The 2025 Ohio 4-H Achievement Awards were presented earlier this month at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus. Local 4-H members received the following awards.
Samantha Bader from Baltimore won the Natural Resources Achievement Award. Bader, 18, has been an active 4-H member in Fairfield County for many years. She has exhibited numerous projects at the fair, has served as her club’s president, and is a member of the Junior Fair Board. She is also a camp counselor, and she serves on the Ohio 4-H Teen Leadership Council. A senior at Liberty Union High School, she plans to attend The Ohio State University to study entomology and forensic science. She is the daughter of Steve and Kimberly Bader.
Samantha Bader – Ohio 4-H Achievement Award Winner in Natural Resources
Alaina Bell from Canal Winchester won the Citizenship and Community Service Achievement Award. Bell, 17, is in her 10th year as a 4-H member. Her favorite 4-H experience is being a part of the PetPALS program, where she and her service rooster, Herbert, visit nursing homes. Bell has also served as an Ohio delegate at the National 4-H Conference, where she lobbied for more agricultural outreach for youth with the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture. She is a senior at Bloom Carroll High School and plans to attend The Ohio State University in the fall to major in sustainable plant systems and minor in molecular genetics. She is the daughter of Jason Bell and Sarah Ray-Bell.
Alaina Bell – Ohio 4-H Achievement Award Winner in Citizenship and Community Service
Katie Cade from Lancaster won the Photography Achievement Award. Cade, 16, has been a 4-H member in Fairfield County for seven years. She has taken photography for two years, receiving numerous awards for her work. She is also a member of the Junior Fair Board. Cade is currently a sophomore at Lancaster High School and is the daughter of Chris and Becky Cade.
Katie Cade – Ohio 4-H Achievement Award Winner in Photography
Henry Hoisington from Baltimore was the recipient of the Ohio Township Association Local Government Award. Hoisington, 18, is a 10-year member of the Fairfield County 4-H program. He is an active member of the Junior Fair Board and volunteers as a camp counselor. Hoisington has shown market hogs the entirety of his 4-H career, and with his family, he raises Scottish Highland Cattle, which he also exhibits at the fair. After high school, he will attend Ohio University to pursue a master’s degree in biomedical engineering. He is the son of Ryan and Amber Hoisington.
Henry Hoisington – Ohio Township Association Scholarship Winner
Nolan Shaffer from Canal Winchester won the Companion Animals Achievement Award. Shaffer, 17, has been a 4-H member in Fairfield County for nine years. He began his 4-H career by showing his dog, Piper, at both the county and state levels. In 2021, the pair represented Fairfield County at various fairs and festivals throughout the state as Canine Commodity Ambassadors. He also serves as a camp counselor. Shaffer is a junior at Eastland Career Center, where he is studying aviation while finishing high school. He is the son of Tim and Kandie Shaffer.
Nolan Shaffer – Ohio 4-H Achievement Award Winner in Companion Animals
Charlie Sponseller from Baltimore won the Rabbits Achievement Award. Sponseller, 17, is a 12-year 4-H member from Fairfield County. He has taken rabbit, sheep, small engine, and shooting sports projects. He is also a member of the Junior Fair Board and serves as a county and shooting sports camp counselor. Sponseller is a junior at Eastland Career Center and Liberty Union High School and plans to attend college to study aviation. He is the son of Andy and Melissa Sponseller.
Charlie Sponseller – Ohio 4-H Achievement Award Winner in Rabbits
Dominic Woods from Pickerington won the Mechanical Engineering Achievement Award. Woods, 17, has been a 10-year member of the Fairfield Country 4-H program, participating in both the Extraordinary Explorers and Small Engines/Tractor Maintenance 4-H clubs. His project work has included small engines, rocketry, lawn care, natural resources, rabbits, and foods. He has served as a camp counselor and a Junior Fair Board member. Woods is a junior at Bishop Hartley High School and is the son of Luke and Patty Woods.
Dominic Woods – Ohio 4-H Achievement Award Winner in Mechanical Engineering
Ohio 4-H Achievement Awards are presented annually to individuals for outstanding work in their project area. Youth recipients will also have the opportunity to travel to Atlanta in November to represent Ohio at National 4-H Congress. The evening was hosted by the Ohio 4-H Foundation, with 32 youth receiving 2025 honors.
Ohio 4-H is the youth development program of Ohio State University Extension, the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. In 2024, over 154,000 Ohio youth participated in clubs, groups, and special interest programs.
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