Passport to the World!

Sixty-eight

4-H youth and certified volunteers presented their passports at 4-H Clover Customs this summer at Camp Rotary near Monarch.  The 

4-H camp, which offered a global perspective and three-day whirlwind tour of the world, was planned by sixteen 4-H teen camp counselors who were supervised by two camp directors, Marla Holmquist and Lynda Allen, and by the two MSU Extension agents in Teton County, Brent Roeder and Jane Wolery.  The teens developed the camp theme, planned the activities, taught the classes, and supervised younger 4-H members throughout camp.  The sixteen counselors this year included Hanna Antonsen, Katelyn Antonsen, Daniel Asselstine, Delaynie Beadle, Cassidy DeBruycker, Michaela Gunderson, Honoré Holmquist, Nicholas Konen, Hannah Konen, Rebekah Major, Brigid Miller, Caroline Roeder, Watson Snyder, Zane Somerfeld and Annie Townsend. The Teton County 4-H Camp is open to    4-H members in Teton County, as well as non-members. 

Honoré Holmquist and Caroline Roeder taught about the refugee situation around the world from a child’s perspective and led the campers in creating emergency relief hygiene kits that included a thin towel (easier to dry), soap, toothbrushes, combs and nail clippers.  The kits will be donated through a world relief program.  Michaela Gunderson taught an African plant art class featuring the cassava plant and African symbols.  Nicholas Konen led a longitude and latitude string art workshop, and Cassidy DeBruycker told the legend of the Japanese lantern and guided youth in making their own lanterns.  Kirtland Briscoe taught a very fun four-person German dance, followed by Daniel Asselstine and Delaynie Beadle teaching Western two-step and jitterbug classes.  Brigid Miller taught youth how to finger knit and discussed where in the world knitting might have originated and why.  Caroline Roeder gave some earthly etiquette lessons to help 4-H members learn proper customs around the world.  Campers enjoyed an opportunity to use a bow and arrow in an archery session led by Watson Snyder.  4-H members donned gumball leis that Rebekah Major taught them how to make, along with learning the Polynesian art of hula dancing.  Hannah Konen helped youth learn recycling and paper making skills, along with some global communications games.  Youth were able to sample an important world protein source, crickets, during Hanna Antonsen’s class on planet proteins.  Youth also learned about pulse crops and that this is the Year of the Pulse.  Katelyn Antonsen taught youth to make dream catchers, a Native American tradition.  To provide fun, active breaks, Kirtland Briscoe taught some games from around the world, and Annie Townsend coordinated a version of 4-H Olympic Games.  Kirtland Briscoe also taught a class on packing for a variety of adventures.  Zane Somerfeld showed campers how to make pizza planets, which campers enjoyed as they departed camp.

Photo courtesy Daniel Asselstine

Photo courtesy Daniel Asselstine

This whirlwind tour also included stops at flag ceremonies to develop citizenship skills, campfires, singing, vespers and cabin activities.  Each cabin was based on a country, from England to Australia to India and Russia, and counselors planned activities for their cabin based on the country.  Of course, a large portion of the world is made of water, so camp included a water fight.  The camp also included a few 

international flavors and foods.  Camp would not be possible without the adult volunteers, including Lynda Allen, Brad Asselstine, Cathy Campbell, Marla Holmquist, Carolyn Major, Leona Somerfeld, Katie Townsend and Tammy Townsend.  Each adult plays a vital role from camp cook to nurse and everything in between to support the camp counselors as they develop their leadership skills. 

Summer Time!

Teton County 4-H members, Jayelyn Ruckman, Ali Willekes, Claire Ruckman, Kylee Ruckman, Maria Murnane and Watson Snyder, all competed at the Montana State 4-H Congress July 7-10 on the Montana State University campus in Bozeman.  The 4-Hers competed in livestock evaluation, horse evaluation and demonstrations contest.  Jayelyn Ruckman, competing for her last time at Congress, placed second overall in livestock evaluation.  Ruckman plans to attend Casper College on the livestock judging team, putting her well-developed skills to use.  Ruckman also received the Anton and Helga Sunsted Pioneer scholarship to use for her college expenses.

