I got that summertime, summertime excitedness!

Hello Pennsylvania 4-H!

So the first thing I did the day after school was out (June 7) was that I had a State Council meeting! We all met in State College and had our meeting. Then several of us stayed the night so that we could get an early start to an amazing trip, our trip to Kentucky! We left EARLY in the morning and had roughly an 8 hour van ride to get there. From the moment I got out of the van in Kentucky and was greeted by the Kentucky State Council Officers I knew that I was going to have a great time in Kentucky!

When we got there, there was much to do to prepare for the 690 Kentucky 4-Hers that would be coming the next day. The PA State Council was also able to sit in on one of the Kentucky meetings. The next day was a blur of the many happy, excited faces of the people that I had to opportunity to meet.

If I had to compare the Kentucky 4-H State Teen Conference to an of our Pennsylvania State Events, I would compare it to State Leadership Conference. Throughout the Conference we had many workshops about anything from cooking to tying a tie to making leather belts! But it was also like State Days in that state awards were presented and the state council officer selections took place. I really liked getting to see how their officer selection and awards program differed from Pennsylvania's. All in all the entire conference was an amazing experience with lots of new faces and experiences that I will truly miss!

The next awesome thing that I did was the Southwest Regional 4-H camp. For those of you who know me, you would know that 4-H camp is one of my favorite 4-H events! Even since I was a camper, I always loved going to all the activities that they have at camp, such as recreation, nature, and crafts. But my favorite part is singing camp songs at the top of my lungs! That was always my favorite part as a camper too because for once, I didn't have to be quiet (not being quiet might or might not have gotten me in trouble a time or two in school)! As a counselor it is a great experience being able to meet and get to know all the campers. Camp as a whole is an amazing 4-H opportunity! So if you're 7-12 you can be a camper and if you're 14-18 you can apply to be a counselor! You have to go at least once, in my opinion.

So from Kentucky to good old 4-H camp in Pennsylvania, 4-H kicked my summer off with a bang! I can't wait to see all of you at the end of July at State Achievement Days!

See you then!

Jesse Isenberg 
2013/2014 Pennsylvania State 4-H CouncilVice President of Operations

I Promise I Didn't Sit At Home ALL Month...

Hey 4-Hers, HOW DO YOU FEEL!
We feel good, oh we feel so good uh! We feel fine, all of the time uh ahhhhh....

I guess I'm kind of still in camp mode.  After two 4-H camps in a row with only 3 days in between, you can imagine how much fun I had, not to mention how badly I lost my voice. I guess screaming camp songs for 3 hours in a bus isn't the best thing you can do for your vocal cords. Who knew?

Proof that I wasn't making the whole thing up

I attended 4-H Dairy and Livestock Camp as an adult volunteer rather than a counselor, but that doesn't mean I really acted like an adult.  And yes, you read that right, I went to a camp for those crazy animal people!  I just told those kids that the only thing I knew about livestock is that it's tasty, which in my eyes basically made me an expert.  I learned a lot of interesting things, and some misguided farmer actually let me clip his steer and walk one around.  Props to the people who show those animals, it's a lot harder than it looks to move those stubborn animals around and keep yourself from accidentally beating it with the stick thingy.  We also took a tour of a butcher's shop, where I learned in full detail exactly how an animal is prepared from beginning to end. (Now I'm imagining what my college friends were doing during this time, probably working or hanging out with friends at the mall or getting food.  I'm not sure if some of them could've handled it, much less volunteered for it.  Hi friends!)  But they gave us free beef sticks, and I'm all about that free food so I was sold.  Hopefully I'll be able to help out as an adult again next year.

