Hall County 4-H Newsletter
November 2023
4-H ENROLLMENT
New and returning 4-H families may now enroll at https://v2.4honline.com. (Returning 4-H families, please enroll under the same email login that was used the previous year; do not create a new account.) Enrollment fees remain $10 per youth. Fees may be paid online during the 4-H enrollment process or by check/cash at the Hall County Extension Office.
Important Update – Project Selection: Starting in the 2023-2024 program year, project selection is now optional. By successfully completing the 4-H member enrollment by the June 15th deadline, youth will be eligible to participate and exhibit in any project area, contest, county and state fairs. While project selection is optional, it is encouraged for youth to select projects they are interested in exploring. Please note:
- Youth are only eligible to exhibit in a specific project area or contest in a single county.
- Horse and shooting sports projects will continue to require project enrollment due to the parental consent required to participate in these projects.
Adult Volunteer Enrollment: This enrollment is meant for volunteers who are club leaders, project leaders or workshop facilitators who work directly with youth. All other volunteers, such as 4-H Council members, Fair Superintendents or workshop/event helpers DO NOT need to enroll in 4-H Online. ***A specific email and letter will be sent to those volunteers who must complete this process. Please do not enroll as an adult volunteer until you receive further instructions.
If you have any questions regarding the enrollment process, please call the Extension Office at 308-385-5088. We are here to help!
Enroll in 4-H by November 30th for a chance to win!
Enroll in 4-H Online, v2.4honline.com, to be entered into a drawing for a fun prize! Enroll in Hall County 4-H between October 16th and November 30th, 2023 for a chance to win! *To be eligible for the drawing, 4-H dues of $10 per youth must also be paid. Questions? Call 308-385-5088.
4-H CORRESPONDENCE
Sign Up for 4-H Text Messages!
NEW – Hall County 4-H will be using the Remind app (in addition to email & social media) to communicate important 4-H news, events & deadlines to 4-H families. Get information for Hall County 4-H right on your phone! Two-way text messaging makes it more convenient for families to receive important information. Plus, it’s free and easy to use!
Options to sign up for Remind:
- Option 1 - Click the link to sign up, https://www.remind.com/join/4h-hall.
- Option 2 - Text the message @4h-hall to the number 81010.
Please call Crystal at 308-385-5088 for assistance.
UPCOMING 4-H WORKSHOPS & EVENTS
Each of the STEM Backpacks contains:
- Theme-based books – various reading levels
- Activity sheets & materials
- Step by Step lesson plan for adults
- Most lessons are also available in Spanish.
Teachers - Nebraska 4-H is Giving Away Classroom Snack Packs!
Nebraska 4-H would like to celebrate National Entrepreneurship Month with you and your students! We are hosting a fun contest for teachers of upper elementary through high school students to win a snack pack for your classroom. As a part of the contest, students will watch a short, educational video to learn more about entrepreneurial mindsets and skills, and teachers will identify the mindsets and skills present in their classroom.
How do teachers enter the contest? Follow the link https://go.unl.edu/eshipmonth to watch the video and complete the brief survey. Contest entries must be received by Friday, November 17th, 2023. We value your time - the classroom time commitment should be less than 10 minutes. Snack pack contest winners will be randomly selected from teacher entries received from across the state and will be delivered soon after.
If you have questions about the contest, or for more information on Nebraska 4-H entrepreneurship curriculum and activities, please contact D'Ette at the Hall County Extension Office!
Join Sew Crazy 4-H Sewing Club!
- Who: Any youth interested in sewing, ages 5-18.
- When: Saturday, November 11, 2023
- Where: Hall County Extension meeting room
- What Time: 1:00-4:00 pm
- November Project: Bedside caddy or book buddy pillow
Club Leaders: Annette Schimmer and Barb Hovie
- Annette 308-379-7191 | netterz95@gmail.com
- Barb 308-379-5208 | barbarahovie@gmail.com
PLEASE contact Annette or Barb if you plan to attend, or if you have questions. A list of supplies needed will be sent via email before the meeting.
SHOUT OUTS!
Shout Out to Reagan & Katelyn!
