June 30, 2010
The newly crowned Miss Delaware, Kayla Martell, has been a 4-H’er since she was 5 years old. She credits the skills learned through 4-H with helping her prepare for the future, and face health challenges that might hinder most pageant contestants.
“4-H helped me become comfortable in my own skin so when I was diagnosed with alopecia areata, I didn’t feel like I have to hide the condition,” said Martell.
Alopecia areata is an auto-immune disorder that causes hair loss, and affects more than 4.7 million people in the United States alone.
“Delaware 4-H was where I learned poise and self-confidence,” said Martell. “Sometimes I wear a wig, but sometimes I don’t.”
 Kayla Martell appears on the CBS Morning show to discuss alopecia and her Miss Delaware win. Photo courtesy CBS. See her appearance on the show here: http://bit.ly/9xn8AU Martell competed in support of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation and will continue to support the organization during her reign as Miss Delaware. In 2006, she created a program called Caps for Yaps - Caps for Youth Alopecia Patients. She taught youth how to design and create hats for young people with alopecia. More than 2,000 hats, caps and scarves have since been distributed.
“The mission of 4-H is to be a catalyst for positive change and I can’t think of anyone who epitomizes this better than Kayla Martell,” said Dr. Jan Seitz, associate dean and director of University of Delaware Cooperative Extension. “She is such a force for good in the community.”
Before winning her title as Miss Delaware, Martell devoted more than 2,500 hours of community service to the Health Rocks program, a 4-H curriculum that teaches at-risk youth about the hazards of tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs. She was inspired to become involved in Health Rocks! ® and other Delaware 4-H initiatives combating youth and teens substance abuse by the loss of a childhood friend to a drug overdose. She even started a group in high school called PLEDGE - People Learning to Eliminate Drugs by Gaining Education.
“Kayla’s life has always been about giving to others and serving as mentor and supporter to those in need,” said Seitz. “I cannot think of an individual more suited to be named the new Miss Delaware.”
“4-H provided Kayla with opportunities that not only enhanced her public speaking and communication skills but helped her to develop leadership, citizenship and community service skills,” said her mother, Rhonda Martell.
Martell is currently a student at Marymount University in Arlington, Va., and will take a year off from school to commit to her responsibilities as the new Miss Delaware. On Jan. 15, 2011, she will compete in the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas.
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June 29, 2010
 Isaac Kubas prepares to launch his 4-H project, a weather balloon. It was a close call for 9-year-old Isaac Kubas and his year-long 4-H project. Like millions of youth around the country this time of year, Isaac was finishing up his project when he lost it.
“I was nervous,” Isaac said, referring to the moment the GPS went out. “I thought we lost it right then and there.”
What Isaac thought he lost ended up flying 125 miles away from his Austin, Minn., home. There in the field of a Wisconsin farmer was his 4-H project: A weather balloon.
Isaac got the idea from a family friend who saw MIT students working on a similar project. The third grader then did all of the research for the project, including reviewing previous attempts by others and reviewing FAA airspace guidelines, and mowed lawns and shoveled driveways to earn money for supplies.
He only needed a few items: a Styrofoam cooler, Nikon Coolpix camera, Motorola phone with GPS software, 50 feet of rope, a parachute and a weather balloon. Once he had everything, he began to think of the little things.
“I used hand warmers to keep the camera and phone from freezing,” Isaac said. The camera lens was positioned through a hole in the bright orange cooler. It was set to take a photo once every minute.
“I couldn’t comprehend that I took the pictures when I saw them,” said Isaac.
The photos came from 13 miles above earth, 67,000 feet. According to Isaac, a jetliner travels at 36,000 feet.
“I may do this again, but with a balloon that goes up to 100,000 feet or higher.”
Before launching a weather balloon, Isaac started off in the Rock Solid 4-H Club working on projects covering Monarch Butterflies, and how to create paper. His mother, Teresa Kubas, says she has seen a lot of positive changes in Isaac through his 4-H experience.
“As a club, the kids have to make a demonstration to the group that helps them with their public speaking skills,” said Kubas. “I’m not aware of any other venues for kids that doing this, and he doesn’t even think twice when he has to speak in public.”
“This was a good project,” said Isaac. “It gave me something to do for a long time.”
“4-H is cool,” he continued. “You get to see what other kids are doing, too.”
Although he has some years to go, Isaac says this project has helped him consider a career in aviation. But for now, he’s looking forward to fourth grade, and starting his next 4-H project.
 An image of the Earth taken by Isaac's project.  Isaac at the landing site in Wisconsin, 202 miles away (by car) from his home in Minnesota. Return to 4-H News
June 25, 2010
This summer, 4-H has joined the United We Serve: Let’s Read. Let’s Move. summer service initiative, an effort to keep America’s youth learning during the summer months, as well as keeping them active and healthy.
The program is lead by the Corporation for National and Community Service and first lady Michelle Obama.