Some of us counselors after the obstacle course and epic Jell-O fight

But my favorite camp will always be traditional 4-H camp where I was a Jr. camp Senior Counselor for my final year.  The theme was "Mystery Machine", so all of the activities were mystery themed in some way. Unfortunately, I had to miss the Council exchange trip to Kentucky in order to go to camp, but I think I made the right choice.  I mean, I got to scare people in the woods wearing a werewolf mask, sing the bluebirdy song at 6 a.m., and take part in an obstacle course that included pools filled with ooblek, oatmeal, and Jell-O, crawling through mud, and going through an enormous slip n slide that I completely wiped out on. I wouldn't miss it for the world!

Preparing for some devious plan including a clump of oatmeal

As you can imagine, I'm the type of counselor who likes to bring a lot of stuff to camp.  And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT.  (Surprisingly though, I really don't bring that many outfits.  Don't worry, I try not to be that girl.)  The stuff I like to bring is things to decorate my cabin and make my girls feel more at home, and since this was my last year, I decided I would go all out.  From rubber band bracelet crafts to obnoxious amounts of candy, streamers to stuffed unicorns, a Swiffer to glow bracelets, and balloons, posters, Christmas lights, coloring books, and bedtime stories in between, you could say I had a ton of fun packing.

Keeping the cabin clean every year is almost impossible.  Let's just say it was so bad one year, the staff members who go around camp taking photos for the memory CD actually took pictures of my messy cabin and put it on the CD because nobody would think it was real.  And of course, things get lost.  I end up with half packs of markers, random suspicious socks that I throw away, and one year, one of my campers mailed me one of my shirts home that she somehow found in her bag.

Senior Counselors 2014

But despite the mess and craziness and lost things, I always end up leaving with more than I bring.  I leave with more friends, more more memories, and more excitement for 4-H than I did when I showed up on the first day.  That is truly the most rewarding part of attending any 4-H camp, and I'll never forget the amazing things I've gained in the past 7 years.

Well, maybe my body can forget to gain the weight from the amazing amounts of food I always seem to eat at camp.  I live for those camp taco salads, but someday it'll catch up with me...

Wipeout!

Have a jazzy July, and I hope to see you at State Days!
Sophie Hutchinson, Council Representative

Summertime is Finally Here!

Well obviously summer is greatly upon us now.  Which I may add is my favorite time of year.  Why wouldn't it be? Summertime for me means early mornings and late nights, campfires, livestock shows, and just being outdoors.

Some might wonder why on earth would a teenage girl be up really early during the summer? Summer is for sleeping in right? Wrong!  Not for me I'm up at the crank of dawn in the morning and ready to tackle whatever barn work needs done.  Show livestock just can't feed themselves. Even though I'm up so early doesn't mean I'm a morning person.  BEWARE: I look like a zombie for a good hour when I first wake up. With all these early morning I have seen some of the most beautiful sunrises ever. What do you think?

You can keep your city lights

My favorite color purple

My one of my favorite parts of summer is sitting around the campfire. Some of the best stories I have heard have been a told sitting around a fire. Our council campfire was a blast. I never knew a s'more with a Reese's Cup would be so good! Campfire food is absolutely the bomb! Perfectly golden mountain pies, chewy s'mores, and roasted corn on the cob are just some of my favorites. Mmmmm good!

Most people that know me know how much I love showing livestock.  The PCLA circuit just wrapped up this past weekend. For me it was a very successful circuit. Some class winners, showmanship titles, and I even did good on the skill-a-thon! It felt like just yesterday I was unpacking from the first jackpot show and now here I am getting ready to pack for fair. Time sure flies!

Rango and I at Spring Fling Jackpot Show

For the record I live surrounded by a rectangle of trees. So to say I have spent many days outside enjoying the fresh air is an understatement! Swimming, going for walks, picking berries, riding four wheelers the list could go on and on. For me if you can do something outside it is automatically better.

Have a fantastic summer and remember the sunscreen and bug spray!

Enjoy the hot weather,

Megan Anderson

It's June Already??

Hello Pennsylvania 4-H!

Where has all the time gone?! It's hard to believe that I am officially a high school graduate about to begin the next phase in my life. I feels like yesterday I just started Kindergarten. In the coming days, I am going to be attending my New Student Orientation at Penn State and cannot stress how nervous I am!

