Stark-Billings County

Congratulations 4-Hers

Stark-Billings County 4-H members recently participated in the County and District 4-H Communication Arts events. 4-H members had the opportunity to participate in demonstrations, illustrated talks, original public speaking, dramatic presentations, interpretative reading, broadcast, short takes, and commercials.

Participating in the county event held on May 20 were: Tawnya Miller, Dalton Nelson, Valerie Kerner, Jamie Hetzel, Nicole Urlacher, and Demitria Nelson. Assisting at the event were Danielle Hoff, Stark-Billings County 4-H Royalty, and Marie Hetzel, ND 4-H Ambassador.

The District 4-H Communication Arts event was held on May 27 at the New England Public School. During this event, Demitria Nelson received first place honors for her pre-teen division original Dramatic Presentation entitled, “Wild Side of Africa”. Nicole Urlacher was awarded Honorable Mention for her pre-teen division Dramatic Presentation entitled, “Cowboy’s Dream”. Receiving participant honors in the pre-teen demonstration category were Valerie Kerner for her demonstration entitled, “Parent Pleaser,” and Tawnya Miller for her demonstration entitled, “Needle Felting.” Jaime Hetzel took home first place honors in the teen division Dramatic Presentation with, “The Wise Mother.” As a result of her first place award in this category, Jamie can attend Extension 4-H Youth Conference in Fargo held June 16-19.

Assisting at the District Event were Danielle Hoff, Stark-Billings County 4-H Royalty; Marie Hetzel, ND 4-H Ambassador; and Sharon Kickertz-Gerbig, Extension Agent.

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4-Hers Needed

4-H members are needed to participate in the National 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. Our county 4-H program is one of ten county 4-H programs in No. Dak. to participate in the National 4-H Council 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development.

There are currently about 4,000 adolescents, grades 8- 11, from the country participating in the longitudinal study. Youth involved are members of groups such as 4-H clubs, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA, and Scouts. Other youth do not belong to a community based youth group.

4-H members from this county have been invited to participate in the study. The meeting will be 60- to 90-minutes long where an online, confidential survey will be completed. This session will include pizza and pop and other incentives. In the next year, youth will be contacted via email to complete another survey (one per year).

There is still time to sign up to do the online survey. Contact Sharon. This is the chance for youth to have their voices heard about the future of youth programs.

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Sewing Skills Workshop

Tentative plans are to hold two four-hour beginning Sewing Skills Workshops for 4-H members the week of June 23-27. Members would attend a two-hour workshop on two consecutive days and complete a simple sewing project in that time. Members would be asked to provide fabric and their own sewing equipment such as hand sewing needles, shears, etc. Sewing machines will be provided for members to use. A $5 fee will be charged to cover the expenses of the snack breaks. Workshop size is limited. Contact Sharon for additional information or to register.

Registration deadline is June 12.

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4-H Camp Scholarships

Local donations for 4-H camp scholarship funds will provide several scholarships to 2008 Western 4-H Camp. 4-H members who would like to apply for camp funding should contact the Stark-Billings County Extension Office to get the one page, easy-to-complete application form. Funds are limited, so apply soon!

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4-H Consumer Choices

All 4-Hers are encouraged to participate in 4-H Consumer Choices Judging. This 4-H activity helps young people build life skills like decision making, problem solving, speaking, organizing information and consumer buymanship.

This year the 8 to 10 year olds will judge Beverages, Frozen Treats and Jeans and the juniors and seniors will look at Backpacks, Fast Foods and Gift Cards.

The schedule for workouts to be held at the Stark-Billings County Extension Office follows:

June 10
1:30 p.m. or 7 p.m.
Workout for first-timers and those who want to polish their skills

June 12
7 p.m.
Or
June 13
9:30 a.m.
Consumer Choices Judging workout

June 13
1:30 p.m.
Consumer Choices Judging contest

It is recommended that all judgers attend a workout and the contest. If you cannot attend but would still like to judge, please contact the Stark-Billings County Extension Office for alternate arrangements. Also, stop by to pick up a booklet to help you learn about the classes (standards) or Click to view standards.

This year, five junior and senior judgers participating in the county contest will be invited to participate in the state Consumer Choices Contest on July 22 at the North Dakota State Fair.

Also see Consumer Choices Judging

Also Click to view standards

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Volunteers Receive Survey

Several No. Dak. 4-H volunteers will receive an invitation to participate in a survey that is being conducted by the North Central Region Extension Volunteer Specialists. The volunteers will receive a live SurveyMonkey link to this survey. If you receive this e-mail, please participate in this study. Participation will assist us in better serving No. Dak. 4-H volunteers in the future.

