Congress Wrap Up

 

Thanks for joining us for North Carolina 4-H Congress 2021!  Throughout our week together we have:

• Participated in great workshops led by our fellow 4-H’ers;

• Recognized the great work and significant accomplishments of our fellow 4-H'ers;

• Heard from an awesome set of State 4-H Officer candidates and participated in the Electoral Process electing our 2021-2022 State 4-H Council Officers;

• Danced to our favorite songs with a 4-H virtual dance; 

• Celebrated our 2020-2021  State and District Officers and installed our 2021-2022 State and District Officers; and

• Learned from and engaged with our friends from across the state. 

While this was not the traditional Congress, I hope you will agree it was a great Congress and a fun time together.  This was all possible thanks to the hard work and support of so many people, especially your 2020-2021 State 4-H Council Officers.  This team stepped up, said yes, supported this event, and made it one to remember. Don’t forget to visit the State 4-H Officers Shout-Out Wall on Padlet.  Take a minute and give our outgoing officer team a shout-out for their year of service.  You can find the padlet here . The password is clover (all lowercase). They have done an outstanding job leading this year! 

Every year we ask for your feedback and this year is no different. We would appreciate it if you would take the time to fill out the 4-H Congress evaluation found here.  This evaluation will remain live through Monday, August 9th.  Your feedback will help shape 4-H Congress next year and will be shared with the teams that help plan 4-H Congress.

Thanks again for being part of NC 4-H Congress 2021!

Sarah

Congress Wrap Up Day #2

 

Thanks for joining us for Congress Day #2.  Today we used our hands for larger service, had the chance to recognize some of our 4-H friends, and heard from our State 4-H Officer candidates! Later tonight we will visit campaign rooms and have fun at a virtual 4-H dance!  A few reminders to help us wrap up today and set the stage for tomorrow.

* Be sure to use #NC4HCongress in your social media posts!

* Tomorrow workshops begin at 1:30 pm.  It is very important you join these workshops on time.  Once the workshops begin, the sessions will be locked, so being on time ensures you are able to join the session you would like to attend. All of the workshops will be great! 

* If you plan to join the Many Voices Many Stories: The Cherokee workshop, we have created a passport to complement your workshop experience. You can download and print the passport at this link: Many Voices Many Stories Passport. For the best result, print it double-sided and select the option to flip on short edge. You will be able to fold the stack in half and staple it to make a book. If you do not print the passport, that's okay - you will still be able to fully participate! We just ask that you do not look ahead at the activities before the workshop!

* Don’t forget to take a picture of you in your Congress t-shirt and submit it in our Google Form to earn Spirit Stick points for your District!

* You will need to register for tomorrow afternoon's session just like you did for today.  Instructions for how to do that are listed below.  If you have any questions, please reach out to me or to your 4-H Agent.  

Many thanks everyone for a great Day 2!  See you tonight! 

Defining Your Vision, 4-H Congress

Yes Folks we still had 4-H Congress.  Yes, it was virtual.  YES IT WAS FUN!  We can not express the way this was put together to give our youth a much better experience than they expected.  For first time Congress participants this was pretty cool compared to many virtual opportunities.  For our repeat offenders, I mean participants, the virtual experience wasn't lacking.

That reminds me let me announce our 4-H delegation.  Since we really don't have photos this year as part of 4-H Congress I do want to recognize Brooke Canady, Kennedi Lyons, and Maggie Underwood for taking part in this year's event.  I would also like to congratulate Wendy Maynor, 4-H Program Associate for attending her first ever 4-H Congress, and of course Shea Ann DeJarnette, 4-H Extension Agent who wouldn't have missed this for the world.

The theme for this year was Defining Your Vision.  As you will see everything revolved around that theme from workshops, to leadership displayed, and even finding ways to become comfortable and use the virtual format in interactive ways.  Youth had the opportunity to reach out, learn, model, and define their vision no matter the obstacles that they might see in their way.

Day one was similar to what the first night of Congress would be.  We met, had the county introduction, officer candidate introduction, and Honor Club tapping.  For those unfamiliar with honor club, this is the highest pinnacle of 4-H service you can receive.  Only a small part of 4-H members who apply for Honor Club are chosen to be part of it.  After the event youth had the chance to check out our officer candidates on websites created just for them...You can still check out the 2020-2021 State 4-H Officer Candidate website here.Candidate pages can be found on the drop-down menu under the officer position they are seeking. Simply click on the arrow button on the left of the officer position. We also made sure all the fun was tagged at #NC4HCongress in their social media posts.

