Wayne County 4-H News

Ashlee Smith (center) was inducted into the West Virginia 4-H All Stars on January 28, 2018 at the Young Adult Conference held at WVU Jackson's Mill in Weston, West Virginia. She stands with her parents, Amy and Tim Smith, who are also West Virginia 4-H All Stars. The West Virginia 4-H All Stars is an honorary organization that recognizes outstanding leadership and service to the 4-H Program. Ashlee has served as President of her local 4-H Club and has been active with the Wayne County 4-H Ambassadors, playing a central role in the creation of the Wayne County 4-H Heritage Quilt Trail. She completed over twenty 4-H projects and participated in numerous county, state and national events. Ashlee also made history by being selected as the first West Virginia 4-H member to serve on the Design Team for National 4-H Congress. The Wayne County 4-H Program has many opportunities for youth of all ages. To learn more, please contact the WVU Extension Service office in Wayne County at 304-272-6839.

Last year Google awarded $1.5 million to 4-H programs in 22 states, including West Virginia, to help young people learn more about this exciting field. Google’s “4-H Computer Science Career Pathway” program allows youth to learn technical skills such as coding and programming. This 8-week program is being offered at Dunlow Elementary, Genoa Elementary, Fort Gay PreK-8, Prichard Elementary, and Buffalo Middle School this spring. To learn more about this program, please contact our office at  304-272-6839.

The dates are set and plans are underway for three weeks of 4-H Camp in Wayne County for the summer of 2018. The season will kick off with Cloverbud Day Camp scheduled for June 12 -15 at Mays Chapel, near Lavalette. Younger Camp will follow on June 19 - 22 at Cabwaylingo State Forest. Our final week will be Older Camp scheduled for June 25 - 29 at Cabell 4-H Camp. More information is found on our  Wayne County 4-H Camp page.

Registration materials will be available later this spring. For more information, please call our office (304) 272-6839.

The Wayne County Regional Qualifier was held locally on January 6. This qualifier was one of four being held across the state during the month of January. The top four junior and senior shooters were recognized at this local qualifier. These individuals stand with Bruce Crockett, Head Coach and include (juniors): Okey Napier, first; Elie Bailey, second; Ayden Copley, third (featured in photo); and Jacob Mitchell, fourth.

All photo entries will advance to state level competition. If you have questions about the Wayne County 4-H Photo Contest, contact Julie Tritz.

Photos for the Wayne County 4-H contest are due to the Wayne County Extension Office by March 6, 2018.

Our county is striving to host five sites this summer. They include: Buffalo Elementary, Ceredo-Kenova Elementary, Crum PreK-8, East Lynn Elementary, and Fort Gay PreK-8. As a result, we are seeking to hire five Site Supervisors, five Community Coordinators, and 25 Mentors this spring.

AmeriCorps Community Coordinator & Mentor interviews will be held May 11 and 18. All interviews will be conducted in the WVU Extension Service Wayne County Office at 27572 East Lynn Road, Wayne, WV 25570. To request an application for one of these positions, please email Julie Tritz or feel free to call our office at 304-272-6839.

Head Coach Brenda Davis (center) will lead and prepare a 4-H Horse Judging Team for first time in several years. Team members include (l-r): Jessica Mitchell, Lauren Crabtree, Bekah Napier, and Molly Jenkins. While Bekah will not participate in the state contest scheduled for April 2018 at Potomac State College of WVU, she will participate in the weekly trainings to learn how to judge horses.

For more information on the Wayne County 4-H Horse and Livestock program and how your child can participate with this program, please contact Julie Tritz at the WVU Extension Wayne County office at 304-272-6839.

If you're a Wayne County 4-H youth who enjoys visually telling a story, please consider entering WVU 4-H's statewide poster exhibition. 4-H youth in Wayne County who would like enter but have questions, should contact Julie Tritz.

The deadline to submit your posters to the Wayne County office this year is Friday February 16, 2018. There are new requirements this year, so please make sure to consult your 4-H club leader or call the Wayne County office at 304-272-6839.