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4-H Educational Trunks

Fun and educational learning trunks are available for 4-H volunteers and others to use to teach youth fun life skills. Some of the trunks are housed at the Center for 4-H Youth Development office at NDSU, and others are housed at the Morton County Extension Office, Mandan.

For most of the trunks, there is no charge. However, users are responsible for replacing consumables they use. Users of the trunks are also responsible for making travel arrangements to pick up and return the trunks as they cannot be mailed or shipped otherwise.

Check out the list

A list of trunks at the Morton County Extension Office

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Mini Society Summer Camp

Mini - Society 2008 is a day camp for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade teachers and for students entering the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades in the fall of 2008. Mini-Society will be held in July at the Strom Entrepreneurship Center at Dickinson State University. Students and teachers alike can experience the fun and exciting world of citizenship and entrepreneurship in a real-world setting at Mini-Society Camp.

Why does Mini-Society make kids, teachers and parents happy? Mini-Society is neither a simulation nor a game -- It is a real world. All citizens, both kids and adults, form their own real community, open their own real businesses and create their own real money system to facilitate the flow and exchange of goods and services.  Entrepreneurs learn how to recognize opportunities within their society and how to take advantage of those opportunities for personal benefit and community development. Mini-Society citizens are encouraged to create the kind of community they would really want to live in.

Citizens of Mini-Society need to collaborate to build a community and to carve out their place in it. Decisions made in the community are real and have real consequences. The experience is “hands-on” and active, the learning is real and instant.

Mini-Society makes kids happy learners and civic leaders because they are their own bosses.  They naturally learn the employ the combination of learning systems appropriate to the tasks at hand.  They make the learning choices and they use the systems that work best for them.

For more information or to register, see Mini Society.

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Tribute Donations for Seniors

In honor of their 4-H career accomplishments, a tribute donation of $10 was made to the North Dakota 4-H Foundation in honor of all graduating high school seniors in Stark-Billings County. The 4-H Council gave the donation to recognize involvement in the Stark-Billings County 4-H Program by the following individuals:

Jake Baumgarten, Belfield, Silver Spurs 4-H Club

Chanceller Dworshak, Dickinson, Dakota Variety 4-H Club

Samantha Froelich, Dickinson, Spyglass 4-H Club

Christine Hetzel, Gladstone, Prairie Roses 4-H Club

McKyla Hondl, Dickinson, Prairie Hustlers 4-H Club

Samantha Hutzenbeler Belfield, Dakota Variety 4-H Club

Chance Noyce, Dickinson, Dakota Variety 4-H Club

Kyle Praus, Dickinson, Dakota Variety 4-H Club

Ross Rebel, Taylor, Grandvale 4-H Club

Trish Schneider, Hebron, Prairie Pals 4-H Club

Rachel Zander, Dickinson, Shadow Riders 4-H Club

Congratulations, seniors!

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Newest Member of Extension Office Family

Joel Adam Schulz, son of Dixie and Jess Schulz, was born Saturday, May 17, 2008. He weighed 6 lbs., 3 oz., and was 18 1/2” long. Joel joins a brother, Jess. Congratulations to Dixie, part-time county extension office support staff, and her family.

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4-H Shooting Sports Day Camps

4-H uses Shooting Sports to teach youth development. The program helps youngsters develop skills like self-confidence, personal discipline, responsibility, teamwork, self-esteem and sportsmanship. Discipline and self-control that are needed for young people to handle firearms carries over into many other aspects of life.

The 4-H Shooting Sports program is designed to teach good self-concept and character and to promote the highest standards of safety and ethical behavior.

North Dakota 4-H Shooting Sports Instructors are certified and trained in their disciplines at state wide national schools.

Who Should Attend?

* 4-H membership is not required. All youth are invited!

* Area youth ages 8 to 10 will have hands-on experience with archery, BB gun and will see a demonstration of muzzle loading.

* Area youth ages 11 and older will have hands-on experience with archery, shot gun, muzzle loading and BB gun.

*Interested parents, grandparents or other adults are welcome to attend.

Cost

Youth cost includes noon meal — $5 to $10 depending on age and camp location

Dates

Dunn County 4-H Shooting Sports Day Camp - June 17 (registration deadline is June 13)

Bowman/Slope 4-H Shooting Sports Day Camp - June 18 (registration deadline is June 10)

Enrollment is limited, so register today! Contact the Stark-Billings County Extension Office for more information or to register.

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Geo Treasure Hunt

Napoleon will be hosting a geo treasure hunt on June 20, 2008. View the event here. Once at that site put 58561 in the zip code box in the upper right hand corner to get the information.