Day two involved workshops, awards, candidate booths and of course a dance.  That's right folks we were dancing the night away.  Our youth had the opportunity to attend a variety of workshops today.  Almost all the workshops were lead by our 4-H members.  Way to step up folks.  Workshops included:

Let’s Have A Personality Party led by the North Central District Officers which explored the Enneagram. 

Leadership 201: From Best to Better led Southeast District Officers which explored leadership types.

Public Speaking which is an Ambassador Bronze workshop taught by 4-H Agent Jessica Hogan & 4-H Program Associated Barbara Byers.  In this session participants learned what they needed to know about public speaking in a variety of settings. 

Self & Community Care in Uncertain Times facilitated by Dr. Maru Gonzalez and Luke Shealy.  This workshop engaged youth participants in a series of reflective and experiential activities about

centering self-care during times of hardship and uncertainty.

Tips and Tricks to Thrive During Your First Year of College taught by 4-H Alums Lauren Winslow & Anna Marie Vagnozzi.  This session, as the title suggests, offered tips and tricks to thrive during your first year of college. 

Traffic Engineering, The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math of Moving

People and Things led Dr. Martin Kane.  This session focused on learning the language of traffic engineering both as a young traveler and a driver. 

So there was a variety of opportunities to take part in.

After our workshops we took a brief break and then recognized our 4-H members from around the state for their work through awards.  Our very own Maggie Underwood was recognized with a state service award for her work making and donating face mask holders.  She designed and made more than 200 of these creations from Perler beads for health care workers to use to take the stress and strain from the elastic off their ears.  Congratulations to Maggie, who had no idea she would receive or that she was nominated for an award, she was just trying to make a difference in our community.  

After awards we took a longer break and came back in that evening to check out the officer candidate rooms, ask questions and then dance!  How does that work you might ask?  Well our youth got dressed up in some cases, turned their cameras on and danced as we played music just as loud as we do in the McKimmon Center during the regular dances.  They chatted in the chat box and had a really good time.

In between day two and three we had a virtual county huddle to determine how we would be voting.  Our highest ranking officer, Brooke Canady was our representative for this event which would be done the old fashioned way, through a voice vote this year at Congress.  After much discussion about the officers and their qualifications, plus a few other things that had nothing to do with the election our group had their ballot ready to cast in the afternoon.

However before that could be done it was time for another round of workshops with even more intriguing opportunities being offered this afternoon.

Trouble On The Train implemented by the South Central District Officers who created a virtual escape room where participants had to solve a fun murder mystery.

Working Together while Staying Apart led by the West District Officers. This workshop designed to teach the importance of teamwork by utilizing the True Colors personality test. 

Nuts and Bolts of becoming a District Officer led by some folks who know, the Northeast District Officers. This workshop participants learned about being a district officer, and also learn helpful tips and tricks on the county level as well.

Taste of Mexico led by 4-H members Guillermo Estrada and Michelle Estrada.  This was an interactive workshop focused on culture and cuisine. 

Team Building led by our 4-H camping specialist Dave Herpy.  In this workshop participants learned about a variety of energizers, icebreakers, name games, and team building initiatives that don't require the use of props.

After a brief break it was time to cast our ballots.  Counties were called to their microphone and cast their ballots for state officers.  This is an image of what our participants saw as ballots were casts.  After calling for votes from all 100 counties and the Eastern Band of the Cherokees we took a brief break and this is what was announced.  Our new 4-H State officers for 2020-2021 will be Chloe Allen from Johnston County for 4-H State President, Samantha Corduan from Washington County for State 4-H Vice President, Sydney Loflin from Davidson County for state 4-H Secretary/Treasurer, and Sydney Blair from Brunswick County will serve as State 4-H reporter.  Although the new officers were installed during a really cool virtual candlelight ceremony this evening we don't want to forget about our current state officers.  So a padlet was created so folks could give them a virtual shout out.  You too can take a minute and give our outgoing officer team a shout-out for their year of service.  You can find the padlet here . The password is 4leafclover (all lowercase). They have done an outstanding job leading this year! 

