Category Archives: Events

Spring Judging School

You are invited to the Virginia Spring Judging School to be held Saturday, May 14, 2016 in Caroline County, Virginia. Registration starts at 9:00 a.m.; the program concludes at 2:30 p.m. The purpose of the judging school is to train and certify judges for county fairs, the State Fair of Virginia, and other home goods and related competitions throughout Commonwealth.

To prepare individuals for evaluating indoor exhibits.
To help individuals gain a greater understanding of state and local fairs and the educational opportunities they present..
To increase the knowledge of state and local fair judges regarding different evaluation systems and procedures.
To create awareness in judges regarding a positive experience for the exhibitors.
To develop a pool of certified judges.

Classes include Houseplants, Vegetables/ Fruits, Baked Goods, Refinish/Refurbish/Repurpose, Quilts and more. Participants should have some knowledge of the subject area they plan to register for and are encouraged to bring samples to be discussed in the class. All participants must agree to be listed in a Fair Judging School Directory and be willing to judge at state and local fairs and other events.

This is an excellent opportunity to gain practical knowledge of fair judging. Go here Judging School Spring 2016 to find more details about the class schedule and how to register.
Enjoy the day!

Pegi

La Wanda (Pegi) Wright, M.Ed., CFCS-HDFS | Extension Agent| Unit Coordinator
Family and Consumer Sciences | Family and Human Development
Virginia Cooperative Extension | Virginia Tech | Virginia State University
10087 Kings Highway | King George, VA 22485 | 540-775-3062
109 County Street | P.O. Box 339 | Bowling Green, VA 22427 | 804-633-6550
lvwright@vt.edu|

New Contest at Expo-Beef Challenge

Dear Colleagues –

Please check out the opportunities right around the corner!

1. We are excited for a new contest at Expo called Beef Challenge (April 15). Registration and Rules attached.

Virginia Beef Challenge

2. Also, we invite All Virginia counties with 4-H Livestock Programs to participate in the Northern District Livestock Judging Contest (May 14). Information is attached. Register by May 6th.
Northern District Livestock Judging packet 2016

Beef Challenge Rules 2016

Please let me know as you have questions!
Dara

Dara Booher, M.Agr.
Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development
965 Pleasant Valley Road
Harrisonburg, VA 22801-9630
Phone: 540/564-3080
Fax: 540/564/3093
Email: dbooher@vt.edu

“I think a good teacher of young children should try to be all-seeing, rather than all-knowing; a good listener, rather than a constant talker. The emphasis should be on observation and interpretation, rather than relying on past experience for solving every problem that arises.”
~Carol Hillman

2015 4-H Insect Collection Contest @ Hokie Bugfest

Good Morning Everyone,

It’s time to start collecting insects for the 2015 4-H Insect Collection Contest @ Hokie Bugfest. This year Bugfest will be held on October 17th, at the Inn at Virginia Tech. We encourage you to make an insect collection with your 4-H club and bring your collection for judging at Hokie Bugfest. A flyer is attached will full details about the contest. Prizes will be offered! Join us for a fun-filled and unforgettable day at Hokie Bugfest!

Thank you,

Stephanie

Stephanie L. Blevins
Consumer Education Project Manager
Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs
Department of Entomology
302 Agnew Hall (0409)
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061
P: (540) 231-6543 F: (540) 231-3057

4-H Insect Collection Contest_Hokie Bugfest 2015

4-H Intermediate Congress 2015

Good morning!

It is that time of year again to prepare for 4-H Intermediate Congress. The 2015 session will once again be held at Virginia State University from July 13th through July 15th. The cost to attend will be $90.

We are asking for your help this year, agents! Attached is the brochure for the event, in Word format. We did that because there are several places where you can add your personal office information and then distribute. We would like all agents to handle their own registration and accept payments. You can create your own deadlines, as long as I have the information all back 4H Intermediate Congress 2015who need financial assistance.

Please collect all necessary forms and send them to me, along with payment, by Friday, June 26th. That will give me time to organize all the details.

Also, remember we are on the lookout for Teen Mentors as well. They must be experienced 4-Her’s who have completed Mentor Training. We would like them to be between the ages of 14 and 15. It is free for the mentors to attend. You are our eyes and ears, so we trust you to pick the best teens you can send our way. We need ten total. Just fill out the camp forms and forward them to me along with the rest, adding a note to let me know they are mentors.

Any agents who would like to come and help out are welcome to attend as well, just send your health forms along as well. We would love to see you!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me, or Albert Reid, our 4-H Specialist who is in charge of the event.