“And a lot of kids sometimes find that they forget some of the things that they learned throughout the school year, and as a result, if they stop learning through the summer, they can fall behind and then they’re struggling throughout the year,” said Mrs. Obama at the event launch.
“This summer, though, through United We Serve, we plan to address these problems head on by getting our kids, number one, to exercise. And not just their bodies, but we want you guys to exercise your minds, and to improve what you eat as well.”
4-H is encouraging members and volunteers to support this initiative by encouraging members to participate in the President’s Challenge Active Lifestyle program, and to work in their communities to provide fresh produce to their neighbors.
Suggested ways to help support healthier eating are to start a community garden, and to glean produce. Gleaning involves collecting leftover produce from farmer’s markets and fairs and donating it to local organizations that can use produce to serve those in need. For information on community gardens, visit the United We Serve site here: http://serve.gov/toolkits/comm-gardens/index.asp.
“When it comes to the health of our children, the statistics are always staggering. One in three kids in this nation are either overweight or obese,” said Mrs. Obama.
She reported that a recent study by the CDC found that only 17 percent of high school students reported getting the 60 minutes a day of physical activity that experts recommend. The President’s Challenge Active Lifestyle program shows youth how to make a commitment to staying active and how to stick with it. The program helps set realistic goals to encourage physical fitness for a life time.
4-H Clubs can help keep kids healthy and active by encouraging kids to take the challenge during camps and other summer programs. It includes traditional activities such as cycling, aerobics and organized sports, but also includes things like sledding, fishing and dancing. For more information on the President’s Challenge Active Lifestyle program, visit http://www.presidentschallenge.org/the_challenge/active_lifestyle.aspx.
4-H’ers can share success stories from Let’s Read. Let’s Move. with United We Serve online at www.serve.gov/share, and set the trend for all 4-H Clubs to get healthy and active and learn this summer.
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June 24, 2010
When Garrett County 4-H decided to hold an open house for local families to learn about the growing 4-H Robotics program, Ann Sherrard wasn’t quite ready for the response.
“It was like dropping a match onto gasoline,” said Sherrard, University of Maryland Garrett County 4-H Extension Educator.
The excitement of 4-H Robotics and the attendance that night in Garrett County was explosive. The 4-H club hosted 200 families from the rural community of just 30,000, located in northwest Maryland.
Judging by the audience, the idea of adding robotics to the Maryland 4-H program appears to be a welcomed idea. Through a partnership with Lockheed Martin, 4-H is working with the University of Maryland 4-H Program to establish and support 4-H Robotics clubs in each of the 24 counties in the state and Baltimore city.
Through this effort, Maryland 4-H is establishing best practices that will be used to create a model for developing 4-H Robotics clubs across the country.
Original plans called for 12 counties to form 4-H Robotics clubs in 2010, with the remainder set for 2011. However, when the Maryland 4-H Robotics Team (consisting of state 4-H Extension Educators, volunteers and existing 4-H Robotics club members) announced their 4-H Robotics training for counties to get started, 22 county 4-H programs registered and made a commitment to begin new clubs.
In 2009, National 4-H Council and FIRST Robotics formed a partnership to introduce youth across the country to robotics, and allow them the chance to explore career opportunities in science, engineering and technology. Nearly 400,000 4-H youth participate in robotics and engineering programs and within the first year of the FIRST partnership, 43 competitive robotics teams were created nationally for youth in grades four through twelve.
June 22, 2010
Two Rocks 4-H Club in Tiburon, Calif., started a program for elementary school youth to learn about underwater robots. Now, the club is seeking funds through th Pepsi Refresh project to use the underwater robots to protect endangered salmon.
4-H’ers in Tiburon, California are working to help save Pacific salmon through a unique underwater robotics project.
In December 2009, the Two Rock 4-H Club started a science project for youth in first through fifth grades to introduce them to engineering through the hands-on building of robots, and teaching them how the robots can interact with the environment. The project is led by 4-H volunteer David Bell, who is also the Marine Superintendent for San Francisco University’s Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies.
“It’s really neat to see the young kids have a passion for technology and mechanics and things that move,” said Bell. “Especially since half of the group is comprised of girls. I’m hoping as they get older, they will remember what they learned in 4-H and think about pursuing careers in science.”
Through the program, Two Rock 4-H’ers learn about robots that react to touch or sound, and build the robots so they can be programmed to follow a path or shape specified by a computer program. Their biggest project so far has been building remotely operated vehicles or ROVs, built through a donation by SeaPerch, a technology and science education resource provider that is managed by MIT Sea Grants.
Now, they are looking to expand their ROV program with funding through the Pepsi Refresh Project, an online contest where people can apply for grants to fund projects that have a positive community or society impact. The projects that receive funds are selected solely through popular vote.
In collaboration with Casa Grande High School students at the Tiburon Salmon Institute, Two Rock 4-H’ers want to use the grant to help protect and spawn endangered salmon in the San Francisco Bay area through the Institute’s salmon hatchery and nursery run by the Casa Grande students.
