By Kate Pittack/Extension 4-H Agent
Sometimes, when I tell my friends what I am doing for work on any given day, I wonder if they are jealous or think that I am crazy! This past week took me to Overton for some administrative training and then to Kaufman to meet with my Texas 4-H robotics co-workers from Dallas to finalize the contest that is being held at our state roundup event this year.
While we were laying out the game tables and figuring out scoring and point totals for the different challenges, we also got to use our creativity to assemble some of the contest pieces from a huge tub of Legos. In contrast, coming in a few weeks I’ll be coordinating some livestock validations for our youth who will be participating in major shows. Legos, robots & animals are all routine business when you are an AgriLife Extension Agent!
For those who have heard of our state 4-H contest event (Roundup) and for those who haven’t, it’s kind of a big deal! Thousands of Texas 4-Her’s from across the State converge at College Station to compete in a multitude of contests, many of which they have qualified to compete in from the district level. The week-long event also includes a trade show, educational workshops and nightly awards assemblies. The final evening is capped off with a dance and band for the participants, which just happens to be the Randy Rogers Band this year!
Henderson county 4-H has a great group of youth who will be representing us in a variety of areas. Christopher Childress will be giving his ag and natural resources presentation on quail (for which he placed first at district competition). Justin Jones will be competing in public speaking (he took home second place at districts). Miss Laura Ashley Childress placed second in the health presentation category with “The Great Blue Bell Famine”, but won’t be able to attend since she will be at a leadership conference in Washington, D.C.
In addition to the speaking competitions, Amanda Cooper’s fashion storyboard that placed first in the non-wearable category and the pet clothing storyboard made by Christopher Childress that also placed first will be making a trip to College Station. We’ve also got some youth who will be competing in “invitational” contests. This means that anyone who meets the age requirements can participate. Archery and agriculture product identification are a couple of those.
One more thing to mention before I sign off to go pack is that the Texas 4-H Opportunity Scholarship Winners will be recognized at Roundup as well. This year we had two graduating seniors, Grant Hirsch and Will Van Dusen that were selected to go through an interview process to receive a scholarship that could be worth between $1,000 and $20,000. We wish all of our youth good luck as they prepare for their events and presentations! Serving as their 4-H Agent, I think I get the best job of all in getting to be there to encourage them and cheer them on!
—
Kate Pittack is the Henderson County Extension Agent – 4-H & Youth Development for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Contact her at: [email protected] & visit our webpage at http://henderson.agrilife.org.