Ali Willekes, Claire Ruckman and Kylee Ruckman formed a livestock judging team with Cascade County 4-H member, Natalie Gerard.  (Because Jayelyn Ruckman had previously competed at Western National, she was unable to participate on the team.)  The team placed second in the contest, aided by individual scores from Claire Ruckman placing sixth overall, Kylee Ruckman placing ninth and Ali Willekes, competing for her first time, placing nineteenth and soundly in the top half of individuals. 

Maria Murnane was an individual competitor in the horse judging and placed sixth.  She is in her second year competing in that category.

Watson Snyder, the only first-time competitor in the delegation, placed fifth with his demonstration titled, Second Fiddle to None.  Snyder taught about the parts of the violin and foot positions of the violin while sharing about the power of the violin to give hope and inspiration.  Snyder was called back for the finals round and has earned a spot on the Montana delegation to National 4-H Congress this fall in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Sarah Hodgskiss and her family joined Teton County for the final banquet at Congress where she received the W. Doyle Stocks scholarship.  Hodgskiss will attend MSU Bozeman this fall. 

Besides competitive events at Congress, delegates participate in team-building activities, educational workshops and leadership training.  The Teton County group attended classes on animal science taught by Dr. Rachel Endecott and Phil Merta, Lead with Resilience taught by Mandie Reed, Rangelands taught by Dan Lucas and Youth Leadership Institute taught by Campbell Barrett. 

The group, chaperoned by Jane Wolery, enjoyed two excellent presentations during general sessions.  Ben Glenn, the Chalk Guy, spoke about overcoming adversity and how to take struggles and turn them into triumphs.  To emphasize his point, he creates an artwork with chalk on a giant board in front of the audience.  His “performance art” is set to music and drives home the point about creating beauty in one’s own life, using all life experiences to create a masterpiece. 

The delegation agreed that one of the highlights of the conference was listening to Dr. Eugene Schoenfeld, a holocaust survivor born in Czechoslovakia.  At 89 years, Dr. Schoenfeld stood for nearly 90 minutes recounting his story and holding the audience in rapt attention.  Schoenfeld’s message was one of compassion and humanity.  Even as he answered questions from the audience, his answers were more than factual, they were lessons in how to forgive, heal, and treat others. He said he felt our jobs on earth were to learn how to treat each other more humanely.  Schoenfeld survived concentration camps in Auschwitz, Warsaw, Dachau and Muhldorf.  Many of his family members did not survive the atrocities. 

The theme of 4-H Congress was “The Amazing Race” and lessons abounded at Congress in how to be part of the most amazing race, the human race.  

Chemical -- Reaction!  Seventy-one people took part recently in the education explosion at the Teton County 4-H Mad Lab July 14-16 at Camp Rotary.  Ten 4-H camp counselors have been working to plan camp since February.  Camp counselors learn leadership, communication and team skills while preparing the lessons, activities, recreation, camp fires and classes at 4-H camp.

With the science theme, campers learned everything from baking science to rocket launching.  Classes ranged from thought-provoking, with Honore Holmquist sharing about cerebral palsy and letting campers sample some of the challenges she faces with muscle control to inspiring, with Caroline Roeder teaching cryptology.  As a result, many coded messages where found throughout 4-H Camp.  There were active classes involving sport science with Zane Somerfeld investigating pressure in balls to movement science with dance classes by Watson Snyder and Hanna Konen.  Maria Murnane, Austin Rogers and Katelyn Antonsen helped 4-H members experiment with emulsion, bubbles, acid-base reactions, lava lamps, and bouncy balls.  Annie Townsend and Javy Somerfeld provide art science classes with glass etching and clay fossil creations.  Watson Snyder organized two classes on rocketry and was assisted by  the other counselors.  Caroline Roeder and Katelyn Antonsen assisted with a cupcake experiment with Caroline Rogers and Jane Wolery.  Members rotated through stations learning about gluten, leavening, measurements and a decorating station where they made a campfire cupcake.  Caroline Roeder and Katelyn Antonsen also played mind games with campers sharing some of what they learned about neuroscience through their participation in the eight-month 4-H BioScience program last year. 

4-H Camp provides an opportunity for youth to develop leadership and team-building skills, independence and belonging, and to learn new skills.  Campers enjoy games, camp fires, singing, dances and outdoor recreation in addition to the classes at camp.  The Teton County 4-H program welcomes both 4-H members and non-members to attend and participate in their yearly youth camp activities.