Hall County 4-Hers Reagan Dearth and Katelyn Turek were selected as members of the 2023-2024 Big Red Elite Equestrian Team. Big Red Elite Equestrian Team was established in November 2019. The team provides the horses for participants who want to learn the skill of riding and showing horses. The team is similar to the Collegiate Equestrian Team at UNL. Equestrian teams, grades 4-12, are registered with the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) and compete in other IEA horse shows.
The team is working on horsemanship, reining, and ranch riding. Points are earned per team and per rider. If required points are met throughout the show season, teams then compete at a regional show. Earning a first-place spot at a regional competition will allow those riders to compete on a national level.
Congratulations Makenzie and Peyton!
Makenzie Carmin completed The Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Ambassador Training on October 28 & 29 in Kearney. The Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Ambassadors program is dedicated to developing leadership skills while providing an opportunity for youth to assist in the betterment of the Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports program. Makenzie will be speaking to 4-H clubs about Shooting Sports and providing workshops around the state as part of the Nebraska Ambassador Team.
Peyton Allan completed the Shot Gun Apprentice Leader Training on October 28 & 29 in Kearney. The Apprentice Leader Certification Workshops are designed for individuals ages 14 to 20 who would like to lead training in shooting sports projects. Peyton will teach and lead other 4-Hers in the Shot Gun discipline, under the guidance of Hall County’s certified adult Shot Gun Leaders.
Makenzie and Peyton completed 18 hours of in-person and online training and practicum sessions with those also being certified in the Shooting Sports disciplines.
Trick or Treat!
Thank you to the Dibbern kids - Jacob, Crystal & Gavin, for visiting the office in costume & delivering delicious caramel apples! What a treat!!
COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROVIDED BY OUR LOCAL 4-H TEAM
Hot off the Press! Classroom Creativity Kits
Hall County 4-H staff created and delivered Creativity Kits (entrepreneurship kits) to 21 classrooms at 12 schools this month. Contact D'Ette if you have questions about the new kits. The excitement was real as Cheetos were included in the kit for the activity!
Explore Entrepreneurship
Youth Science Field Day programs were in full swing this month! D'Ette presented multiple sessions at two sites. Her session on exploring entrepreneurship encourages students to consider entrepreneurship as a career path and to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset!
Find Your Spark to Start Books
Over 450 Hall County students received a free copy of the "Find Your Spark to Start' activity book in honor of National Entrepreneurship Month. Interested in the activity books (geared for 3-5th grade students)? Give D'Ette a call at the office at 385-5088.
Mobile iGrow Educational Displays
Mobile iGrow displays have been making the rounds to 9 Hall County elementary schools, reaching approximately 2,900 students. These interactive displays include hands-on activities, increasing students’ knowledge of where our food comes from, careers, and how agriculture is important in our everyday lives. For more information, contact Hall County 4-H staff at 385-5088.
Animals Inside & Out
235 local 5th grade students took part in the Animals Inside & Out Program at College Park. This hands-on educational program is designed for students to learn more about the science of animals, gain knowledge of how animals’ bodies work, explore different body systems and become aware of careers related to animal science and agriculture. For more information about this program, contact Megan at 385-5088.
Stop the Pass Classroom Kits
Hall County 4-H staff delivered 34 Stop the Pass Kits to 6 Hall County schools reaching 850 middle and high school students. These kits demonstrate how illnesses transfer from person to person, how illnesses can be prevented, and how students can help stop the spread of viruses. For more information, contact LaDonna at 385-5088.
The above Join 4-H flyer was distributed to all Hall County schools (in English and Spanish), grades K-8, reaching approximately 8,900 students. As you can see by the above activities, our Hall County 4-H team never stops working and spreading the many opportunities that 4-H has to offer!
LIVESTOCK UPDATES
Be on the look out…… winter face-to-face YQCA training dates will be coming out soon!
*YQCA Training is REQUIRED for all youth (4-H age 8-18) planning to show beef, swine, sheep, goats, dairy, poultry & rabbits at County and/or State Fair. Clover Kids are not required to take the course.
Save these dates on your calendars!
- Market Beef Weigh-In: Saturday, January 6, 2024, 8-11 am at Platte Valley Vet Clinic in Alda (snow date 1/13)
- Market Sheep/Goat Weigh-In: TBD, May 2024
HORSE NEWS
Save the Date!
