Educator Corner

"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future. "Franklin Roosevelt

Hello, my name is Carissa Akpore and I am excited to be the new Unit 16 Extension Educator for 4-H Youth Development serving the Counties of Logan, Menard and Sangamon.

As a 10-year member of Woodford County 4-H, I was involved in a variety of projects from foods and clothing to my favorite project, geology. Being involved in 4-H gave me a wide variety of opportunities from participating in Style Revue, Ambassadors, working in the lunch stand, 4-H camp, club activities and attending the Citizenship Washington Focus program.

I have worked in the 4-H Youth Development field for 8 plus years in a variety of areas including 4-H Program Coordinator work and ABC AmeriCorps 4-H Coordinator work. While working for the University of Minnesota I enjoyed creating positive youth development moments, seeing youth find their spark and promoting leadership opportunities for youth and volunteers.

My Masters in Youth Development Leadership and experience in the education field have taught me how to deliver quality programming in a timely manner and build healthy youth and volunteer relationships. Areas of interest include youth leadership, volunteer systems, cross age teaching and quality programming.

I look forward to meeting the 4-H youth, families, volunteers and leaders throughout Logan, Sangamon and Menard Counties. My office is located in Lincoln so I welcome a visit or questions at any time. I can be reached at 217-732-8289 or akpore@illinois.edu

International Cooking SPIN Club

4-H of Sangamon & Menard counties is proud to announce the formation of an International Cooking Special Interest (SPIN) Club. Participants in these 6 hands-on sessions will learn to prepare tasty and unique International foods. Each session will be 2 hours in length and will feature the cuisine of a different country. Different cooking methods and terms associated with each culture will be studied during each meeting. The six cuisines will include Indian, Oriental, German, Spanish, Italian, and French. All food and supplies will be provided for the participants. The club is open to all area youth ages 12-18, regardless of 4-H membership. Cost is $35 for 4-H members and $45 for non 4-H members. Registration will be limited to 10 participants. Tentatively the sessions have been scheduled at 5:30pm for the following dates:

Thursday, May 16, Tuesday, June 18, Thursday, June 20, Thursday, July 18, Thursday, July 25, and Thursday, August 1

Register by calling Amy Rebbe at the 4-H office at 782-4617.

Illini Summer Academies

This is a reminder that registration for the Illini Summer Academies closes on May 22. The event is held on the U of I campus in Champaign, and will be held Sunday, June 23 to Wednesday, June 26. Participants must be an incoming high school freshman to graduating senior this summer and must fall within the 14-18 age range as of September 1, 2012.

Each Academy will offer 15 hours of interactive activity and study in a specific field of interest. Academy descriptions and details are available on the State 4-H website at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state4h/events/summeracademies.cfm. 4-H Federation has $25 scholarships available for Sangamon-Menard 4-H members. Contact Amy Rebbe at the 4-H Office—782-4617 or arebb2@illinois.edu.

Sensational Science

Welcome ages 8 and older to a series of science workshops to be held Thursday, June 13th, 20th and 27th from 1:00-2:30pm at the Springfield Extension Office, 700 South Airport Drive, Springfield. Cost is $6 per workshop (pay in advance). You may attend one or all of the sessions. Minimum of 8 participants needed for each session. To register for a fun filled science summer please go to: https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=8357

Mix It Up Science: Did you know that yeast was a living thing? Learn how it grows by making bread in a bag while doing exciting experiments and blowing things up in the kitchen! Join us on June 13th from 1:00-2:30pm for a kitchen adventure you will never forget.

Gizmos & Gadgets: Have you ever wondered how electricity works? On June 20th from 1:00-2:30pm you will learn just that while making a robot that will dance across the floor while drawing you a colorful picture.

Jump Into Space: Straw rockets, stomp rockets, bottle rockets – oh my! June 27th from 1:00-2:30pm will launch you into a space that will let you build and launch multiple different rockets and jump into the subject of aerospace.

Sangamon 4-H Horse Show

This year's Sangamon County 4-H Horse Show is scheduled for Sunday, June 30 (rain date July 7), 8:00a.m., at Cascade Ranch located at 9500 Cascade Road, Rochester, IL. Spectators are welcome at this family fun day. Come out and show your support of the 4-Hers, and see what the 4-H program has to offer youth age 8-18 who have a love of horses!

