cancelled

Unfortunately, we had to CANCEL our Communications 101 Workshop, which was to be held this Thursday, April 24th from 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at Penn State - DuBois. This was due to low registration.

I think this was going to be a great workshop, so if you are interested in having it reschedule, let me know!

Taking Over Harrisburg at PA 4-H Capital Days

4-H’ers from across Pennsylvania took over seats in the state legislature during the 44th annual Pennsylvania State 4-H Capital Days, an annual citizenship awareness event that was held April 13-15 at the Harrisburg Hilton and Towers. Four teens from Clearfield County were in attendance at this event. Clearfield County 4-H members in attendance were Yvonne Bush of DuBois, Megan Junod of Mahaffey, and Katie McAndrew of Brockway. Both Yvonne and Katie are members of the Town & County 4-H Horse and Pony Club and Megan is a member of the Harmony 4-H Club. Also attending was Abby Dressler of Rockton, who is currently serving on the Pennsylvania State 4-H Council. I also accompanied the youth to Harrisburg and conducted a key note presentation on What Not to Wear, which highlighted dress code guidelines for youth when attending state 4-H events.

The goal of the two-day program is to introduce 4-H’ers to Pennsylvania government through a series of hands-on, interactive experiences, says Phil Hoy, youth program management coordinator in Penn State's department of agricultural and extension education. “Participants will learn how laws are passed by participating in a mock legislative session. They are grouped into the majority and minority parties to discuss their party’s stand on the issues, and then come together as full house and vote on three bills that include issues such as nutrition labeling, dog laws, and environmental issues.”

Other activities included being welcomed by Representative Scott Conklin, closing remarks from former acting governor Mark Singel, and being introduced to approximately 14 participating agencies and organizations to see how these agencies fit within state government structure. They will also participated in workshops on Pennsylvania’s legislative process, meet and talk with other state government officials, and learn the importance of the private citizen's vote.

“This event introduces youth to an experience that they typically would not be exposed to in a traditional classroom setting. Our planning committee is made up of returning teen, volunteers, and extension educators. The Pennsylvania 4-H State Council served as master of ceremonies as well as conducting the mock legislative sessions. This helps us to illustrate the importance of the 4-H experience in leadership and citizen development,” says Hoy.

"4-H Capital Days is one of several opportunities for Pennsylvania’s youth to learn to be engaged with their communities,” states Christy Bartley, state 4-H program leader. “4-H members learn about local, state, and national governments through several opportunities during the program year.” 4-H partnered with Representative Scott Conklin to plan and implement this year’s event.

Picturered above from left to right is Mr. Paul Wambach, who attended on behalf of Camille “Bud" George, Megan Junod, Yvonne Bush, and Katie McAndrew. Missing from photo is Abby Dressler.

4-H Scholarship Opportunities

Hey college bound seniors - I just wanted to remind you of a few scholarship opportunities.

The Mary Fisher-Owens Memorial Scholarship Trust is a scholarship sponsored by Hazen Owens of Olanta, PA. To be eligible to receive this scholarship, you must be a resident of Clearfield County and be enrolled in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State University as a full-time, first semester freshman. All completed applications are due to the Extension Office by May 15th

The Lewie Greene 4-H Memorial Scholarship is awarded to an active Clearfield County 4-H member who plans to enroll in either a two-year or four-year post high school curriculum. All completed applications are due to the Extension Office by August 1st

Applications for these scholarships are available in the Extension Office, please call me at (814) 765-7878 Ext. 3 if you would like an application sent to you.

4-H Teen Retreat Recap

What a weekend! With close to 50 4-H teens, chaperones, and extension educators representing the Central Region, the 2008 Central Region 4-H Teen Retreat was a huge success! Morgan Turner, Yvonne Bush, Laken Delaney, Lark Delaney, Chelsea Folmar, and Marissa Douthit (all pictured above) represented Clearfield County at this event held at Krislund Camp & Conference Center located near Lamar. Abby Dressler, representing the 2008 PA State 4-H Council, also took part in the retreat helping with the program.

You may be asking yourself – what goes on at a 4-H Teen Retreat??? I like to think of it as a mix of fellowship and leadership through hands-on educational workshops. This year’s program consisted of the following presenters and workshop topics:

· Get acquainted and ice breaker activities opened the program and were led by Justine Bush, PA State 4-H Council Vice President of Operations, and Abby Dressler, PA State 4-H Council News Reporter. Abby & Justine (pictured bottom right) also led a roundtable discussion on exploring state 4-H opportunities.
· Doug Little of State College was our opening motivational speaker and shared with the teens his struggle of losing his sight at the age of 27. Mr. Little’s story was very touching, inspiring, and taught a true lesson that no obstacle is too big to overcome. After being told he could never hunt again, which was his favorite activity, Doug has proved everyone wrong thanks to the help of his supportive family and is still an avid hunter to this day!
· Our first education workshop was led by Robin Kuleck and was on “Financial Planning for College & Beyond”.
· Team Building 101 had Ed Horning and Mary Beth Rader-Allegar leading the teens in numerous activities to strengthen trust.
· Amy Murphy gave the teens tips on “How to Get a Job,” and also helped the teens identify their strengths in personality profiling.
· Bobbie Jo Simcox’s “Focusing on the Negative” workshop did just the opposite and helped the teens see the big picture with a positive outlook.
· The final workshop on Saturday was on “Working with Groups” and was led by Christine Corl & myself. After giving the teens tips for working in groups, they were given a bag of props and asked to use all of them in a skit based on encouraging someone to attend 4-H camp. Thank goodness Christine brought her video camera – this was hilarious!
· Before giving the teens free time for the evening, they participated in the community service component of the program, which focused on volunteer appreciation. I can’t say right now what they did, but our dedicated leaders will find out soon enough!
· We wrapped up the retreat on Sunday with a hands-on workshop focused on exploring wildlife & forestry projects led by Dave Jackson & Susan Alexander. This had the teens participating in activities such as leaf identification and tree measuring.

As you can see, it was a very busy, yet fun filled weekend! All I can say is what a great group of teens we have in 4-H! Mark your calendars, as plans are underway for the 2009 Central Region 4-H Teen Retreat, which will take place Friday, March 27 – Sunday, March 29 at the Hartman Center in Milroy, PA. Okay 4-H volunteers, we are trying to implement a leader’s component as well, so you don’t feel left out!