Thanks for all your help! We couldn’t do this without you!

Jessica Harris
Administrative and Office Specialist II
Virginia Cooperative Extension 4-H
Virginia State University
P.O. Box 9081
Petersburg, VA 23806
Phone: (804) 524-5964
Fax: (804) 524-5057
Email: jbrown@vsu.edu

State 4-H WHEP Contest – Oct 11, 2014

To: WHEP Team Coaches
Volunteers & Agents interested in learning more about WHEP
This is it… The Official announcement of the VA State 4-H Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) Contest.
The contest will be held on Saturday October 11, 10:00 a.m. at Holliday Lake State Park in Appomattox. VA (specific location and directions will be sent to those who register teams or register as a visitor). Registration is due no later than Friday, October 3. There will be a cost of $4.00 per car to enter the State Park.
The contest region will be Eastern Deciduous Forest. However, for the species ID portion of the contest, species found in the Urban and Wetlands regions may also be used. Contestants should be familiar with those species for identification purposes. Please refer to the NEW 2014 WHEP Manual as posted at www.whep.org for the most current information which will be used for this contest. There has been a significant change in the manual and contest format.
Contestants, parents, volunteers and anyone else attending must bring their own lunch, snacks, water and chair. Please dress appropriately for the weather. We will be outside regardless of the weather.

1. Beginner Division – first or second year youth who have never competed in a state WHEP contest. Primarily designed for juniors (ages 9-13).

This division will include:
A. Wildlife Challenge – combines wildlife identification and general knowledge. Participants visit stations where they may be presented with a wildlife specimen and questions related to the species. Participants may be asked to identify an animal by specimen or portion of specimen, photo, animal sign, or sound. Alternatively, stations may be located outdoors and questions may be related to various habitat features. Questions for the Wildlife Challenge may be from information within Concepts and Terms, Ecoregions, Wildlife Species, Wildlife Management Practices, and the Glossary.
B. A guided session related to plan writing and wildlife management practices.
C. A hands on field work activity (such as, but not limited to a scavenger hunt for wildlife foods, or building a habitat for a given wildlife species)

2. Junior Division – Full competition for youth ages 9-13. They must have a team of 3 or 4 members to be eligible to compete in the full contest. Individual juniors may compete, however they will only be eligible for the individual awards.

This division will include:
A. Wildlife Challenge – combines wildlife identification and general knowledge. Participants visit stations where they may be presented with a wildlife specimen and questions related to the species. Participants may be asked to identify an animal by specimen or portion of specimen, photo, animal sign, or sound. Alternatively, stations may be located outdoors and questions may be related to various habitat features. When identifying species in the Wildlife Challenge, the correct spelling and capitalization must be used in order to receive credit. Refer to Index of Wildlife Species pages 86-88 for proper spelling and capitalization. Questions for the Wildlife Challenge may be from information within Concepts and Terms, Ecoregions, Wildlife Species, Wildlife Management Practices, and the Glossary. Wildlife food items and questions pertaining to wildlife foods also may be included. Appendix B provides definitions of various wildlife foods. Refer to species descriptions to learn what various species eat.
B. Wildlife Quiz Bowl (the wildlife version of jeopardy) is a fun and exciting event. Teams of 3 – 4 members will compete against each other answering questions which may come from the EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST Wildlife Species, EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST Region Information, Wildlife Management Practices, Concepts and Terms and the Glossary. This will be a two round competition. Round 1 will be head to head and Round 2 will be toss-up.
C. A guided session related to plan writing and wildlife management practices.

3. Seniors – Full competition for youth ages 14-19. They must have a team of 3 or 4 members to be eligible to compete in the full contest. Individual seniors may compete, however they will only be eligible for the individual awards.