4-H Show Orientation Opportunity

There will be a 4-H Show Orientation at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 10^th at the Extension Office in Springfield, for both Sangamon and Menard County 4-H Members. This orientation will provide new members, and others who may have questions, with an opportunity to learn to fill out their 4-H show entry forms, see an example of the conference judging format, and learn the routine that will be used to exhibit their projects during the 4-H shows. A schedule of events will also be available.

Those interested in attending the Orientation presentation should register online at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms , or call the 4-H Office at 782-4617 by June 8th. This will be a good opportunity for members to learn what to expect when exhibiting their 4-H projects at the Show. Bring all your questions to this Show Orientation. Hope to see you there!

4-H Show Helpers Needed

We are in need of adults to serve as Superintendents on General Show Day, and also to record ratings and pass out ribbons at Livestock Shows. Also, older 4-H members or adults are needed to help as 4-H Assistants on General Project Day (July 13 in Sangamon, and July 17 in Menard). Please call the Extension Office if you could help in any of these areas, or send an email to slounsbe@illinois.edu or arebb2@illinois.edu .

X" Factor Premium Info/ONE PREMIUM PER CLASS

As always, the premiums for our 4-H shows this summer will be based on the "X" factor. What the "X" factor means is: number of 4-H members eligible for premiums times the amount allowed to members by the State (this is subject to money being allotted by State of Illinois General Assembly), divided by the totalnumber of "X's" accumulated from county shows. Legislation allows payment of premiums AFTER receipt of funding. AG PREMIUM FUNDING RULES ALSO ALLOW US TO PAY JUST ONE PREMIUM PER CLASS.

Sangamon County 4-H Show Swine Nomination Form

Sangamon County 4-H Show swine exhibitors must complete and return a Swine Nomination Form to the Extension Office by June 1. Please nominate any animal that you may plan to exhibit during the Sangamon County 4-H Show in July. An animal may not be exhibited at the county 4-H show if it is not on your nomination sheet. Please contact the Extension Office if you are unfamiliar with the universal swine ear notch system or if you have other questions. The form is available on our county website in the printable forms section at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/sangamon4h/2064.html, or at the Extension office .

Public Speaking & Foods Demonstration Contests Combined

This year the Sangamon-Menard 4-H Public Speaking Contest will include the Foods Demonstration category, so there will not be a separate contest in July. The event will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 22, at the fairgrounds in New Berlin, as part of the Sangamon County Fair activities. The Sangamon County Fair offers four $25 cash awards to the top exhibitors. Besides sponsoring the awards, the Fair provides participants one gate pass. Spectators will be charged gate admission. So, come on out and enjoy the fair while you are there!

Sangamon-Menard 4-H members are eligible to participate in the contest. Food demonstrations must relate to the project area in which the member is enrolled. However, presentations in the other categories including Formal Speech; Illustrated Speech; Oral Interpretation; Original Work; Extempore Speaking; and Demonstrations (not food related) can be on any appropriate topic of the member's choosing. Public Presentations contestants should sign up by Friday June 7 on the Sangamon-Menard website at: https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=8317, or by calling the Springfield office at 782-4617.

4-H Family Picnic

4-H Foundation is hosting a Family Picnic at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 13, in the pavilion at the Sangamon County Fairgrounds in New Berlin. All Sangamon-Menard 4-H families are invited. Hot dogs, chips and drinks will be provided for those who register by July 8 online at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/. If families want to come and bring a picnic lunch of their own, they can do so without pre-registering.

Following the picnic will be Family Fun Activities/ Redneck Olympics including: 4-H Style Show (4-H Clothing and Textiles exhibits modeled; Recognition of 4-H Scholarship Winners, 10yr members, & High School Seniors; Tug of War; Pig Scrambles; Games and a Pedal Tractor Pull. A full schedule can be found in the 4-H Show Books on our website.

Spectators are welcome to bring lawn chairs, as there may be limited seating available.

4-H Pig Scrambles/Tug O' War/Pedal Tractor Pull

We wanted to give you advance notice that there will be Pig Scrambles for ages 8-18, a Tug O' War Contest for 4-H Clubs, and a Pedal Tractor Pull, all on Saturday July 13, at the Sangamon County Fairgrounds in New Berlin. These events are part of Family Fun/Redneck Olympics Activities that are open to 4-H members in Sangamon and Menard counties.

