Summer Judging Award Results and Photos are POSTED!

We are so proud of all of the hard work each of our 4-H members (and their families…and their advisors!) have put into the last few months as you have worked through your 4-H project work and completed summer project judging last week!

Please know that we hope that each 4-H member is able to learn and grow from their 4-H project judging experiences – an opportunity to be asked questions and respond, an opportunity to open up and talk to an adult that they do not know, an opportunity to be brave! As 4-H staff, we truly have the best seat in the house on judging days watching the kids and their projects come through the door and we are so proud!

Did you miss summer judging? No problem…call our office (740-653-5419) to schedule an appointment for late judging which will take place on Tuesday, July 27th at the Ag Center/Extension Office. Members participating in late judging are no eligible for awards for state fair consideration.

The results from 2021 Summer Judging have been posted on our website. Click here to check them out! On the webpage, please select each day to view Summer Judging results. Eligible youth will be contacted when State Fair packets are available. Please note: State Fair Delegates are selected at the discretion of the judge(s). Not everyone will qualify for State Fair Selection.

Save the date for our Summer Judging Awards Program: Summerfest! Scheduled for Saturday, August 21st from 7-9 pm, Ed Sands Building, Fairgrounds. Invitations will be sent to the Award Winners soon!

Additionally, we tried to get photos of most youth while participating in judging this week. All photos have been posted in our Facebook Photo Album: Click here to access.

How do I get ready for summer judging?

  1. Complete your project book and activities as outlined in your the Project Guidelines for your particular project.
  2. Practice reviewing your project with an adult. Have them ask you questions about what you did and learned from your project.
  3. Schedule an project judging appointment by July 8th for each project that you are completing this summer by clicking this link.
  4. What day is my project judging? Review your project information in the 4-H Member Handbook.
    • Can’t make it on your assigned day? No problem! Although you won’t be eligible for county awards/state fair consideration, you can sign-up for late/make-up summer judging on July 27th at the Ag Center/Extension Office by calling 740-653-5419 to make an appointment.
    • That still doesn’t work for you? No problem! Although you won’t be eligible for county awards/state fair consideration, you can talk to your 4-H advisor to work with you to review your project for completion for the year.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN INTERVIEW JUDGING?

Interview judging is a discussion between the judge and 4-H member regarding the member’s project, the member’s learning experience and development and plans for the future. It is a one-on-one discussion. Members do not have to participate in interview judging to complete a project, but it is an excellent way to build skills in interviewing and provides an opportunity to compete for county awards and state fair participation. Listed below are a few statements or questions often used in making the interview meaningful to the 4-H member. These types of statements help a judge find out about the member’s knowledge, accomplishments, interests, and challenges with the project.

I. PAST EXPERIENCES & PROJECT SELECTION
a. What projects have you taken in 4-H?
b. Why did you select this project this year?
c. What did you hope to learn from the project?

II. THE PROJECT
a. Knowledge of project – subject matter – use of project terms.
b. What went well with the project? What did you do? What did you accomplish?
c. What problems did you encounter?
d. What assistance did you have? – 4-H Advisor, Junior Leader, Parents, Friends or Relatives.
e. Questions related to 4-H project book content.

III. PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
a. What more would you like to learn in this project area?
b. What project will you take next year?
c. What are your other interests?

IV. PERSONAL INFORMATION & KNOWLEDGE OF 4-H
a. What 4-H activities have you participated in within your club or county?
b. Leadership experience in local club
c. Overall knowledge of 4-H
d. Plans for future – schooling, career, etc.
e. What was the biggest thing 4-H taught you this year?

V. ADDITIONAL TIPS TO PREPARE FOR JUDGING:
This is an interview, so 4-Hers will want to keep in mind:
a. Wear nice clothes (dress pants/slacks, skirts, nice blouses, tops, etc.)
b. Grooming is essential. (hair, nails, etc. should be presentable)
c. Shake the judge’s hand
d. Be polite; use please and thank you
e. Do not have gum or other food in their mouth!

New Year, New You: Making YOUR Best Better (4-H SPIN Club for Teens)

Greetings 4-H Youth and Parents,

January starts a new year, let’s make a new you.  We are excited to offer New Year, New You: Making YOUR Best Better (targeted at youth in 5th-8th Grades).  We will tackle topics that will help you be informed to make the best choices for the best you.  You will receive a fun swag bag in the mail when you sign up that contains items that relate to the weekly topics.  Each week we will have guest speaker(s), activities, and time to talk with other youth when we meet for about an hour.

You are invited to join New Year, New You: Making YOUR Best Better series being held on Sundays February 7 – March 14, 2021. These sessions will be held virtually on ZOOM from 7:00 – 8:15 p.m.  The attached flyer provides a brief description and information on how to register. More information will be given to youth once registered.

Weekly session topics:

  • February 7          New Year, New You, and the Awesome Things You Can Do!
  • February 14        Boys, Girls, Crushes and Feelings…Oh My! What’s Appropriate, Safety & Etiquette.
  • February 21        TikTok, Snapchat, Insta are They Just Fun?   Seriously is Human Trafficking a Thing?
  • February 28        Work’n for a Live’n…jobs, image, and beyond.
  • March 7               What’s up with Vaping, Marijuana, and Alcohol?
  • March 14             New Year, Healthy You! Be Your Best Physically, Mentally and Emotionally

Hurry to register! Spots and swag bags are limited.  Participants will receive up to $40 worth of fun, useful swag items.   To register go to go.osu.edu/spinnyny  Registration deadline is January 15!!

Parent/guardian note: Are you convinced this is a good activity, but your child isn’t sold?  May we suggest a conversation where you express these are important topics for your child to learn more about and you set a family goal with an incentive for him/her to participate.