This division will include:
A. Wildlife Challenge – combines wildlife identification and general knowledge. Participants visit stations where they may be presented with a wildlife specimen and questions related to the species. Participants may be asked to identify an animal by specimen or portion of specimen, photo, animal sign, or sound. Alternatively, stations may be located outdoors and questions may be related to various habitat features. When identifying species in the Wildlife Challenge, the correct spelling and capitalization must be used in order to receive credit. Refer to Index of Wildlife pages 86-88 for proper spelling and capitalization. Questions for the Wildlife Challenge may be from information within Concepts and Terms, Ecoregions, Wildlife Species, Wildlife Management Practices, and the Glossary. Wildlife food items and questions pertaining to wildlife foods also may be included. Appendix B provides definitions of various wildlife foods. Refer to species accounts to learn what various species eat.
B. On-Site Recommendation of Wildlife Management Practices (WMPs) – involves the recommendation of WMPs necessary to manage wildlife and habitat on a given site. Management recommendations should consider each species listed separately and WMPs should be recommended as if each species was the only species (focal species) considered on the site. Refer to the WMP charts in the Ecoregions section. This is an individual activity, so no talking or collaboration among team members is allowed.
C. Written Management Plan – is a team event where team members discuss, consider, and provide written recommendations that address current conditions and objectives regarding wildlife populations and habitat on a specified property. A written scenario describing the property, current conditions, and landowner objectives is provided to teams prior to starting the activity. All plans must be written using paragraph format. Teams may use one side of each of three pieces of paper provided. Two of these sheets are for writing the plan, and the third sheet is for sketching a map of the property illustrating where practices should be implemented. An aerial photo of the area may be provided to assist with the sketch.
D. Oral Defense of Written Plan – each team member will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of the plan. Team members are called individually into an area where they are asked a series of questions to test the individual’s knowledge of the team’s plan. Questions can cover anything related to the plan, the focal species, or management practices recommended.

The new 2014 manual that will be used for this contest is on the web at www.whep.org. Please refer to this version of the manual ONLY. Please also note that pages 86-88 have the official listing of the correct spelling and capitalization that will be used as the key for the wildlife ID portion of the contest.

To register for the state contest, please Kelly Mallory (malloryk@vt.edu) the following information no later than Friday, October 3rd. Here is the REGISTRATION LINK: http://tinyurl.com/WHEP2014

Counties may send as many teams and/or individuals as they like. Individuals from different counties may be combined at the contest to make teams.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Kelly Mallory
Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development
VCE-Madison
P.O. Box 10, Madison, VA 22727
Phone (540)948-6881
FAX (540)948-6883
Email: malloryk@vt.edu
http://madison4h.pbworks.com
Madison 4-H News
We are located on Main Street in the War Memorial Building, 2nd Floor
http://www.intra.ext.vt.edu/marketing/images/4H-Folder/centennial/VCEExtClrWeb.jpg

Statewide CHARACTER COUNTS! Training

Registration is currently open for the Virginia 4-H CHARACTER COUNTS! Train the Trainer Training, October 16-18, 2013 at Embassy Suites hotel in Richmond, Virginia.

This training will prepare participants to teach youth principled reasoning and ethical decision making skills based on the six pillars of character.  It will also prepare participants to work with other adults in their schools and communities to incorporate CHARACTER COUNTS! into the school day and after school activities and throughout the community. In addition, participants will learn how the values represented by the six pillars are revealed in the lives of children, and the adults who work with them. Through hands-on strategies for teaching and reinforcing these values, participants will learn successful tips on how to integrate Character Counts! throughout their 4-H program, school, and community to make the message permanent and pervasive. Nationally certified Character Counts! trainers will conduct these trainings.

The cost for the training is $150.00 for non-VCE employees and includes lodging, breakfast, lunch and snacks, and Character Counts! training curriculum for ages 4-teens.  There is no fee for VCE employees.  For participants not spending the night, the cost for the training is $125.00. Please contact Dr. Tonya Price for more details and for the registration form.  Please submit your registration form to Katie Lafon on or before Wednesday, September 25, 2013.

Please advertise this training to others who might be interested in participating – School Board office administrators, principals, guidance counselors, teachers, DARE and Resource officers, 4-H Volunteers, Recreation Department, Juvenile Judges, Juvenile Probation, Juvenile Detention Centers, Church youth leaders or teachers, home school groups, Chamber of Commerce, Crime Prevention Officers, Scouts, Day Care, and other community leaders and volunteers who may be interested.

We look forward to seeing you at the training in October!

Volunteer Conference of Southern States at Rock Eagle 4-H Center

Georgia 4-H in collaboration with North Carolina and Kentucky 4-H cordially invites your volunteers & staff to join us for the Volunteer Conference of Southern States, October 3-6, 2014 at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Georgia.  The Conference includes great speakers, incredible workshops, learning labs and so much more.  For all the conference details, visit the Conference Website and learn more about the terrific opportunities that await as you are Framing your Future, Building our Best. 

Registration is now open.  Registration is online and open directly to volunteers and staff. Tips for completing the registration form as well as methods for reducing costs for the conference are available on the conference registration site.   You may also directly access registration and begin completing your application. Space is limited and we will increase the cost by $50 on September 15.

Please contact Katie Lafon with any questions at klafon@vt.edu or 540-231-9410.