After voting we recognized our senior 4-H members in the senior spotlight.  As many go off to college it was nice to recognize them for the first time this year at 4-H Congress.  Robeson County was able to recognize two out of three members graduating this year.  D.J. Brown, a member of Titans 4-H Club who graduated from Lumberton High School this year.  He will be attending UNCP in the fall to major in theater.  We also recognized Jordan McKinnon from Inspirational Youth Leaders.  Jordan graduated from Freedom Christian Academy and plans to attend Robeson Community College to purse a career in Culinary Arts.  Way to go DJ and Jordan!

Our last day consisted of the officer spotlight speeches.  Each officer had the opportunity to thanks those who impacted their success this year.  The touching speeches are always a highlight of this state event.  We ten took a look back at the event, which was very cool.  Then our new State President, Chloe Allen adjourned the event, until we meet next year.

If you thought we had fun virtually wait until you experience it in person next year.  It is fabulous!  So our youth 14 and up next year start getting ready because it is going to be a great time.

NC 4-H Congress

We are excited to offer 4-H Congress as a virtual opportunity this year for our Robeson County 4-H teens (14-18).  This is an annual educational event planned by the State 4-H Council. This council is composed of 20 young people who serve as officers from their respective districts and 4 state officers who are elected at Congress. 

  This year we will have workshops, service projects, speakers, elections, scholarships, and more.  There is a $25 fee associated with this year's event.  However thanks to our United Way support we can offer that to our 4-H members for $15 and $10 for our County Council members.  You can sign up on our app or by going to this link...https://www.eventbrite.com/e/robeson-county-4-h-congress-registration-tickets-109689074976

If you have any questions about this program please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette, 4-H Extension Agent.

Attention 4-H Congress Delegates

If you are planning on attending 4-H Congress this year and would like to earn a few extra scholarship dollars to pay for it....think about teaching a workshop at this year's event.  Below is the note from Sarah Kotizan who organizes 4-H Congress each year.

"If you are interested in teaching a workshop at North Carolina 4-H Congress, please see the attached proposal form and work with your 4-H Agent to get this information entered.

All proposals must be entered online no later than Friday, May 1st (note: this is a state deadline and your county will have an earlier deadline) and must be entered by a Cooperative Extension employee. This opportunity is open to 4-H'ers (at least one adult must help with the session), 4-H Professionals, 4-H Volunteers, and community members.  Please share with anyone you feel might be interested in this opportunity.  

If you have any questions, please let me know. We are excited about continuing the workshop format again this year and look forward to great workshop proposals being submitted!

Sarah"

So potential delegates if you would like to teach a workshop please fill out the application and return it to Shea Ann DeJarnette by April 24.  You may team up to teach a session but realize all of you have to have equal parts if you decide to do so.  Please contact me if you have any questions at (910) 671-3276 or Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu.  You can access the application at this link. 

Changing the World

  We tell our 4-H members that the sky is the limit for them.  We encourage them to strike out and change the world for the better.  Today, on the last day of Congress that was the case.  It was time for our annual community service project and our youth joined together to prepare, package, and ready for distribution more than 80,000 meals.  These meals will go to families in need right here in North Carolina.
  4-H partnered with Feeding Children Everywhere to make these nutritious meals.  The red lentil meals include seasonings, grains, and protein.  Each bag made is six meals.  Each box pack by an assembly line includes 48 bags.  It was a labor of love, pride, and education by our youth packing meals to help other youth.  Not even a complaint about a hairnet by one of them.  Of course some were more fashionable in their hairnets then others....
  After the stacking the boxes and getting the photos it was time to wind up the 2017 Congress.  We had our slideshow, and a few last minute exciting announcements.  Our very own Maurice Rogers was selected for 4-H National Congress thanks to his hard work, and our own Alex Evans was selected to attend National 4-H Conference.  So proud of these two and their hard work.
  After we said goodbye to our friends and loaded up to head home we came up with a new tradition.  the state 4-H program publishes a yearbook highlighting the year's events and the counties.  Starting this year each member of our county delegation will sign the book, and a list of highlights and successes will be written in the book.  The books stay on our coffee table in the lobby for folks to look at for a year and then are placed in our office library.  This way our youth can give their impression of Congress and they will go down in Robeson County 4-H History, just like this 4-H Congress has now.

