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News
2011 State Photography Contest Results
Congratulations to all the 4-H’ers who participated in the State Photography Contest this year. The results are in, and the stats are impressive. 50 4-H youth from 9 counties submitted 172 spectacular photographs. For 34 of those youth it was their first time entering. Twenty entries received 1st place awards, and 10 have been selected to go on to a non-competitive showing in the Eastern States Exhibition New England Center building during the Big E show days in September 2011.
The purpose of the Massachusetts Photography Competition is to encourage self-expression and allow youth to demonstrate skills learned in the area of photography, including the use of photographic equipment and process of photography. The contest is open to all 4-H’ers, Junior and Senior, which are judged separately. Judges use the criteria of Impact, Creativity, Technical Excellence, Composition, Lighting, and Focal Point to judge entries in a variety of Categories.
First place Juniors include Collin Barker for his photo entitled “The Castle”, Matthew Donaher for “New York Skyline”, Cole Kraus for “The Bridge Submerged”, Katherine Souza who received three first place ribbons for “A Wrinkle in Time”, “My Heart Belongs to You”, “Feeding Frenzy”, Iris Neubecker for “That Strawberry was so Good” (right), and Nathan Kovacs for “Butterfly on Flower”.
First Place Seniors were Danica Brown “Pink It”, Lindsey McGann “Sunset in Kentucky”, “Prom 2011”, “Mother Nature’s Looking Glass”, “Nature’s Waltz Through Seasons”, Caitlin Geary, “Semi-Blur”, Jacques Lussier, “Aftermath of Fire at Cost Guard Station – Menemsha”, Rebecca Brill Weitz, “Showers on Spring Flowers”, Theresa Lewis, “Golden Dawn”, “Wind Blown”, Connor Triehy, “Arabian Beauty”, and Rachel Blaszkowsky, “Fallen into a Web”.
The photographs selected to exhibit at The Big E are: (Juniors) James Lussier, “Cleveland Ledge Light – Buzzards Bay”, Lila Hovey for “Little Blue” (left), Katherine Souza, “A Wrinkle in Time”, “My Heart Belongs to You”, and “Feeding Frenzy”, and Iris Neubecker's “That Strawberry was so Good”.
Seniors exhibiting at The Big E include Lindsey McGann, “Early Morning Tides”, Jacques Lussier, “Aftermath of Fire at Cost Guard Station – Menemsha”, Theresa Lewis, “Golden Dawn”, and Connor Triehy, “Industry”.
These photographs will be on exhibit in the New England Center at The Big E, September 16th - October 2, 2011.
2011 4-H Scholarship Recipients
There are several scholarship opportunities available to Massachusetts 4-H youth. The George L Farley Scholarship is awarded to deserving 4-H members (or former members) each year. Two new scholarships this year are the Michelle M. Marsh Memorial Scholarship Honoring Equine Partnerships and the Michelle M. Marsh Memorial Scholarhsip Honoring Hands in Service. Massachusetts 4-H congratulates the deserving 2011 recipients of these scholarships. For more information about how to apply for these scholarships, click here.
George L. Farley Scholarship Recipients
The George L. Farley Scholarship was created in honor of the 4-H State Leader from 1916-1941. In his 25 years as 4-H State Leader, Mr. Farley is credited with making a significant impact on the lives of 4-H youth. He inspired young people across the state to believe in themselves, do their best and to strive for something better. The scholarship is available to former 4-H members who are currently enrolled at UMass Amherst.
Brieanna Gresh of Holyoke has been a 4-H member since the age of 11. In the Rock Valley Riders 4-H Club, Brieanna made a big impact through both her community service work and accomplishments in the horse ring. She showed her leadership qualities by serving as Vice President of the club and Horse Lover Division Show Assistant at the Regional Horse Show. An accomplished athlete, Brieanna was also a member of Holyoke High School’s Basketball, Softball and Volleyball teams, as well as being a member of the Mt. Holyoke College Interscholastic Equestrian Team.
But 4-H and athletics are not the only things Brieanna excels in – she maintained a 4.0 GPA in high school while carrying a challenging course load. Her list of academic accomplishments is as long as her list of athletic and extracurricular accomplishments. Brieanna is a member of the National Honor Society and served as its’ Vice President. She has held positions on the Student Council, Student Athletic Council and served as Class President. She was awarded the Smith College Book Award, the Rising Star award and was on the High Honor Roll for all four years of High School.
Community Service is an important part of Brieanna’s life, both in and outside of 4-H. She has participated in the Holyoke Police Department’s Christmas Gift Giving program since she was 6 years old and volunteers at a therapeutic riding program, in addition to numerous other community service projects.
Excellence in achievement, community service, and leadership are the 3 recurring themes in all aspects of Brieanna’s life. “An outstanding student needs to possess exceptional characteristics beyond mere intelligence”. Brieanna opened her scholarship application essay with these words. She went on to say “There must be a commitment to maintain high standards both academically and in daily life. One must uphold a positive attitude, treat others fairly and possess strong moral values.” Clearly, when one reads Brieanna’s accomplishments, one sees that these are not just words, but the guiding force in her life. Her committment to Community Service also resulted in her being awarded the Michelle M. Marsh Memorial Scholarship honoring Hands in Service.
We are confident that as she enters the Commonwealth Honors College at UMass Amherst in the fall, these 3 qualities will continue to guide her as she pursues her goal of becoming an Orthodontist.
Good luck, Brieanna, and congratulations on being awarded the George L. Farley Scholarship and the Michelle M. Marsh Memorial Scholarship honoring Hands in Service.