Summer has been flying by for me, and while it is flying by it means that my term on council is coming to a close! I can't believe it is almost state days! I wish there was a way to pause time so I could be with my council family just a bit longer! Even though I don't want to give up my spot on council, I can't wait to see what the next council has in store! State Days should be so much fun.

As June is coming to a close and July is about to begin, I hope to see tons of familiar faces at State Days! Have a safe and fun holiday, but be working on fair projects!!

Kaitlin Rogers
Pennsylvania State Council Vice President of Events

An Ode to 4-H Camp!

“I’m a super 4-Her! Betcha don’t know what I can do. Got 4 leaves and a motto too, got green pride runnin through and through”-the Best Camp Song Ever



Camp 2012

 

Hey Pennsylvania 4-H!

Bitter-sweet moments are, well, bitter-sweet. I am faced with one of these moments as we speak. On one hand, I am hours away from 4-H Camp! On the other, I know that it will be my last camp as a 4-H member. To someone who loves 4-H Camp as much as I do, the thought of the end can be tough to swallow. I know for a fact that I would not be where I am today if I never went to camp.

Being a first-time camp counselor so closely to attending my first state days is what caused me to fall in love with 4-H. I can clearly recall several pinnacle moments in my 4-H career, and one of those is me standing in the extension office as my county agent and my mom both talked me into being a CIT. Camp is where I first made that connection with my fellow 4-Hers, a connection that would send me down the 4-H path full steam ahead.

Camp 2013

Why do I love camp so much? Camp is a place where every kid can truly be themselves. All of the reputations and peer-influences from school are gone, and you can be yourself in the most wild and pure way. It never gets old watching a camper completely transform from the beginning to the end of camp. I love being a counselor because I get to play a part in making that transition happen.

So now I have a choice. I can let the thought of my last camp linger with me and let it bring me down… or I can hand over the reins proudly, step back, and watch the magic of camp happen one last time. I choose the second one. Now without further ado, its time to go sing songs about Reese’s peanut butter cups, gopher guts, and everything in between.

 


Till State Days,
 

Nate Repetz
2013/2014 PA 4-H State Council
President
 

 

June According to Amber

Hello everyone!

June has been a whirlwind of craziness from beginning to end! I have finally graduated! The ceremony took place on Friday, the 13th and, true to form for all unlucky days, it didn't go off perfectly. Rather. it was postponed for a whole hour due to rain. And while we grads were snug and bored inside the the auxiliary gym, our poor parents were stuck in the bleachers, forced to wait out a near torrential rainfall. but we persevered! We waited for the clouds to dry up a little, and processed onto the field in the midst of a refreshing mist/ The rain drizzled for the entire two hour ceremony, and we tried our best to keep our diplomas dry for the duration. Luckily, the rain stopped just in time for our families to come down to the field with us for pictures and hugs! After graduation I had a few days of work, work, work before I attended my college orientation at Shippensburg University!

Orientation was a blast! I learned some cool new mixers that my camp-oriented brain immediately latched onto, and I made a few friends in my major! My official major is English/Secondary Certification with a minor in German. I scheduled my first semester's worth of classes and thanks to a little finagling I don't have a single class until 11;00. Any day of the week! I am super excited I managed to avoid the dreaded 8:00 o'clock lecture, and I'm super stoked to start classes on August 25th!

After orientation it was more work, work, work!  I'm saving up to buy myself my very own car this summer! I have my eye on the perfect one! Its a  '94 Grand Cherokee. I saw it one day as I was driving home, and I fell in love! Hopefully by the end of july it will be mine! (I'll keep you posted.)

Tomorrow I leave for Summer Camp! This is my favorite time of the 4-H year, for obvious, camp-related reasons. This Yer's theme is Secret Agent, which means exciting things for our campers! Here's hoping everything goes well! See you in July!