So Much to Do...So Little Time Left

  It's day three of 4-H Congress and we have a day packed with activities, and so much still to do.  It's hard to believe we will be headed home tomorrow.  Today we are going to focus on the sweet tasty present and try not to think about the future.
  Our first act was to juggle multiple schedules.  Maurice Rogers came up from Lumberton today with his mother to join us for some select activities.  Maurice Rogers and Alex Evans needed to be at the McKimmon Center at 10 am while the rest of the delegation needed to be at the first event for our cultural awareness activity.  So we dropped off one and headed to downtown Raleigh for our first event, a documentary on Lemurs at the IMAX theater.  This 3-D adventure took us to Madagascar to learn about different typed of Lemurs and how they survive.  Our youth learned about the role scientists played in saving Lemur populations and the negative impact agriculture is having on these creatures.
   After the IMAX we headed to the old train station turned chocolate factory, Verdi.  Here our youth spoke with one of their chocolate makers and learned about the process of making chocolate, and how coca beans from different countries have different flavors.  They gained insight on the sustainability plan for this company and how they are working to preserve farm land and rain forests in South America by the way they do business.
   While the delegation was testing chocolate Alex and Maurice took part in the donor brunch.  The donor brunch is where donors meet the 4-H youth who are receiving scholarships and who have gone on trips thanks to their support.  Maurice had the opportunity to Host the event and is a college scholarship winner.  Alex attended 4-H National Congress in 2016, thanks to donors who support these programs.
   When they were done, we swung by to pick up Alex and headed to the state farmer's market for lunch.  We had a little wait so we posed and checked out this more than 1,000 lb water melon.  All of us had our fill of some really good food, then jumped back in the van and headed back for leadership workshops.
  As soon as we hit the door at McKimmon we split back into our groups and headed to our rooms.  This afternoons topic was public speaking.  Although many of our youth have experience with public speaking other youth attending this state event have not.  This was a great example of extemporaneous speaking and all of our delegation did a great job.
   Maurice and Alex had other plans when we got to McKimmon.  Both were taking part in Application, Resume, Interview, and Essay also know as AIRE.  Both had submitted applications for this process, completed their resumes and essays to qualify for the interview.  Maurice is competing for a slot to attend National 4-H Congress in November.  Alex is competing for a slot to attend National 4-H Conference in May.  We hope to hear tomorrow if they earned one of the slots.
  After all this fun, our day is just beginning.  We headed back to the hotel to change for our formal dance.   Our crowd was ready for the rest of the evening, and of course looked better than any other delegation (not that I might have been biased or anything).  When we got back to McKimmon it was time for dinner, entertainment and then the serious events of the evening.
  Our youth casts their ballots for state officers.  As the votes were tallied our youth headed into the dance.  This was their chance to celebrate and spend time with all the new friends they had made.  When the dust settled the new state officers were named,  Anthony Vagnozzi was elected President, Nicole Worth was elected Vice President,  Joah Bickley Secretary Treasurer, and Erin Dillon reporter.  Once the announcement was made it was time to head to Dorton Arena to install our officers.
  The traditional clover candlelight ceremony took place with men making up the H's and our ladies making up the sides of the clover.  As the state and district officers are inducted into office their candles are lit and the light is spread across the clover allowing for a beautiful sight from above.  When we were done it was back to the hotel to rest and start packing.  Tomorrow is our last day in 4-H Congress and we are doing nothing short of trying to change the world.

