4-H Top 4 for the week of December 30, 2019

Happy Monday!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Holiday.  We know many of our youth are still on Christmas break so if they are bored this is a great time for them to work on Project Records and Portfolios!  Please see below for more information.

On to the 4-H Top 4….

-4-H Adult Volunteers the deadline to register and pay for State 4-H Volunteer Leaders’ Conference is January 2 at noon.  This training and awards ceremony will be held Hilton Durham February 1-2.  As in previous years we will pay the registration fee ($130) for the first 10 volunteers that register and you would just pay for the room ($55 per night double occupancy-$110 for single).  For more information on this fabulous training and networking opportunity please click on this link to see the flyer.  For more information about this program contact Shea Ann DeJarnette at Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu or (910) 671-3276.  To register and pay please come by and see Jessie Jones.  Gentle reminder we take checks or money orders only.  

-January 7th^th is our first SPIN Club of the Year.  From 9 am-3 pm youth will meet to learn and work on Project Records and Portfolios.  Youth will have a chance to sit down with volunteers and 4-H staff to learn about the process and get their records off to a huge start and finish.  We will have lunch for the youth taking part that day.  To sign up for the SPIN CLUB opportunity please call our office at (910) 671-3276 or email Jessie Jones at Jessie_Jones@ncsu.edu.  Please note January 10^th is the deadline for project records and portfolios.  This is a written record of what our youth have learned over the past year.  I would encourage all youth to turn in a record book.  The templates for the books can be found here.  You will find them under downloadable forms.  Please remember this is based on your 4-H Age for 2019 (how old you were on January 1, 2019) so please do not use your chronological age because most of you are a year older since then.  For those of you wondering, a project book is work done over the last year in any area.  Youth can turn in one project record book in each subject area.  Portfolios are like project records except they compile three years’ worth of work in a single topic area.  Essentially you combine three project records to make one portfolio.  Please turn your record books into Wendy Maynor by 5 pm on January 10^th.  If you have any questions about this program please contact Wendy at (910) 671-3276 or Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu.

-January 9^th we have new 4-H volunteer training scheduled at 6:30 pm at the office.  This is for all our first-time volunteers and any veteran volunteers who feel they need a refresher.  Of course, we will have a light meal for those who attend so please contact Jessie Jones or Wendy Maynor at (910) 671-3276 to register by January 6^th.  Volunteers please note you need at least two hours of training a year to maintain your 4-H Volunteer Status. The State Volunteer Leaders Conference will cover that two hours and any of our trainings offered through the year (just click on the link to pull up the schedule) will also help you maintain your status.  For more information about Volunteer Trainings please contact any member of the 4-H staff at (910) 671-3276.

-January 21 is the deadline to turn in Scholarships and Honor Club applications to our office.  Please check our website for downloadable applications.  Honor Club applications are open for any 4-H member who is 16 and over and has been a 4-H member for at least three years.  Scholarships are for 4-H members who are seniors in High School and plan to attend a two or four-year institution.  Please note you fill out one application and check off all the scholarships you are applying for.  Applicants need to read the descriptions carefully to make sure it applies to them.  Also, if you are applying for 4-H scholarships you need to go ahead and request a sealed copy of your transcripts now so you will have them in time to turn in your application to us January 21.  Please turn in Honor Club and Scholarships to Shea Ann DeJarnette by 5 pm on the 21.  For questions please contact Shea Ann at (910) 671-3276 or Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu.

Just a reminder that our office will be closed New Year’s Day.

Our 4-H calendar for 2020 is online at http://robeson4-h.blogspot.com/  if you would like to see some of the upcoming programs and make plans for 2020.

Again, thank you for making 4-H the best that it can be.

Wendy, Jessie, and Shea Ann

STEM, STEAM, or STREAM?

  This article was written and published in the Robesonian.  It can also be found on the NC Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center web site.

Growing up I was educated on the three R’s: reading, writing, and ‘rithmatic (yes, I know it’s arithmetic, but back then it was about the sound of the letter, not the actual letter). These seemed to be the cornerstone of all learning, no matter the topic, and the things you would need to know to become a successful adult.

Fast forward to 2001, when the term “STEM” started circulating. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It was a push from the National Science Foundation to start focusing education on the then up-and-coming technologies that required science backgrounds to continue to develop. At the same time, we were in the midst of a movement from an industrial age to a cloud age, which sparked a change in how our youth learn. Suddenly, learning had turned the page from traditional books to laptops and tablets.

In 2017, STEM added a controversial letter A (not a scarlet letter) to the acronym, becoming STEAM. The “A” stood for Arts – all arts. The diehard STEM supporters said there was no need to add the “A” to the acronym because they weren’t downplaying other areas of study, they were just trying to magnify the need for students in STEM. However, arts supporters argued that due to the popularity of STEM, arts funding had significantly decreased and the arts needed to be included because it could cause a cultural disparity. Also, the argument could be made that STEM has created an entirely new line of arts with virtual reality, augmented reality, and even gaming.

In late 2018, STEAM became STREAM (no, not how we watch video on devices), to add the reading and writing into the equation. Literacy experts are concerned with a focus on science, technology engineering, arts, and math,  students are skipping the basics. If they aren’t literate, how can they accomplish the simplest position in STEM? STEM advocates argue that STREAM is diluting the focus of STEM.

Why am I laying all of this out for you right now? Experts estimate in the next five years there will be more than 100,000 jobs available in the drone industry. Let that sink in while you realize we have a generation that cannot write or read cursive writing, and another generation that asks Google, Alexis, and Siri to answer questions when generations before them went to the library or opened an encyclopedia to locate an answer. Is it better or worse? I can’t answer that. However, if we are looping back to the basics and technology is taking off, maybe we shouldn’t worry so much about what we call it, but instead focus our overall approach on how we educate youth.