Sincerely,
Amber J Pound
Council Historian

It's Summer Time!!!!

Hello Pennsylvania 4-H,

I cannot believe it is summer. The kick off to summer was my amazing trip to Kentucky with my council!!! We attended from June 8th though the 12th. The event we attended was Kentucky 4-H State Teen Conference. We were able to learn all about how 4-h in Kentucky runs and meet the people who makes it happen. June 12th also happened to be the day I graduated from high school. I hopped on a plane home from Kentucky and got back just in time(the night before) to walk at graduation!!! Now being fully graduated from high school the next step is to turn 18! On July 5th I finally get to do all those crazy things eighteen year olds can do like drive past 11! WooHoo! Have a great summer Pennsylvania 4-H!

Forever 4-H,
Alexandra Adams
2013-2014 Pennsylvania State 4-H Council Vice President of Internal Affairs 

June!:)

Hey everybody this your State Council Report again! June was an important month for me because I had graduation, Kentucky trip with the State Council Team, and I start my college summer classes!
When graduation day came let me say I was so excited to graduate high school. Although I will say that I am going to miss my friends and the really awesome teachers I had that help me get to graduation with their wonderful support. It wasn't an easy senior year that's for sure, but I knew I could make it to graduation and I did!
A couple days after graduation I left to go to Kentucky with some of my State Council team. I had a blast in Kentucky. The State Council went to Kentucky for the Kentucky 4-H State Teen Conference and that was a fun seeing house the Kentucky 4-H does there Conference. The State Teen Conference was different then our State Leadership Conference. They had two days for workshops and tracks, they had a opening dance on the first night and then they had a closing dance which was their 4-H ball, and they had a fashion revue. The first night that we in Kentucky we met up with the State Council team and the State Officer and all had great time by getting to knew each other. I really liked the workshops and the track I was in. I took a "Don't Stress" track it helped me a lot because if I am every stress then I know how I can deal with it. For my first workshop I took a "Chocolate" where I got to take all different kinds of chocolate and what they are called and the ingredient they use to make it. I also got to make my own fudge in that workshop and it was awesome. For my second workshop I took "Launching Your Further" where I got knew all the financial  for college and like what the different is between credit and debit. It was a good workshop for me to go to. One night Kentucky had a night out where all the district got to out in town or go swimming. Well our State Council when to a place called "Malibu Jack" where they had Go-Cart racing, Miniature Golf , and arcade and that was a lot of fun. Throughout my time in Kentucky I have made a lot of new friends that I hope to keep in touch with. I would have to say that I had a fun time in Kentucky and I hope to go visit again.
I know June is still not over but I wanted to talk about that I get to start summer college classes and I am really excited and scared at the same time. I am really excited that I get to make new friends and hopefully taking classes with the friends that I will be making.

Your Reporter
Divya Reitz

An Ending... or a New Beginning?

Hello PA 4-H!!

As many of you are well aware (Some very annoyed, I'm sure) Graduation, end of the season banquets and SUMMER are all right around the very bendy, twisty, never ending corner. Am I right? Well going into all of these "last ever" experiences, I'm not sure how to feel. Am I happy because the last thirteen years of school are over? Do I feel sad because a chapter in my life is closing? Or do I just feel extremely stressed because everything is happening so fast I can't manage to get my head around it? Unfortunately, I seem to have chosen the latter. The senior activities, the last few days of track practice, the graduation parties, the college new student orientation, and the dreaded graduation day are driving me crazy. Most days I come home from school and sleep for hours before finally going to bed at night. And on top of all the stress, my mother wants me to get a job, like seriously mom?!

Like the stress from graduation isn't bad enough, the stress from finishing out my last high school track season was plenty. I pole vault for my high school, which is quite unique, so unique that we couldn't find a coach, so there I am, a student athlete, coaching three freshman how to fling their bodies in the air without dying. I gave up my time to teach them what they needed to know to succeed, but was it worth it? The feeling they had when achieving at the sport was amazing, but because I constantly put them first, I only finished third in the league, 6 inches off of my high school record. It was a crazy season, being responsible for everyone else, filling out paper work, making sure everyone had a pole, getting them to weigh-ins, creating practices, and workout schedules. I look back now thinking, how in the world did I do that! I guess one would say that was the moment I realized I was ready for the "real world".