Character of Leadership

  Day two of 4-H Congress started off a little rough for our Robeson County delegation as they were still trying to recover from a long fun day of of Congress.  Of course all of that went by the wayside when we arrived at the McKimmon center for the awards program.  Youth were recognized for everything from district presentation and project record awards to 2016 national trip winners, and ambassador.  We are pleased to announce that Alex Evans received her bronze level 4-H Ambassador certification today.  That certification is a result of taking a variety of workshops, documenting what she learned, and completing another 15 hours of leadership and community service activities.
  After the awards our youth split into groups to work on a character scavenger hunt.  Each member of the group represented a different pillar of character and worked on a variety of activities.  Some were required to watch a video, others had to work on a drawing of a leader while some listed the qualities of a leader.  It was an exercise full of activity.
  After a brief break it was time to for  district meetings.  We discussed district business, were introduced to our incoming officers, and grilled our candidates for state office.  Of course during a little down time our honor club and incoming officers got a chance to lead camp songs, which they may not say was their favorite part of this experience.
After a demanding and grueling morning it was finally time for lunch from a favorite of Moe's.  Everyone made their own lunch from a variety of southwestern favorites and should have gotten plenty to eat.  After stuffing ourselves it was time to head out to our leadership workshops.
  Youth were split up by age and Congress Experience to take part in workshops lead by members of the Shelton Leadership Institute.  Our youth learned about respect, listening, stress, and are working to define their strengths and weaknesses as a part of these activities.
  We had a mid evening break to get a quick nap and a little something to eat.  Our delegation worked with the Cumberland County delegation to make a dinner plan and we all met back at our home away from home to eat together.  A little downtime was greatly appreciated by the entire crowd before heading back to McKimmon to continue on with our night.
  When we got back to campus the State 4-H President finished the last of the spotlight speeches.  We were then regaled with 4-H talent.  It has been years since a 4-H talent showcase has happened and tonight we viewed 5 out of 15 acts that will preform at Congress.
Tonight we had the opportunity to witness incredible singers, cloggers, and something that is best described as an interactive light dance.  It was really neat.
  After all of that it was time to visit the candidates booths and determine who our delegations wants to vote for.  Then it was time for the glow dance.  It sounds a little odd but basically it is like any dance but with black lights and glow sticks providing the lighting.  Our youth had a really good time and made lots of new friends on the dance floor.
  Then it was time for the delegation to meet and determine how our 19 electoral votes would be cast.  the group split a couple of votes and were unanimous on others.  They were respectful and listened to each voice and we will cast our votes today.  After a long night our youth will get to sleep in just a little in the morning before heading back out for a who new set of activities.  Stay tuned for all the fun.

Our Honor

 Day one of 4-H State Congress started off like all the others with state presentations.  We had six youth who earned the right at district competition to head to state competition.  Alex Evans, Tachoma Hair, Jada and Jordan McKinnon, Jaylyn McNair, and Maggie Underwood got up early, after weeks of practice, and travelled to Raleigh to represent Robeson County 4-H.  Jada McKinnon started our day with a presentation on "Making America Great Again through Literacy."  She compared against youth from Five other districts and brought home the gold in the 9-10 age division.

Next up was Maggie Underwood who taught a room full of folks in Careers and Entrepreneurship about becoming a professional video gamer.  While Maggie was speaking our guys were braving the elements outside competing in outdoor cooking.  Tachoma Hair and Jaylyn McNair both competed in beef cookery while Jordan McKinnon was grabbing for gold in Turkey char grill.  Let's just say with the three of them and all the other 4-H members from around the state cooking outside, NCState was the best smelling campus anywhere in the country.

Rounding out all of this craziness, and having to wait the longest was Alex Evans who showed folks how to decorate a cake in communications and artistic expression.  When the day was over Jada McKinnon and Jaylyn McNair both took home gold medals and Jordan McKinnon took home bronze.  Most of all I have to say I was impressed with the grace and dignity our 4-H members showed, win or lose.  They showed great character which is sometimes hard at their age.

After finishing up with presentations it was time for the Congress delegation to get checked in and ready for the rest of our events.  After reviewing the schedule, we made a plan for the rest of the night. That plan also included where we were going to dinner before returning to the Mckimmon Center on NCSU campus.  

Once on campus our youth met to go over rules and learn more about the week.  At the same time the adults met to learn and make sure we were all on the same page and ready for the week ahead.  After that it was time for greetings from our state 4-H leader, Dr. Mike Yoder and representatives from A&T University.

The highlight of the night was 4-H Honor Club Tapping.  Our own Alex Evans was tapped for this prestigious honor by Honor club member Laura Willis.  A great deal of secrecy surrounds the tapping, so Alex was surprised to see that her mom and sister and travelled all the way from Robeson County to support her during this Honor.

After all the excitement our youth watched state officer skits and had a chance to start forming their opinion of who they want to lead us in the future.  When it was time to head back to the hotel, there was a brief stop at cookout to make sure we celebrated the day with shakes and lemonade.  Finally we made it back to the hotel where everyone was glad to have time to sleep and rest up for our adventures in the morning.

Check back as we will continue to update our State 4-H Congress adventure.

Wrapping it Up From the Mountains to the Coast....

