Union County, NJ – The annual 4-H Public Presentation Night is always full of surprises, and this year the rich imagination of Union County youth was on full display. The topics, all hand-picked by 4-H members in first grade through high school, ran the gamut from fish tanks and manga to optical illusions, dog rescue, penguins, and the Founding Fathers.
“4-H is a wonderful American tradition and Union County is very proud to support our 4-H members,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “Congratulations to all of this year’s presenters for a job well done.”
Presentation Night is the culmination of an intensive project for the 4-H club members. They each pick a topic of their choice, research it, create a public speech, and rehearse it for their families and 4-H clubs before taking the stage and presenting to a live audience.
This year, Presentation Night included 72 4-H’ers and a panel of 20 judges, who awarded colored ribbons for Excellent (blue), Very Good (red) and Good (yellow).
Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, a former 4-H’er, was on hand to enjoy the presentations.
“The 4-H clubs encourage young people to explore their interests while building communication, leadership and civic skills,” said Freeholder Kowalski. “On behalf of the Freeholder Board, I would like to thank all of the 4-H presenters for making this extra effort to share their knowledge and their interests with the Union County community.”
4-H is a youth development program with roots in the rural public education programs of the 19th century. It was formally launched as a national initiative by Congress in 1914, through the same act that established the Cooperative Extension research system under the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In its present form, 4-H covers a wide range of contemporary topics while helping students develop important community and life skills represented by the four H’s — Head, Heart, Hands and Health.
Union County 4-H is run by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County, supported in part by the Freeholder Board. Union County 4-H clubs are open to students in grades 1-12 and cover many popular subjects including archery, Lego robotics, pet care, and more.
For more information contact 4-H Agent James Nichnadowicz at 908-654-9854 or Nichnadowicz@njaes.rutgers.edu, or visit online at ucnj.org/rce.
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