Nebraska Extension - Thurston County
Stacey Keys, Extension Assistant, stacey.keys@unl.edu
Samantha Beutler, Office Staff, samantha.beutler@unl.edu
Upcoming Dates
April 18-24 - National Volunteer Week
April 30 - Office Closed - Arbor Day
May 7 - Horse: District & State Entries DUE (strongly encourage you get your county horse IDs in too)
May 10 - Thurston 4-H Council Meeting
May 28 - Adventure Day Camp Registration Deadline
May 31 - Office Closed - Memorial Day
June 14 - Joint 4-H Council Meeting
June 15 - DEADLINE DAY
- Enrolled in 4honline
- Enrolled in Projects
- ALL Livestock affidavits (including county Horse)
- State Fair Beef, Sheep, Swine, & Goat DNA & Nominations
June 28-29 - PASE/Life Challenge @ UNL
June 30 - State 4-H Speech @ UNL
Keep Up on Facebook!
4-H Online Enrollment & Re-Enrollment
Visit ne.4honline.com to enroll for the 2020-2021 4-H year!
There is a $5 enrollment fee.
Cloverleaf Livestock: Pay Club
Rosalie Feeders, TC Roughriders, & Independent: Pay the Office Directly
NOTHING'S CHANGED!!! But since it's a new year we need you to re-enroll at ne.4honline.com. There are step by step sheets at http://extension.unl.edu/statewide/thurston/4-h-enrollment. For both new families and families that already have profiles. If you already have a profile make sure you DO NOT make a new profile.
If you are a VOLUNTEER for our program we also need to you to re-enroll in our online database. Again step by step information can be found at http://extension.unl.edu/statewide/thurston/4-h-enrollment. NEW Thurston County volunteers will need to do a background check before Volunteer Enrollment will be complete!
If anyone of you has questions please call the office and we'll do our best to work through any issues.
Big Red Camps!
If you are unfamiliar with Big Red Camps, they are residential, career exploration camps held at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. By participating in a camp, youth get the opportunity to explore the Nebraska campus, meet people from across the country, spend time investigating an interest or potential career, and have a lot of fun! During the week-long camps, participants will work with our university faculty to explore the topic of their particular camp. New this year, we are adding in some fun and engaging professionalism and employability skills programming throughout part of our time together, and youth participants will be able to earn a digital badge to add to future scholarship applications and their own resume. After spending several fun-filled days on campus, participants' families are invited to attend a special capstone event where youth showcase their achievements. Big Red Camps will take place the week of June 13-18, 2021. Early bird registration ends on April 5, 2021. Topics and costs vary so please visit the website for more information.
Announcing the 2021 4-H Project of the Year Featuring TEC Box Educational Kit
Nebraska 4-H is thrilled to announce the first-ever Project of the Year, focused upon Entrepreneurship and featuring the TEC Box Educational Kit! The Project of the Year provides the perfect 4-H Club project and is also a great way for new youth and families to get started in 4-H.
This year’s Educational Kit introduces youth to the exciting world of entrepreneurship through the TEC Box curriculum! The kit includes the curriculum and materials youth need to complete four hands-on activities. The activities help youth think for themselves, practice empathy and solve problems as they learn about entrepreneurship. Youth will invent their own product to make bicycles safer and develop a new game that can be enjoyed with family and friends. These activities and lessons lay the groundwork for a county and state fair eligible exhibit: Class F531006 - Entrepreneurship Challenge.
The TEC Box Educational Kit includes a printed facilitator guide and one youth workbook, inflatable 4-H kickball, sports cones, washi tape, felt, yarn, pipe cleaners, foam, and dice. Kits are only $25 plus shipping and may be ordered through the UNL Marketplace.
A social media post announcing the 2021 4-H Project of the Year will be shared this afternoon from Nebraska 4-H; please reshare it through your 4-H social media channels.
If you have any questions regarding kit contents and ordering, feel free to contact Tracy Pracheil (tpracheil2@unl.edu); if you have any questions regarding the TEC Box curriculum, feel free to contact Jacie Milius (jacie.milius@unl.edu).
Computer Science Summer Camp
The Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is pleased to announce a summer learning opportunity for high school students. We are hosting “Innovate: The Raikes School Way” and “Girls Who Innovate: The Raikes School Way”, computer science camps that will be led by Executive Director of the Raikes School, Steve Cooper. This opportunity was highlighted in a 2019 Forbes article, "STEM-Focused Summer Programs for Ambitious High School Students".
Students will participate in a two-week, project-based, overnight camp, where they will:
- Learn basic programming skills, primarily Java, and innovation concepts
- Receive instruction from faculty members and experience what classes can be like in the Raikes School
- Visit campus research labs and local businesses
- Interact with Raikes School students and staff, all of whom play a key role in the competitive selection process to our program each year
We will continue to monitor COVID-19 and, if necessary, transition this experience to a day camp to ensure the health and safety of participants.