Can’t wait to see you in 2021!!

Andrea Cole, Katie Cole, Allison Cooper, Liz Hirzel, Angie Holmes

Extension Educators, 4-H Youth Development

Teen Tip: Teen Mental Health

Today’s Teen Tip video “Teen Mental Health – You Matter” is provided by Belmont County Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Lorrissa Dunfee.  It can be found by visiting the Ohio State University Extension Belmont County-FCS Facebook page or on the OSU Extension Professionals YouTube page by using this link https://youtu.be/kzq5VAELiL0.  Please share with the teens in your life and on social media.  Encourage your school districts, juvenile courts, health department, Job and Family Services, etc. to share it.  Email your clientele, community partners and stakeholders and ask them to share it with others.  The video asks the questions:  Have you ever felt sad or withdrawn, experienced severe mood swings, or had difficulty concentrating? These can be warnings signs to alert you that there may be an issue with your mental health. 1 in 5 children ages 13-18 have, or will have a serious mental illness. You are not alone! There is HOPE and recovery is possible!

September is National Suicide Prevention Month!  You are not alone – You Matter….spread the word!

Summer Judging Results from Day 1 (Monday, July 13th): Food, Home, Genealogy, Laundry, Health, & Childcare

We are so proud of the hard work 4-H members have put into their projects this year! Congrats to all!

Here are the results of our members who participated in judging on Day 1 (Monday, July 13th). For a complete list of results, click here.

 

Teen Tip: Developing Cultural Intelligence

Today’s Teen Tip video was created by Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Joseph M.  It is called “Developing Cultural Intelligence” and it can be found here. As one ventures away from one’s home, one may meet persons whose physical, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds differ from one’s own backgrounds. Cultural intelligence, a strategy to better understand others’ backgrounds, is one way to help one get to know, and perhaps develop friendships with those persons from diverse backgrounds.  Please share this video via social media platforms, with community partners, and any other youth serving organizations.

Summer Judging – Please Schedule an Interview Time by 5:00 p.m. Friday, July 10th!

Greetings 4-Hers!

Thank you to those who recently responded to last week’s survey regarding project completion options. We have taken survey responses into consideration, along with OSU’s guidance on primarily using virtual options for events due to the potential continued spread of COVID-19. In that light, we will be conducting project judging interviews using the online video conference format called Zoom. This will allow for a live, interactive interview with a judge and 4-Her. For those 4-Hers that do not have access to adequate technology to support a Zoom interview, we will offer a few limited slots for an in-person interview. Please read details below before choosing your judging appointment.

All SUMMER project judging will be conducted the week of July 13th. Projects will be judged on these originally scheduled days:

  • Monday, July 13: Food, Home Dec, Genealogy, Laundry, Health, Child Care
  • Tuesday, July 14: Demonstration, Communication, Creative Arts
  • Wednesday, July 15: Engineering and Environmental Science
  • Thursday, July 16: Clothing

Awards this year will be simplified with Outstandings and Honorable Mentions across projects. There is no state-level competition this year, so the primary focus of county judging will be the interview experience and an opportunity for the 4-Her to share what they have learned. Note: we will not be awarding special overall food or clothing awards this year.

Project displays: in order to offer flexibility, you may create a poster and have it near you for zoom judging, or a digital poster that you could ‘screen share’ and later print out to display at the fair. Note: food projects will NOT be required to complete a portfolio this year. Instead you could do a mini poster to display at the fair. The choice is yours.

Online (Zoom) Judging for all summer projects:

  • Extension staff will ‘host’ the meeting and send a link to the judge and 4-Her. Staff will remain online throughout the meeting as tech support, timekeeper and to provide a 2nd adult to avoid any one-on-one meetings with youth.
  • 4-Her and judge will utilize their own computer with a camera or device from their own homes.
  • This is a ‘live’ interactive interview and the judge can ask 4-Her questions.
  • Training will be provided on how to participate in a zoom interview.

In-person Judging for youth without access to internet or computer/phone:

  • Note: this option is reserved for members who cannot do a zoom interview because they do not have access to technology
  • Safety measures:
    • 4-Hers, judges and staff will be asked to wear masks. (provided if needed)
    • Plexiglass tabletop shields positioned between the judge and 4-Her
    • 6-foot distance between everyone
    • Surfaces will be sanitized after each 4-Her
  • Held at the Ed Sands building at the fairgrounds the week of July 13.
  • 4-Hers will wait in their car until it is time to be judged.

As a reminder, if you have a project that you do not plan to complete, please email Missy Koenig at Koenig.398@osu.edu with the project you wish to drop from your record. You also have the option of interviewing with your club advisor for project completion. Please contact your advisor to make arrangements.

We are excited to see all that you have completed and learned in your 4-H projects this summer. Please click on this link to schedule your SUMMER judging appointment by 5:00 p.m. Friday, July 10th: Summer Judging Scheduling Link Please note:  If you have multiple summer projects or multiple 4-H members, you will need to re-select the link to schedule additional projects, it is not member specific.

~Fairfield County 4-H Team

Please Respond: Member survey regarding 2020 4-H Projects

All 4-H members (excluding Cloverbuds) should have received an email from Stacy Hicks on Tuesday, June 16th that shares an overview of 4-H project completion. Families with multiple 4-H members should receive multiple emails personalized to each member. We are asking that all 4-H members reply to the survey so we can continue making plans for summer judging. We have decided to extend the deadline for response to this email to Sunday, June 21st.  Please refer to the email you received for a link to follow and complete the survey to help us plan for judging this year.  The survey will take less than 30 seconds to complete.  If you have any questions, please contact the office at 740-653-5419. If you did not see an email with this survey link, please let us know (and be sure to check your junk/spam folders in your email).

Thank you for your help!