Emily Messing of Townsend is an Operations Management major at UMass Amherst. She was a member of the Middlesex Mustangs 4-H Club for 9 years, and served as the club Treasurer, Reporter, Vice President, and President. Her love of horses brought her to 4-H, but she brought away so much more than experience showing horses. She attributes her strong public speaking skills to experience in the Visual Presentation program and had an opportunity to develop her leadership skills both as club officer and as a Counselor at 4-H Camp Middlesex.
Outside of 4-H, Emily is an accomplished singer. Participating in the Honors Choir and the National Music Honor Society, Emily had the opportunity to travel throughout New England performing. She has also been active in many community service projects including captaining a Relay for Life team each year of high school, serving as President of the Save Darfur Coalition and being on the Planning Board of her church’s youth group. This group prepared and delivered meals to nursing homes and homeless shelters weekly.
In addition to her community service volunteer activities, Emily also held an internship position with a veterinarian during her senior year of high school. She accompanied the vet on calls three days a week and learned a lot about large animal health. “The skills I learned during that internship are still useful to me every day when I am caring for my horse and others”, Emily has observed.
Emily’s educational and professional goals are to graduate with honors and continue her education in law school. She would like to pursue a career in environmental justice, believing it is “our responsibility to preserve the earth for generations to come.”
In her scholarship application, Emily wrote “I know that the lessons learned in 4-H will help me be successful in all aspects of life.” The 4-H program helped her grow up to be hardworking, competent, and compassionate, as well as caring greatly about giving back to the community.
As Emily continues on her path toward becoming a political and social advocate for the environment, we are sure that these attributes will help her in achieve her goals, and know that she will be a worthy recipient of the George L. Farley Scholarship. We wish Emily the best of success.
Michelle M. Marsh Memorial Scholarship
The Michelle M. Marsh Memorial Scholarships are new this year, and were established in memory of the former leader of the Canterlopers 4-H Club of Hudson. founded the scholarship fund as a way to reward 4-H'ers who contribute to their community and cherish equine parthmerships as a way to most honor her former club leader and to reflect her own experience in 4-H.
Abigail Coffin of Orange, MA has been awarded the Michelle M. Marsh Memorial Scholarship Equine Parnership. Abigail has a special bond with her AQHA registered Quarter Horse Leo's Impressive Moon, more affectionately known as "Bandit". Together, the two have faced challenges and overcome inexperience through hard work and dedication to one another. They now enjoy competing together at 4-H Shows. Bandit has taught Abigail a lot about perseverance and responsibility. She has and continues to work hard to be able to afford to keep Bandit and looks forward to their next chapter together. Abigail will be attending UMass Amherst.
Brieanna Gresch of Holyoke, MA has been awarded the Michelle M. Marsh Memorial Scholarship Hands in Service.
2010 Massachusetts 4-H Youth Development Program Volunteer Forum
Nearly 100 adult and youth volunteer leaders from across the state gathered at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Grafton on November 20th for the 3rd Annual Massachusetts State Volunteer Forum. This was the best attended Forum to date!
This year’s participants were treated to a keynote address by the Dean of the Cummings School, Deborah Kochevar, DVM, PhD. Dr. Kochevar’s interesting and engaging speech addressed the topic of pursuing a career in Veterinary Science and the wide variety of career path choices available within that major.
After the keynote address, participants were given a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of one of the most well-respected veterinary facilities in the country. With access to the large animal hospital, attendees learned about how state of the art diagnostic imaging tools are being used to treat a wide variety of animals – predominantly horses, but also alpacas, llamas, goats, pigs, and sheep. In the small animal hospital, they saw how dogs, cats and other household pets are cared for. They learned about the unique Tufts Wildlife Clinic where rescued wildlife are treated and released back into the environment. The Locust Barn provided an opportunity to learn about the hands-on experience veterinary students get caring for animals on site.
After an opportunity to network over lunch, volunteers participated in an exciting and diverse array of workshops including Resume Writing, Award Winning Visual Presentations, Teen Leadership Development, Working with Special Needs Youth and a Skill-a-Thon. Some volunteers chose the open sharing forum and were able to address specific and timely topics of their choice. Both teen and adult volunteers especially enjoyed the lively panel discussion about careers in animal science where all were educated and entertained with stories about what it is like to work as a Veterinarian, Animal Science Educator, Sales Representative and Zookeeper. Dr. Lorraine O’Connor, State Veterinarian conducted a workshop on animal welfare.
The MA 4-H Youth Development Program wishes to acknowledge our generous Forum sponsors: the Massachusetts 4-H Foundation, VF Outlet, and Monsanto as well as support from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.
Massachusetts 4-H Members Featured in 4-H Clover Corner News
Massachusetts 4-H members Sarah Belder, Danielle Skoglund, Regina Grover and Ashley Hudson attended the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. Their participation is highlighted in the Clover Corner News.
Clover Corner News Article
January 8th 2010
National 4-H Volunteer Initiative Expands Through $1.5 Million Monsanto Donation
Grant to Support Call for New 4-H Volunteers
CHEVY CHASE, MD— (June 18, 2009) National 4-H Council has received a $1.5 million award
from the Monsanto Company to drive the expansion of the National 4-H Volunteer Initiative. This
new grant will fuel the expansion of vital volunteer training programs and fund the development
of new volunteer recruitment and retention strategies. This announcement also launches a new
national call for 4-H volunteers to lend their time in order to further positive youth development
nationwide.