What: “Innovate: The Raikes School Way” & “Girls Who Innovate: The Raikes School Way”
For: High School Students (primarily the graduating class of 2022)
Where: Kauffman Academic Residential Center, home of the Raikes School in the heart of Nebraska's City Campus
When: July 11-24, 2021
Cost: $1,300 (Need-based scholarship opportunities are available. Cost covers all housing, meals, instruction, and activities associated with the camp)
Programming Experience: None needed (in fact, no experience is preferred)
Application Deadline: April 16, 2021
Please consider sharing this invitation with interested students, as well as teachers or community partners who may encourage students to apply.
Interested students are able to find more details and application materials at http://raikes.unl.edu/summercamps. A promotional flyer is also linked here. The video below, captured at our 2018 camp, gives you a glimpse of what students can expect to experience.
If you have any questions about the camp, please email me at anna.pressler@unl.edu.
Thurston County 4-H Council Senior Scholarship
Congratulations to our 2021 recipient: Ashley Ostrand!
She is a senior at Pender High School and we are so proud of her and all her accomplishments!
Call for 4-H Photography
Whether it’s your favorite photo you’ve taken this fall or one you took to the county fair, we want to see it! Submit your favorite photo for a chance to be showcased. The 4-H photography showcase offers members a project exhibition opportunity beyond traditional print media. 4-H’ers are invited to submit their favorite photo they’ve taken for a chance to have it showcased online for thousands of 4-H fans to admire.
Link to more info: Nebraska 4-H Photography Showcase
Fonner Park 4-H State Horse Expo Reservation Notification!
The State 4-H Horse Program would like to notify counties and their 4-H families to book their hotel reservations soon if they plan to attend/participate at the 2021 Fonner Park 4-H State Horse Expo. This year the Horse Expo (July 10th - 14th) is scheduled on the same dates as the National Jr. Angus Show. Since both events are happening at the same time, we HIGHLY recommend families are notified about the limited hotel availability during the state horse show. We would like to give families plenty of warning so they are not struggling to book hotels closer to our event.
We have blocked off a limited number of rooms with the Fairfield Inn hotel for 4-H families. Please see below for more information.
Attached below is the link to share with your families to make their reservations online. They are also more than welcome to call hotel directly at 308-381-8980.
Book your group rate for State 4H Horse Show
You will find the information for your online reservation link below. If you have questions or need help with the link, please do not hesitate to ask. We appreciate your business and look forward to a successful event.
Event Summary:
State 4H Horse Show
Start Date: Sunday, July 11, 2021
End Date: Thursday, July 15, 2021
Last Day to Book: Friday, March 19, 2021
Hotel(s) offering your special group rate:
- Fairfield Inn & Suites Grand Island for 120 USD per night
Book your group rate for State 4H Horse Show
ALSO
There are also changes to the Camper/RV areas for the 4-H State Horse Expo!
Due to the increased number of requests for Camper Hookups during the Fonner Park State 4-H Horse Show. Fonner Park and the 4-H Horse program have developed the following guidelines for the show.
- NEW THIS YEAR (2021)!! Reservations must be made DIRECTLY with Fonner Park due to another large livestock event coinciding with ours. Call Kathy at (308) 382-4515 ext. 213 to reserve your space.
- Camper Parking will be on the north side of the grounds along Fonner Park Rd. in the RV Park.
- Fonner Park requests NO camper/living quarter trailers be on the ground prior to noon, Friday before the start of the show on Saturday.
- Parking will be available afternoon on Friday. HOWEVER trailers/campers cannot be left unattended to prevent theft and vandalism to your property as this has been an issue in the past.
- A $35 fee per day will be charged for all trailer/campers throughout the Horse Expo.
UNL Livestock Judging Camp
The UNL Livestock Judging Camp is designed for 4-H and FFA members looking to improve their livestock evaluation and oral reason skills. Activities will focus on proper evaluation with an emphasis on reasons format, terminology,
and presentation.
Registration is $300 per person and includes all meals, lodging, and materials. The registration deadline is May 21. go.unl.edu/judging-camp
Questions? Contact
Blaine French at
402-472-8834
2021 4-H State Dog Show
Mark your calendars and reserve your hotel rooms!
The 2021 4-H State Dog Show will be BACK at the Nebraska State Fair this year! More information regarding the show can be found on the State Dog show webpage (https://4h.unl.edu/dog-show) & the Nebraska State Fair webpage (https://4h.unl.edu/state-fair)
4-H Dog Achievement Program
The program consists of levels that require a young person to plan and report a broad range of age-appropriate accomplishments. For each level, the Dog Achievement program provides a list of accomplishments from which 4-H youth choose their goals. The accomplishments increase in quantity and difficulty for each level. At the beginning of the 4-H year, participants plan what to accomplish and at the end of the 4-H year, they report on their completed accomplishments. Successful completion of a level's Plan & Report form results in a 4-H youth earning that level of the Dog Achievement program.
More information can be found at: https://4h.unl.edu/dog-achievement-program
For any questions, contact Grace Kim at Grace.kim@unl.edu
It is recommended on the program page that Plan & Report Forms should be to county offices at least 1 month prior to the county awards night for youth to be recognized.