I'm nervous for college, to start a new job (my first job ever!!!), and to become the new pole vaulting coach at my high school. I keep telling myself you won't die, college isn't going to be the end of you and you will not drop out after one semester. Some how I'll get through it all, and although excepting that fact that I am "growing up" was difficult, it helped take some of the constant stress off. In the end, I've decided that it isn't an ending at all, it is a new beginning. Which then gets a person to thinking, is anything ever an ending, or is it all just a new beginning? I just blew everyone's minds I know, crazy right?? It's my new found adult knowledge (or that is what I'm going to tell myself). Now that I have found my "new" self, I'm ready for graduation, ready to meet this "new beginning" in the eye so it knows not to mess with me. I can't wait to see what the summer and this job situation brings! I'll update you on my new adult journey!!

Farewell old me, Hello new improved adult Kaitlin!!

Have a great June Everyone! Congrats Grads!

Kaitlin Rogers
2013-2014 PA4-HSC Vice President of Events

Living in Fast-Forward

“The body’s a temple, that’s what were taught, but I’ve treated this one like an old honky tonk…. Cause I been living in fast-forward, hillbilly rock star out of control. I’ve been living in fast-forward, now I need to rewind real slow” –Kenny Chesney

 What’s up 4-H!? It’s not often that I blog about my past month, but I’ve been so many awesome experiences that I can’t help but share it with you. So without further ado, here we go!

For me, May started in the Penn State Altoona library. Literally. At midnight, I was in the library working on my final research paper for my English class, which just happened to be the last of 4 papers I had to write that week. The last week of classes were a lot more stressful for me then finals week itself, but thanks to my almost permanent residence in the library, I made it through. I passed my two finals the next week, and on May 8^th I was officially moved back home and on summer break!

Here is where the story starts to get hectic. The very next day, Friday the 9^th, I took my friend Ali to her senior prom. It was great to see all of my friends again and a great chance to relax after two hard weeks of academia. However I wasn’t able to stay out to late with them, as I had to be up at 7 the next morning for an all-day State Council meeting. A lot of good things came out of that meeting, and
ow I can’t wait for everyone to experience the State Days we have planned out! (Even if I have to hang up my blazer afterwards)

I got to enjoy a nice mother’s day with my family, but I also had to pack a suitcase. Early the next morning, I boarded a flight to Colorado, where I spent the next 8 days traveling around the state with members of the Penn State Teach Ag! Society. We visited agriculture education programs, networked with ag professionals, and still managed to take time to be tourists and relax. Being at a branch campus, I enjoyed the chance to interact with others in my major and get a first-hand look at classroom teaching. It renewed my belief that I have chosen the right career path for myself. I can’t wait to teach ag!

After the trip was over, I got home at 3:30 in the morning and was up to start my first day of work at 9a.m. This summer I am working as a grounds keeper/laborer for a local man with a small hobby farm. It means 40 hour weeks of manual labor, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. I have been putting in shift work ever since, looking forward to our next State Council event. Remember when Rachel and Cody from Kentucky’s State Council came to visit us at SLC? Well in less than a week, we will be on the road to Kentucky to visit Kentucky 4-H at their State Days!

Sometimes I do feel worn out and tired by all of this traveling, but with so many awesome things to do and look forward to it is definitely all worth it. It won’t be long before I have to hang up my blazer and subsequently age out of 4-H, so I intend to make the most of these last 2 months… living in fast forward!

“Yeah I need to rewind real slow……. But I’ve still got some miles to go”!!!!

 

Nate Repetz

2013/2014 PA 4-H State Council

President

Wait...what?