ADVANCE REGISTRATION WILL BE REQUIRED FOR PIG SCRAMBLES! Registration forms/rules can be found at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/downloads/43381.pdf

4-H Clubs may want to discuss putting a team together for the Tug O' War at their next club meeting. There will be two classes: Lightweight=600 lbs. Maximum, per club with each person weighing 120 lbs. or less; Heavyweight=800 lbs. maximum club total. Teams will sign-up/weigh-in the day of the events (Saturday, July 13) from 12:30-1:30 pm at the scales by the livestock barns on the Sangamon County Fairgrounds.

The Pedal Tractor Pull will have several weight classes for youth, starting with a 0-40 lb. class. There will also be a competition for adult 4-H leaders, which will not be divided by weight. Those wanting to participate will sign-up/weigh-in the day of the event at the pavilion from 1:30-2:30 pm.

We encourage spectators as well as participants to put the date on your calendar and check out details in the 4-H Show Book online at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/downloads/43374.pdf.

State Fair Information-August 9-18

Non-Livestock —

Projects will be required to be on display for approximately a half day. For instance, if you have an assigned exhibit time in the morning, it must be left on display until released, around noon or after. If you are judged in the afternoon, it must be left on display until released, around 5 p.m., time not yet Projects will be conference-judged. That means that if your non-livestock project is selected for State Fair, and you choose for it to go, you must go with it. You will bring it home that same day. If you cannot go, the opportunity is passed to an alternate.

set. End times are approximates, and definite times will be announced closer to the date.

To have your non-livestock project exhibited at State Fair, it must be selected as a State Fair Delegate at one of our 4-H Shows in 2013, and the member must be at least 10 years old as of 9/1/12. 4-H members will be allowed to exhibit only one non-livestock project at State Fair, if selected to do so.

Our exhibit day for non-livestock projects at State Fair will be Monday, August 12th.

Not every 4-H project has a category at State Fair. Over the years, State Fair has had to eliminate some projects from their list because of budget cuts. They eliminated the ones where there had been the lowest number of participants.

Only projects which receive a Superior ribbon OR a Best in Action ribbon, will receive a premium. All projects are required to be on display for a half day. If you are assigned a morning exhibit time it will be left on display until noon. Afternoon exhibits will be left on display until 3:30 pm.

ALL Welding projects will be judged on Sat., August 10th.

Some 4-H projects will NOT have exhibit classes at State Fair in 2013. These include: Bicycle, Communications, Journalism, Service Learning, Be the E, Clothing Decisions, Financial Champions, Consumer Savvy, Geospatial, Plants & Soils, Extemporaneous Speaking, General Demonstrations and Food Demonstrations. (We will continue to offer exhibit classes for these projects locally)

Sangamon and Menard 4-H Shows will also follow the changes in exhibit requirements sent by State Fair, so be sure to check the Logan County 4-H Showbook CAREFULLY for specific project requirements!!

Conference Judging

Conference judging is offered to 4-H members at both the Sangamon and Menard County 4-H Shows. Conference judging is designed to increase the value of the 4-H exhibit experience for 4-H members. The judge may ask you questions about your project, such as:

1. Tell me how you made this exhibit.

2. What was the most difficult part of making this exhibit?

3. Did you learn anything new? What?

4. What would you do differently next time?

5. Did you enjoy working on this project?

Conference judging is not required, but is encouraged because of the increased benefit to the 4-H member. Conference judging for the general project areas in Sangamon will be on Saturday morning, July 13, at the Sangamon County Fairgrounds in New Berlin, and in Menard County it will be Wednesday morning, July 17, at the Menard County Fairgrounds. More detailed schedules will be available in the July issue of 4-H News that will get posted on the Sangamon-Menard website by July 1. If you have any questions related to conference judging, feel free to contact the Extension office.

State Fair Jr. Livestock Entry Information

The 2013 Illinois State Fair Premium Books are available on-line at the State Fair website: http://www.agr.state.il.us/isf/premium/. The 4-H exhibit information is available in the Jr. Livestock Premium Book.