It was a little bittersweet as we packed the van this morning knowing that at the end of the event we are headed home.  However before we can hit the road we had a few more things to accomplish before NC 4-H Congress is officially over.  As we headed back to our official work home in Raleigh, the McKimmon Center, buses were in front of the building loading the members who took part in the Citizenship track of Congress this year.  They were headed to the legislature to meet with our law makers and talk with them about 4-H.  In the meantime our leadership track participants were in a workshop polishing the skills they hope to use when they get back.
To get everyone up and moving there was a rousing game of Simon Says in which our world champion workshop leader maintained his title.  Then the youth broke into groups and worked on some team building skills.  As a group they had to follow instructions and try to build the tallest free standing structure using straws, and tape.  To make it a little more interesting the structure had to cradle a golf ball.  Each group had different dynamics and different ways of accomplishing their tasks, some groups gave up, some pushed forward and when time was up the competition was looming over each table.  With just inches separating the top structures it wasn't so much who won, but what they all learned.
After our morning workshop the citizenship track delegates joined the group for a wonderful lunch.  Kyle Scheele, gave a humorous speech that hit home for our delegates this year.  He told the audience of almost 500 that they have the ability to change the world.  Maybe not the entire world at one time, but they can make a difference starting in their corner of the world and maybe make that impression or that change in others who will help them spread their change to the rest of the world.  After an enjoyable presentation, Laura Willis, NC 4-H President, gave her farewell address and moved the audience, fellow officers, as well as family and friends to a standing ovation. There was a slide show/video showing highlights of the 2014 Congress as well.
At the end of the event our newly installed 4-H President came on stage and formally adjourned the 2014 4-H Congress.  We had just enough time to hug our friends, text cell phone numbers, friend each other on facebook, and then load up in the van for the long ride home.  As our delegates said on the way home...they can't wait to see what the next year has in store.

Leadership Is...

Monday at 4-H Congress kicked off with quite a start as we headed back into leadership workshops.  Lead by the leadershape group, our youth took hold of leadership, tried to define it, and once again learned how 4-H offers our youth the chance to be leaders and make an imprint on the world.  Our youth took time to define leadership and share it with the world via instagram.  Then they had the chance to see leadership in a variety of forms via video.  Our youth also took the time to say thank you to the leaders in their lives writing notes that they would give to those who meant a great deal to them.  Lots of discussion was offered and opinions went around the room to help them form what would ultimately be their leadership goal.
Lunch was from Moe's and offered our youth lots of options (just like leadership).  On the program for the lunch speaker was the 4-H secretary who gave his farewell speech and mentioned the people who meant a great deal to him and helped shape his life and leadership vision.
After lunch it was time for more workshops before taking a break to get ready for the biggest night of 4-H Congress.  This year they did things a little different with an awards dinner which honored our 4-H Scholarship winners, Hall of Fame inductees, and State 4-H Officers.  After the expedited event it was time to get down to what everyone was waiting for; the election and dance.  Our delegates turned in our official county ballot and watched on televisions in the dance while the results were tabulated.  It did not take long to decide the positions of reporter and secretary but Vice President and President were too close, with a simple majority of votes not being received by any candidate so the it was time for a run off in both races.  The top two candidates (those with the highest number of votes) were voted on again by each county.  The race for Vice President was more defined but the race for President came down to the wire with a slim number of votes separating the two front runners.  When all was said and done the officers were announced by our current state officers and they are:  O'She Pittman, President; Drue Stinnett, Vice President; Brandon Hatman, Secretary/Tresurer; and Madaline Jones, Reporter.  The announcement is just the beginning of what happens after the election as you will see.
As we left the McKinnon center it was time to head to Dorton Arena for the most traditional part of North Carolina 4-H Congress, the candle light clover ceremony.  As we headed in there was a chalk outline of the 4-H clover on the floor.  The newly elected officers were announced and then the limo with the current state officers drove in.  As each was announced they got out of the car and waved one last time to the 4-H members and then took their seats at the top of the arena to watch what comes next.  The members in attendance were lead out on the floor to stand in a formation that would make up the clover.  As the lights were turned out the only light came from a barrel fire in the center of the clover.  Each officer took the oath of office after lighting their candle from the barrel.  After the state officer was inducted they passed the flame to their district counterparts and in turn they passed the flame to the members.  At the end of the ceremony the 4-H clover was outlined in candlelight as each member held their candle high and sang the words to the "Gleen."
It was after midnight when the festivities ended and we made it make to the dorm.  After making plans to pack up and head out the next morning our delegation enjoyed their last night together, and might have even gotten a couple of hours of sleep.  One last day of 4-H Congress...what will our last day hold?