Let me throw one last acronym out there:  4-H. The H’s stand for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. That acronym won’t be changing and will always stand for educating youth on what they need to be successful adults – goal setting, decision making, healthy eating, STEM, STEAM, and even STREAM.

For more information, contact Shea Ann DeJarnette, Extension 4-H Youth Development Agent, at 910-671-3276, by email at Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu, or visit our website.

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4-H Horse Program Update

IMPORTANT REMINDERS & UPDATES Updated NC 4-H Horse Program Rules and Regulations Manual The NC 4-H Horse Program Rules and Regulations Manual and NC 4-H Horse Program Dressage Manual have been updated and are available on the website. Click the links to view. Be sure to review the sections that pertain to the show divisions and contests in which you participate. New or modified rules are highlighted yellow. Rules and Regulations Manual Dressage Manual Horsebowl Question Submissions Due January 2 Each county that wishes to participate in district horsebowl contests will need to submit 40 questions to EHH (llstroud@ncsu.edu) via the Excel template found on the contest webpage. Questions are to be from the current reference list and must be e-mailed to Lori Stroud by Monday, January 2, 2020 in order for a county to compete at their district contest. Questions should come from the official sources only and must include the reference and page number. Each question’s reference must be documented correctly or additional questions will be required for re-submittal. The current references are listed on the EHH webpage.  Horsebowl Contest Webpage 2020 Horse Judging Contest Date The 2020 NC State 4-H and FFA Horse Judging Contest will be held April 18, in Raleigh. The judging portion will take place at the Hunt Horse Complex and 4-H Oral Reasons will be on campus at NCSU in Riddick Hall. More details will be available on the contest webpage, after the first of the year. 2020 NC 4-H Horse Program Calendar of Events The 2020 NC 4-H Horse Program Calendar of Events is available for download and distribution. Event hyperlinks take you to websites or Facebook pages with additional information. Contact person hyperlinks provide their email. Please check the website and Google calendar regularly for updates and modifications! Company Name | Website  ‌  ‌  ‌

4-H Top 4 for the week of December 16, 2019

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Big thank you to everyone who came out Friday night.  Youth and adults not in attendance will have their envelopes mailed out to them. 

On to the 4-H Top 4….

-4-H Adult Volunteers it is already time to think about State 4-H Volunteer Leaders’ Conference.  This training and awards ceremony will be held Hilton Durham February 1-2.  The deadline to register and pay is January 2 at noon.  As in previous years we will pay the registration fee ($130) for the first 10 volunteers that register and you would just pay for the room ($55 per night double occupancy-$110 for single).  For more information on this fabulous training and networking opportunity please see the flyer.  For more information about this program contact Shea Ann DeJarnette at Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu or (910) 671-3276.  To register and pay please come by and see Jessie Jones.  Gentle reminder we take checks or money orders only.  

-January 7^th is our first SPIN Club of the Year.  From 9 am-3 pm youth will meet to learn and work on Project Records and Portfolios.  Youth will have a chance to sit down with volunteers and 4-H staff to learn about the process and get their records off to a huge start.  We will have lunch for the youth taking part that day.  To sign up for the SPIN CLUB opportunity please call our office at (910) 671-3276 or email Jessie Jones at Jessie_Jones@ncsu.edu.  Please note January 10^th is the deadline for project records and portfolios.  This is a written record of what our youth have learned over the past year.  I would encourage all youth to turn in a record book.  The templates for the books can be found here.  You will find them under downloadable forms.  Please remember this is based on your 4-H Age for 2019 (how old you were on January 1, 2019) so please do not use your chronological age because most of you are a year older since then.  For those of you wondering, a project book is work done over the last year in any area.  Youth can turn in one project record book in each subject area.  Portfolios are like project records except they compile three years’ worth of work in a single topic area.  Essentially you combine three project records to make one portfolio.  Please turn your record books into Wendy Maynor by 5 pm on January 10^th.  If you have any questions about this program please contact Wendy at (910) 671-3276 or Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu.

-January 9^th we have new 4-H volunteer training scheduled at 6:30 pm at the office.  This is for all our first-time volunteers and any veteran volunteers who feel they need a refresher.  Of course, we will have a light meal for those who attend so please contact Jessie Jones or Wendy Maynor at (910) 671-3276 to register by January 6^th.

-January 21 is the deadline to turn in Scholarships and Honor Club applications to our office.  Please check our website for downloadable applications.  Honor Club applications are open for any 4-H member who is 16 and over and has been a 4-H member for at least three years.  Scholarships are for 4-H members who are seniors in High School and plan to attend a two or four-year institution.  Please note you fill out one application and check off all the scholarships you are applying for.  Applicants need to read the descriptions carefully to make sure it applies to them.  Also, if you are applying for 4-H scholarships you need to go ahead and request a sealed copy of your transcripts now so you will have them in time to turn in your application to us January 21.  Please turn in Honor Club and Scholarships to Shea Ann DeJarnette by 5 pm on the 21.  For questions please contact Shea Ann at (910) 671-3276 or Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu.

Just a reminder that our office will be closed December 23-27 in observance of the holidays.  We will also be closed New Year’s Day.

Our 4-H calendar for 2020 is online at http://robeson4-h.blogspot.com/  if you would like to see some of the upcoming programs and make plans for 2020.

Again, thank you for making 4-H the best that it can be

Wendy, Jessie, and Shea Ann