Entries for the 2013 Illinois State Fair Junior Livestock Shows will be turned directly into the Illinois State Fair Entry Department by the participants. Entries do not get turned into the Extension Office. There are two ways in which you can do this; hand deliver it to the State Fair Entry department in the Emerson Building on Main Street from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or mail your entry to: 2013 IL State Fair Entry Department, P.O. Box 19427, Springfield, IL 62794-9427. If you have problems obtaining or filling out the forms, you can get assistance by calling the State Fair Entry Department at 782-0786. All entries for the Jr. Horse Show must be postmarked by June 10, 2013; all entries for Beef, Dairy, Poultry, Rabbits, Sheep, Swine and Goats must be postmarked by July 1, 2013. NO LATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED. To avoid any problems we would recommend making copies of your entries so that you have them in your possession when you go to check your animals in.

ENTRY FEES

BEEF CATTLE ......................................................$10.00 PER HEAD

DAIRY CATTLE ....................................................$10.00 PER HEAD

HORSES ..............................................................$10.00 PER HEAD

SWINE ..................................................................$2.50 PER HEAD

SHEEP ..................................................................$2.50 PER HEAD

GOATS .................................................................$2.50 PER HEAD

POULTRY .............................................................$1.00 PER ANIMAL

RABBITS ..............................................................$1.00 PER ANIMAL

DOGS ...................................................................$2.00 PER ANIMAL

Checks made payable to the Illinois State Fair and must be attached to all entry forms.

Superior Young Producer Awards at the Illinois State Fair

Beef - Dairy - Horses - Sheep - Swine

The Superior Young Producer Award contest is open to any youth 14 or older (16 or older for horses) who is a bonafide exhibitor at the State Fair Junior Show in the species for which he/she is entering. This is a skill-a-thon competition, with various stations of quizzes, judging, etc. There is a chance to win one of 25 $1,000 college scholarships that will be awarded. Entry forms can be found on the State Fair website.

The State Junior Horse Show is July 23-28. Entries are due June 10.

The 4-H members who earn the necessary point score to show in the State 4-H Dog Show will be charged $2.00 per entry, and forms must be postmarked by August 1.

State Fair Junior Show age eligibility: 4-H members must be 10 by September 1, 2012, in order to participate in the State Fair Junior Show in 2013.

2013 State Fair Ticket Reservation

Reduced price State Fair parking passes & admission tickets are available through the Extension Office on a pre-order/pre-pay system. Order form is available online at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/sangamon4h/2064.html

2013 Admission & parking prices are still to be determined. You may bring this in beginning in June and we will know ticket prices at that time (last year $4.00 for parking and $4.00 per admission ticket (age 13-adult), $1.00 per admission (ages 5-12) — However, these prices are subject to change!

RING IT UP!

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)) held their FTC (First Tech Competition) robotics competition March 13- March 16, 2013 in St. Louis, Missouri. FTC is designed for those who want to compete head-to-head, using a sports model. Teams of students are responsible for designing, building, and programming their robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams.

The challenge this year for was Ring it up! Ring It Up! is played on a 12'x12' diamond shaped field. Two alliances comprised of two teams each, compete in matches consisting of a 30 second autonomous period followed by a two minute driver controlled period. The object of the game is to score more points than your opponent's alliance by placing plastic rings onto pegs on the center rack. Teams will also be challenged to detect special "weighted" rings to earn a special multiplier bonus.

The Competition was held at St. Louis University's Chaifetz Arena. Two teams 4-H Teams from Springfield competed Sacred Heart Griffin under the instruction of Adrien Lee and Lanphier High School 21^st Century Club under the instruction of Cherena Douglas. Both teams did very well and it was very entertaining to see all the different types of robots that were designed Sacred Heart Griffin known as Team 4156 ranked 26^th out of 43 teams. Lanphier High School 21^st Century known as team 4314 ranked 38 out of 43 teams.

4-H Metro Volunteer of the Month

Monique William is May's volunteer of the month! Monique is Assistant to the Director, New Student Orientation and Parent Relations and Necessary Steps Program Coordinator at University of Illinois-Springfield. Monique has been the driving force behind the 4-H Scholastic Achievement Program. She makes sure everything is ran smoothly and that everything is together on the University side. She also co-teaches the Leadership and Development session for the 4-H Scholastic Achievement Program. 4-H is proud to honor Monique Williams as the May volunteer of the month. Here are a few fun facts about Monique.

**What is your Favorite Color? Pink

**What do you like to do in your free time? I enjoy experimenting with new recipes whenever I have a chance.

**What do you like to do with your family? We usually have large family gatherings and that's what I like best, the company of my family.

**What is a goal you would like to achieve? The next goal I would like to achieve is to become an Academic Advisor at a college or university.