The next Horse Advisory meeting will be on February 12 at 6:30 pm at the Hall County Extension Office meeting room. It is important we have as many 4-H members as possible at this meeting. The discussions will be around: High Point requirements, independent and club duties during the Hall County Fair horse show, and requirements to participate in certain classes. Please watch your email for more information.
SHOOTING SPORTS
4-H Shooting Sports Information, Statewide Competitions
Go to 4h.unl.edu/shooting-sports for more information about the Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports program & to view the calendar of upcoming statewide shooting sports competitions!
Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Leader Certification Workshops & Update Sessions
In order to run a club, county, or multi-county 4-H shootings sports program, leaders and instructors must be certified by Nebraska 4-H. Volunteers must attend a Leader Certification Workshop designed to cover the needed knowledge and guidelines to become a Certified 4-H Shooting Sports Leader/Instructor.
Go to 4h.unl.edu/shooting-sports/instructor for information regarding upcoming leader certification workshops & updates. If you are interested in becoming a certified shooting sports instructor for Hall County 4-H, please contact LaDonna Obermiller at 308-385-5088.
CAMPS & STATEWIDE 4-H OPPORTUNITIES
Nebraska Fed Steer Challenge Applications Now Open!
Applications are open and due December 1, 2023 for the 2024 program year. For more information
regarding the Fed Steer Challenge, or to apply to participate in 2024, visit https://4h.unl.edu/fed-steer-challenge.
Join us for a virtual learning session about the Nebraska 4-H Fed Steer Challenge:
Wednesday, November 8th at 8:00 p.m. CT/7:00 p.m. MT
Via Zoom: https://unl.zoom.us/j/94751323224
*This meeting will be recorded and posted on our website.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Engler Program
What is Engler? Engler is an entrepreneurship program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Our mission is to embolden our people on the courageous pursuit of their purpose through the art and practice of entrepreneurship. Rather than sit in lecture halls all day, Engler students engage in entrepreneurship the time-tested, tried-and-true way: learning by doing. Scholarships are available to graduating seniors who are 4-H or FFA members. Visit englerjourney.com or see the flyers below for more information.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Nebraska 4-H Foundation Scholarships
The Nebraska 4-H Foundation offers 4-H members the opportunity to apply for scholarships. The Nebraska 4-H Foundation awards up to $22,000 worth of scholarships each year to 4-H’ers from across the state. All scholarship applications must be submitted via the Annual Achievement Application and are due January 5, 2024. For guidelines and more information, go to the Nebraska 4-H Foundation website: www.ne4hfoundation.org/scholarships.
VOLUNTEER TRAINING
Volunteer Road Show
Nebraska 4-H is hitting the road again for the Volunteer Road Show, a professional development opportunity for 4-H volunteers across the state. Join us for an evening to discover new opportunities for yourself and your 4-H youth, network with other 4-H volunteers in your community, and build your skills as a 4-H volunteer! Registration is $15 and includes a meal and all materials. Learn more and register at 4h.unl.edu/volunteer-road-show.
- November 6 (Monday) - North Platte
- November 7 (Tuesday) - York
- November 9 (Thursday) - Omaha
- November 13 (Monday) - Kearney
NEW Volunteer Orientation
Nebraska 4-H has launched a new volunteer orientation. This online training serves as an introduction to the 4-H Youth Development program in Nebraska and covers a few essential topics for volunteers.
While the orientation is required for new volunteers and those going through the re-screening process, any interested individuals, including current and prospective volunteers, are welcome to complete the course. Learn more at 4h.unl.edu/volunteer-orientation.
CALENDAR
November 10 - Veteran's Day (observed); Extension Office closed.
November 23-24 - Thanksgiving; Extension Office closed.
December 25 - Christmas Day; Extension Office closed.
January 1 - New Year's Day; Extension Office closed.
D'Ette Scholtz
4-H Youth Development
Megan Knuth
4-H Youth Development
LaDonna Obermiller
4-H Youth Development
Crystal Beissenherz
Office Manager
Joyce Krolikowski
Nebraska Extension - Hall County
Email: hall-county@unl.edu
Website: hall.unl.edu
Location: 3180 W Hwy 34, College Park, Grand Island, Nebraska, USA
Phone: 308-385-5088
Facebook: facebook.com/HallCounty4HNebraska
Twitter: @4HHoopla