There’s more to 4-H than meets the eye and several state 4-H members were awarded for their efforts in 4-H today for their projects, including a Lyon County 4-H'er selected to attend the National 4-H Congress.
John Roberts of Lyon County was one of five in the state awarded a Standard of Excellence, which sends him to the National 4-H Congress later this year.
4-H projects offer 4-H’ers the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities including public speaking, foods and nutrition and personal management, organizers said in a news release..
“Although founded to supplement educational opportunities for rural youth, contemporary 4-H youth development focuses on helping young people build life skills that will help them interact as responsive citizens in a global society,” said Gary Gerhard, Kansas State University professor of 4-H youth development.
Students can choose from more than 30 projects and can tailor a project to their interests. Some newer projects include GPS, robotics and the environment.
Tonight, 4-H’ers were awarded for their efforts in their projects. Award recipients were selected by a statewide application process. Awards were given out at the Emerald Circle Banquet in Manhattan.
“While earning the top award in a project is meaningful in itself, such awards include a highly sought after invitation to attend National 4-H Congress, which, this year will be Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 in Atlanta,” Gerhard said. “Attending the professional development conference for youth often is the highlight of a 4-H member’s career.”
A 4-H member must be invited and must have earned the right to attend the conference and can only do so once in their career.
“For that reason, if a state award recipient has previously earned the opportunity to attend Congress in a different project, a project runner-up (or alternate) is eligible to attend,” Gerhard said.
The local 2009 Kansas 4-H project winners are:
• Beef: Meghan Blythe, first alternate, Morris County
• Pets: Morgan Michels, first alternate, Lyon County
• Self-determined science and technology: Mark Windle, first alternate, Lyon County
• Visual Arts: Rachael Mayhill of Morris County
• Visual arts: Rachael Mayhill, Morris County