This event was planned by students for youth and adults to travel around the Napoleon area and visit geocache sites. There will also be time to visit with the other geocachers and the students who put the event together.

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Free Educational Software Programs

There are several exciting and free pieces of educational software available to download off the Internet. Please share this information with your 4-H youth.

Scratch is a program to develop computer games and/or animations.

Alice is an innovative 3D programming environment that makes it easy to create an animation for telling a story, playing an interactive game, or a video to share on the web. Alice is a teaching tool for introductory computing. It uses 3D graphics and a drag-and-drop interface to facilitate a more engaging, less frustrating first programming experience. 

Both Scratch and Alice are excellent programs to use to teach the basic programming of Robotics.

Stellarium is a planetarium software that shows exactly what you see when you look up at the stars. It's easy to use, and free. 

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Premium Sale Buyers Invitations Mailed

Livestock Premium Sale Buyer invitations were mailed to 4-H members enrolled in livestock, horse, poultry and rabbit projects. Please contact the Stark-Billings County Extension Office if you didn’t get them or if you need more copies.

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Governor’s Photo Contest

Any amateur photographer who lives in North Dakota is invited to submit entries to the Governor's Photo Contest. Winning photographers will receive a $100 cash prize and their entry will be featured in North Dakota Tourism's marketing materials.

"This contest is a great opportunity for amateur photographers in our state to demonstrate their talents, while showcasing North Dakota's legendary people, places, events and natural wonders," said Hoeven. "I look forward to another exciting contest as our citizens capture the unique things to see and do across our state."

According to Tourism Director Sara Otte Coleman, photographs will be judged on their ability to showcase North Dakota as a Legendary destination in the following categories: spring, summer, fall or winter scenery; people; outdoor adventure and activities; attractions; events; and wildlife. Entries will be judged on originality, interest of the subject matter, visual appearance and consistency with the category theme. Photo entries should be taken within the last three years. There is no limit to the number of entries allowed per photographer.

The deadline to enter is Sept. 8. North Dakota Tourism will retain exclusive ownership rights to all winning photographs for use in the 2009 North Dakota Travel Guide, Hunting and Fishing Guide and on the Tourism Division's Web site.

Complete contest rules can be found on the Tourism Division Web site.

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Starter Flock Program

The North Dakota Lamb and Wool Producers Association has launched the perpetual starter flock program to help youth get into the sheep and wool industries.

The program, created with assistance from the North Dakota State University Extension Service, is open to North Dakota youth ages 10 to 18.

Each youth selected for the program will receive 10 ewes from the association. The animals will be purchased at the association-sponsored ewe sale at the Bowman (N.D.) Livestock Market in September.

Youth interested in participating should send an application to Justin Luther at 100D Hultz Hall, NDSU, Fargo, ND 58105. The application must be postmarked by August 1. Applicants also must submit a letter of support and endorsement from a parent or legal guardian and two letters of recommendation from people other than family members.

For more information, contact the Stark-Billings County Extension Office.

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4-H Club Fundraising Opportunity

4-H Clubs are again invited to take part in a fund raising opportunity to increase their club treasury. The annual Champions Ride Match Rodeo Fundraiser will be held during the next couple months.

Local 4-H clubs have been invited to sell advance tickets for the 2008 Champions Ride Rodeo.
Individual tickets are good for one admission to the Champions Ride Match Rodeo on Sunday, August 3, at the Home on the Range. The ticket also provide the ticket holder the chance to win some great prizes, which include:

	Recliner
	½ processed beef
	½ processed pork
	Digital camera
	Carhart coat
	2 rodeo camp-style chairs
	$20 Pheasant Country Golf Course certificate
	Prairie Knights Package
	$50 Runnings gift certificate

Ticket cost is $15.00.

4-H clubs will be asked to “check out” books of tickets -- ten tickets to a book. Any number of books can be checked out, there is no minimum number of books. For your club’s fundraising efforts, the 4-H club will receive $5 for each ticket sold.

The deadline for raffle ticket sales is July 18. All raffle stubs, unsold raffle tickets and all the proceeds need to be returned by that date to:

Champions Ride Match
Home On The Range
16351  I94
Sentinel Butte ND 58654

Your 4-H club will be issued one check for the fundraising proceeds after the stubs, unsold tickets, and proceeds have been returned.

Questions or ticket requests can be directed to Jolene Obrigewitch, Development Director at the Home on the Range -- 701-872-3745.

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For more information contact:

Kurt Froelich, Extension Agent/Stark-Billings County
(701) 456-7665