**Why do you choose to volunteer your time with 4-H? I volunteer because it is important for others to see me get involved in the community. If they see me as an inspiration, then it could inspire them to make a change and see that anything is possible.

**In your opinion what is the importance of being involved and volunteering? Making change no matter how small or big. In the end, volunteering will make an important impact.

Monique also wanted to share: I am a strong believer in Life Long Learning and never giving up. Anything is possible!

Thank you Monique for helping to make the best better!

Important 4-H Exhibitor Information!

4-H exhibit information for this Summer's Menard and Sangamon County 4-H Shows is posted on our Extension website, http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/. On the right hand side of our home page there is a link for Menard County 4-H Shows, and a separate link for Sangamon County 4-H Shows. Members should refer to the book for the county they are enrolled in for accurate information for their project. An e-mail message that information was ready was sent to all families that have provided us an e-mail address. We have some addresses that bounce back to us, so if you are not receiving notices about the 4-H newsletter etc., either your computer settings reject it, or your address is incorrect in our system. Please contact us if that is the case.

The main 4-H Leader of each club will be given a hard copy, and a hard copy can be viewed at the Extension Office as well. In addition to exhibit requirements, Show Books will contain information about rules and activities taking place throughout the 4-H Shows. Several changes have been made this year, so PLEASE READ ALL SECTIONS CAREFULLY!!

Below are just some of the important highlights, be sure to read full details in the 4-H Show Books. The following guidelines will be followed (Exception to this will be livestock in Menard County. Read Rules in the Menard County Show Book, and watch for information on entries in the 4-H section of the Menard County Fair Book. Menard 4-H Livestock entries will have an earlier deadline than listed in the Jr/Open sections of the Fair Book).

• The office will send customized entry forms directly to 4-H members in the mail. They should be completed using class information from the 4-H Show Book, and submitted to the Extension office. If you have questions about the classes, please contact a 4-H staff member.
• The ENTRY DEADLINE will be JUNE 14. Late entries will not be accepted.
• This year there will be a slot on the top of your entry form for you to include an e-mail address for where you would like to receive confirmation that your entry form was received. Confirmations will be sent within one week of receipt in the office. If you provide an e-mail and do not receive a confirmation, or if you do not provide an e-mail address, it is your responsibility to check with the office to confirm that it was received.
• If an exhibit is brought to the 4-H Show that is not pre-registered, the exhibitor will not be eligible for premium money, trophies, or selection for State Fair.
• This year we will be using our computer program to print exhibit tags, which will be printed within one week following the entry deadline. Sangamon County members can pick up their tags at the Springfield Extension Office June 24-July 11, or at the 4-H Show Office in the Timber Lodge on the Sangamon County Fairgrounds the day they exhibit. Please allow enough time to get your tags picked up and attached and have your project checked in before 9:00 a.m. Due to differences in show facilities, and the number of general project exhibits, Menard County members will be mailed their exhibit tags prior to the 4-H Show.
• Conference judging is encouraged, but not required, for most general project exhibits. If you will not be present for conference judging, you are asked to write a paragraph and attach it to your project. Tell how you did your project and what you learned from completing it. The judge has the option of reducing an exhibitor's rating by one level if the information is not included.

· All Sangamon and Menard Sewing & Textiles and Clothing Decisions exhibits (regardless if they are a sewn or purchased wearable item, display board, or sewn non-clothing item) will be judged Thursday, July 11 at the Extension Office in Springfield.

· Aerospace exhibits – Both Sangamon and Menard members will exhibit at the Sangamon County Fairgrounds in New Berlin, on Saturday, July 13. Sangamon County members should check their static exhibit in between 8-9 am, along with all other Sangamon general project exhibits. Menard County members should check-in by 10 am. The optional Rocket Launch will be held at 11:30 am, weather permitting.

· There will be a Small Pets/ Animal Science Show on Friday, July 12, at the Sangamon County Fairgrounds. This includes Sangamon members enrolled in Dogs, Cats, Small Pets, Vet Science, and any large animal species where the member decides to exhibit an Animal Science display board, rather than a live animal, as well as Menard members who exhibit live animals in the following projects: Dogs, Cats, and Small Pets. Menard members who are doing Animal Science Displays, rather than exhibiting live animals, will exhibit at the Menard County Fair on Wednesday, July 17. Details are in the Show Books.