4-H orientation held in Linden

Cass County 4-H has a little something to interest just about any child or teen according to volunteers and local 4-Hers who attended 4-H Orientation Thursday Night at the courthouse in Linden.

The project areas of 4-H are just about endless, according to Cass County Extension Agent Jessie Rymel.

“Most people have the misconception that 4-H is all about raising cattle, but that’s not true,” Rymel said, as she waved around at nearby projects 4-Hers had been working on. “Don’t get me wrong, you can raise cattle if you want to, but for those that don’t, there are several different clubs you can join with 4-H. We even do robotics.”

The extension office has 8 4-H clubs that a 4-H member can join, according to their Website, cass.agrilife. org/new-to-4-h. A student can join up to five clubs if they want.

“If you don’t find a club that fits your needs, you can let us know and we can work with you to start your own,” Rymel said.

4-H Clubs meet monthly and it’s never too late to join. They are led and mentored by community volunteers, parents and grandparents, who have stepped up to mentor–like Kat Stanley, whose grandchildren are in 4-H. Stanley is a retired speech pathologist.

“I love 4-H because I get to work with kids and I just really enjoy that,” Stanley said. Stanley’s grandchildren got into the “Duds to Dazzle” project where students provided storyboards designing their own fashion out of recyclable material. Her two grandchildren placed 1st and 2nd in the Trashion to Fashion series. Stanley also said there are Fashion and Interior Design Projects that are popular among some of the youth, like Duds to Dazzle, Fashion Show, and Fashion Story Board.

Duds to Dazzle- lets teams of 3-5 members demonstrate knowledge and skills learned in the 4-H Clothing and Textiles project. This contest is said to focus on making a viable product by recycling a textile that “no longer serves its original purpose.” Team members create a repurposed item from a predetermined textile and are given 60 minutes to design and construct their product, which will fit into one of the following three categories: 1. Wearable 2. Accessory/Jewelry 3. Non-wearable.

Fashion Show- Just like it sounds, this is designed for members to showcase skills in buying, constructing, and creating clothing or fashion item(s) and turning in paperwork explaining your item. At competition, the member would have to complete an interview in front of a panel of judges and model the outfit on the runway.

Fashion Story Board- The 4-H storyboard is a classic, industry-inspired method of displaying original designs; It is meant to tell the story of the designer’s idea by including original illustrations, flats and more to promote their design.

However, like with raising cattle and agriculture, fashion is just one of many choices a 4-H member has when joining up with a Cass County crew.

Many area 4-Hers seem to be enjoying archery.

“It’s so much fun,” Kalee Ford said of the sport.

Robert Nelson said he placed in state in Archery and Forestry, beating out lots of high schoolers (although he’s a middle schooler himself).

4-H Club will soon be offering pistol and shotgun target shooting, according to volunteers. Jordan Dupree, along with mom Christina started their own Dog project/program.

“We are helping people train their dogs just in regular training, but also as service animals,” Jordan said.

Domineka Grant said she likes to participate in cooking contests and is always enjoying making new things–as long as there are no nuts involved.

“I have a severe nut allergy,” Grant said. “But I love to cook. I love to cook everything. I love to bake, too. Erin Jennings is in Veterinary Sciences and does food challenges–which many of the kids agreed they all like to take part in.

A college and career prep club is offered for ages 8-12 that helps area members identify strengths and weaknesses with an aptitude program to help them plan out their future college and career choices.

More project areas include STEM, where youth interested in photography, audio/visual, or other areas like robotics can find a place to shine; Citizenship programs are for youth interested in building community and developing leadership; Family and Community Health for youth interested in healthy living and nutrition can find project areas to meet their needs–also offering activities for members interested in design; Natural Resources for youth interested in conservation and the outdoors including sports, fishing and shooting sports; and Agriculture and Livestock which is the traditional animal projects that are always welcomed in 4-H but have grown to introduce veterinary science, gardening and more.

4-H is a great way for your student, whether competitive or shy to both make friends, join in on competitions with scholarship opportunities, opportunities to go on trips to compete at the state level, and help out their community. Cass County 4-H’s motto this year is Inspiring Kids to Do, and volunteers and agents across the state who want the best for our youth say that joining 4-H is a great way to mold future leaders while having fun.

Rymel and volunteers said 4-H clubs in Cass County meet on a monthly basis. Some meet in Linden, while others meet in Atlanta, Hughes Springs. To find a club that will meet your child’s needs, Rymel would love for you to contact the Cass County extension office at 903-756-5391. One could even visit the New to 4-H Website, cass.agrilife. org/new-to-4-h/ for even more information.