So, where did this year go? I'm honestly not sure. At the beginning of the year, I was apprehensive about this new family that I was suddenly a member of. And now I honestly cannot imagine my life without these 11 Ah-MAZING people!!!!
I can't believe everything is coming to an end so quickly. High School Graduation is next week, and State Achievement days is in just under 2 MONTHS!!! I just can't believe it!!! I'm so grateful to have this amazing group of people who I can call my Council Family.
If you are thinking about being on council and are not sure, I have three words for you; JUST DO IT!!! You honestly will not regret it. My council family, is always there for me with a kind word and a joke when I need them. I love these guys, and they have made this year so special, I don't know what I'm going to do without them...
BRB gonna go cry :'(
Signing off,

Lydia Lion

Destination: GRADUATION!

TO THE CLASS OF 2014!

CONGRATULATIONS! We made it!

As May comes to a close I would just like to take this moment to offer my congratulations to everyone who will graduate in the next two weeks! We survived Senior-itis, and the Junior Juncture,  We made it through the Sophomore Slump and the Freshman Freak-out . We survived Middle School and Elementary School and we fondly remember the halcyon days of Kindergarten.

We've survived the K-12 and now we're on to bigger and better pursuits! Whether that be a College, a Technical School or straight into the workforce, I wish you the best of luck! 

May is always a crazy month between AP testing in the beginning and yearbooks and Color Day towards the end. I actually don't know how many schools host a Color Day, but ours is pretty epic.

Color Day is this contest between the classes that my school runs every year. You wear your class colors and your class t-shirt, and then there's a contest for best decorated car as well. People get really into the car contest, but since I'm not allowed to drive to school (unfortunately) I don't get to participate in that. Anyways the first half of the day is a lot like a field day, different clubs sell stuff, Phantom Shadow brings in blow up stuff, there are games and you can just sorta roam the school. Its the best part of Color Day. And then ts off to the gym for the AFS Talent Show, which is run by the American Field Services advisor and Herr Unruh, my favorite German teacher. They showcase the foreign exchange students by asking them silly questions like, what's your favorite thing about America? To which the Austrian student from last year replied "the girls". The entire auditorium lost it. Our school has never before been treated to such hilarity. Anyhow, after the talent show its down to the gym for The Games! 

The Games are where the real competition kicks in. Each class creates their own game for 12 - 15 players, (usually a relay of some sort) and they send 12-15 players to represent the class and hopefully shame the losing classes. There's one winner per game, and at the end whoever has the most points wins! In case of a tie (which happened last year) its a sudden death tug-of-war. My class, the Class of 2014, has won the last two years, and this year we're pulling for a three-peat! Here's to hoping for another win and a successful color day!

I personally both love and hate color day this year though. On the one hand, FIELD DAY! but on the other, THE SCHOOL YEAR IS ENDING, HIGH SCHOOL IS ENDING, MY FRIENDS ARE LEAVING THE STATE. Oh GOD WHAT DO I DO? So, there's that. I feel like this is kind of an emotional run-up to State Days, because its fun event with a lot of emotions tied into it. Oh gosh, lets hope I can prepare myself. 

So here's to you Class of 2014, Don't panic. This is just the beginning.

Sincerely,

Amber J Pound

Council Historian

coming get to an end :(

This has been a very eye opening month! With high school coming to an end soon and my council term coming to an end it's all overwhelming. I haven't realized how much council has impacted me until we were at our meeting and started going over state days scripts and filming our farewell videos. I sat there and thought how much 4-H as a whole has molded me into a great human being with so many important qualities. To anyone thinking about applying for council I challenge you to take the next step and seriously do it! Just go for it, yes its time consuming and takes hard work but in the end it is the most amazing feeling in the world. It's truly amazing how close you and your council team and the advisor's become it is a bond as strong as a family bond! I only have about a month and a little over a half left of my council term and I am going to make the most of it and when it comes to an end I know it will be a sad time but it will also very rewarding.