“The salmon used to be prolific, but now because of environmental degradation very few salmon make it back to the rivers each year,” said Bell. “There used to be thousands; now there only a few hundred.”
Two Rock 4-H’ers will to use the ROVs to monitor the fish in the Institute. The ROVs can safely be deployed with cameras and environmental sensors that will collect data about the health, behaviors and overall wellbeing of the salmon, and share the information globally through a Web site about salmon health.
The public can vote for Two Rock Underwater ROVs for Endangered Salmon through June 30 by visiting the Pepsi Refresh Project online at www.refresheverything.com/rovbuilder.
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June 15, 2010
Long Island 4-H'ers attend the Peconic Dunes 4-H Camp in Peconic Dunes County Park. The camp offers the Ecology Camp Organon environmental science program, which incorporates math, science and literacy.
4-H’ers in Long Island, New York are working to determine their impact on the environment and what they can do to make sure it is positive.
More than 200 youth between the ages of 12 to 15, attend the Peconic Dunes 4-H Camp in Peconic Dunes County Park each year. The camp offers an environmental science program that incorporates math, science and literacy called Ecology Camp Organon (ECO).
“I choose ECO because I want to be a biologist when I grow up,” said one camper.
ECO connects youth with the environment through authentic research and observation. Campers work with instructors to develop life skills, including teamwork and communication, and participate in hands-on, field-oriented projects that enrich campers’ understanding of the local ecosystem and how micro-systems are interconnected.
In partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), 4-H’ers work in a variety of conservation projects dealing with the local environment. They are able to collect baseline data, such as species identification, canopy density, pH and dissolved oxygen, with the same tools used by professional biologists, botanists and other environmental scientists. The data they collect will be used to gauge the impact people are having on the ecosystem of the Peconic Dunes, and will help conservationists determine which areas need the most attention.
Campers also develop communications and public speaking skills as they prepare presentations on their project. They also take turns updating a blog to share their experiences, promote the program and increase the impact ECO will have on the community.
NYSDEC will fund the program through 2016, providing full, need-based scholarships, staff training, and external advisers. The partnership will also ensure that campers can participate in the development of a long-term site conservation plan for the camp.
“We need to protect the environment,” said one camper. “Once it’s all gone there will be nothing left.”
This year, 4-H will help millions of youth around the country learn about water quality and their impact on the environment through “4H-2O,” the National Science Experiment held on 4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD), Wednesday, Oct. 6. For more information on the experiment and to download materials, please visit www.4-h.org/NYSD.
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June 11, 2010
 Matthew Fornoff, an AmeriCorps VISTA in Maine, demonstrates to 4-Her Ethan Gray how a basic pinwheel can generate electricity. Al Beseler, also an AmeriCorps VISTA looks on. For the last year, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has been working with four AmeriCorps VISTA members to bring the “4-H Power of the Wind” curriculum to educators and students throughout the state. Now, they are looking to secure future funding for the program through the Pepsi Refresh Project.
The Pespi Refresh Project is an online contest, where people can apply for grants to fund projects that have a positive community or society impact. Al Beseler and Matthew Fornoff are two of the AmeriCorps VISTA members that have spent their 12-month term of service educating youth and adults in the “4-H Power of the Wind” curriculum. They hope winning funds from the Pepsi Refresh Project will keep the program running after they leave.
“We are looking for additional funding to keep the program going,” said Fornoff. “If we win the grant, the money will be used to fund two new AmeriCorps VISTA members as well as purchase additional supplies for the program.”
As of June 11, the program was ranked 115 out of 402 in the $50,000 category. If the program is voted one of the top 10 ideas in this category by the end of June, it will win the $50,000 grant.
“4-H Power of the Wind” is a curriculum that uses wind power to teach youth concepts in science, engineering, and technology. Though one hands-on project, youth discover that a hand-made pinwheel can generate enough electricity to power a small LED light. AmeriCorps VISTA members and local volunteers have conducted trainings across Maine to teach school teachers, home school parents, after school leaders, summer camp leaders and young adult volunteers about the program. After the trainings, these individuals take their “Power of the Wind” knowledge to their respective student groups.
“We’ve been working hard to get this program implemented around Maine,” said Beseler, in a prepared statement.
 4-H youth holds a pinwheel generates enough electricity to power a small LED light. “In the southern half of the state, we’ve trained more than 30 teachers, home school parents, after school educators and youth club leaders to use the curriculum. They are all very excited to put it to work.”
On the 2009 Maine Education Assessment achievement tests, more than one-third of eighth-grade students and almost half of fifth-graders did not meet the expectations set forth by the state for science. With hands-on, innovative lessons and a model that makes learning basic concepts enjoyable, 4-H Power of the Wind is a tool that can potentially help improve youths’ understanding and interest in science, engineering, and technology.
From June 1 through June 30, people can visit the Pepsi Refresh Project website to vote for the 4-H Power of the Wind proposal .
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