Dates To Remember

St. Martin Parish 4-H Bayou Gazette 7th-12th Grade Edition

January 2013

114 Courthouse Street Breaux Bridge, LA 70517

337-332-2181 Fax: 337-332-2870

Website: www.louisiana4h.org/stmartin Office Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm, Monday-Friday

The LSU Agricultural Center, a statewide campus of the LSU System, and Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, a statewide campus of the Southern University System, provide equal opportunities in programs and employment. Louisiana A&M College, Southern University and A&M Col-lege, Louisiana parish governing bodies, and United States Department of Agriculture cooperating.

St. Martin Parish Cooperative Extension 114 Courthouse Street

Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 337-332-2181 Fax: 337-332-2870

Website: www.louisiana4h.org/stmartin Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday

Important Information-4-H Opportunities This year in 4-H is quickly passing! The year is halfway over! Haven’t been as active as you wanted? Don’t worry-there’s still some pretty great activities planned.

The Demonstration/Talk Contests will be held on January 21, 2013 (pre-registration is required-see December’s gazette).

Super Saturday Contest Day-Feb. 2, 2013

The 4-H Amazing Race-March 23, 2013

Achievement Day-April 18, 2013 (must turn in portfolio & project book to attend)

Project Book(s) & Portfolio Deadline Also, remember that your 4-H Project Book(s) & Portfolio (given out at club meetings in December) are due to your club leaders in mid-February. Ask your club leader when your books will be due. The final due date is March 1, 2013. Ms. Laura & Ms. Hope will pick up portfolios on March 1, 2013 from all schools.

Outstanding Member Applications Also, on March 1, 2013 the Outstanding Club Member Applications will be due to the 4-H office. The Outstanding Club Member applications are used to choose “outstanding club members” from the St. Martin parish 4-H pro-gram who have been extremely active in the program. Applications will be given out at the January club meetings and can be found on our Facebook wall and parish website (www.lsusagcenter.com/stmartin). These outstand-ing club members are recognized at Honors Night in May. All who are invited will receive an invitation in the mail in late April.

Thanks to all of the clubs that donated items to the

Food for Families Food Drive. It all stays in St. Martin Parish!

You are all appreciated!

JANUARY 3 Broiler Chick pick-up / Workshop 7 Key Club & Honor Cord (12th graders) apps due 9 Parish Livestock Premier Exhibitor Tests &

Barnyard Bash (NEW) (BBHS Barn) 11-12 Winter Board Meetings (Camp Grant Walker) 11-12 St. Martin Parish Livestock Show 19 Fishing Clinic 21 MLK Holiday (4-H Office closed) 21 Demonstration Contests (St. Bernard School) 21 Jr. Leader Meeting (4-H Office) 23-26 Acadiana District Livestock Show (Lafayette)

FEBRUARY 2 SUPER SATURDAY CONTEST DAY – BBHS 4 Honey Bee Essay Due to 4-H office 5 Parish Poultry Premier Exhibitor Contest 6 Parish Poultry Show (Livestock Barn) 9-16 LSU State Livestock Show (Gonzales) 12 Mardi Gras Holiday (4-H Office Closed) 18 Jr. Leader Meeting (4-H Office)

MARCH (No Club Meetings) 1 ALL Record Books & Project Books Due* *Books received after this deadline will not be considered for Outstanding Record Book Awards and will not be judged 1 Parish & State Scholarship Applications & National 4-H Conference Forms Due 1 Outstanding Club Member Applications due 1 Jr. Achievement Award (8th grade) forms due 1 Charles Fusilier Livestock Award Apps due 1 Busy Bee Award Apps due 2 Fishing Clinic 8-10 Junior Leadership Conference (CGW) 14 4-H University Informational Meeting & Contest

Selection 18 Jr. Leader Meeting (4-H Office) 19-21 LEAP Testing Phase I 23 Amazing Race 29 Good Friday (4-H Office Closed)

APRIL (No Club Meetings) 15 Jr. Leader Meeting (4-H Office) 16 State Ambassador Contest (LSU) 18 Achievement Day at BBHS 22-26 Cooking Camp for Teens (9th-12th graders) 24 Southwest Regional Commodity Cookery (Crowley) 25-28 Regional Shooting Sports Match (Calcasieu Parish)

MAY 6 Jr. Leader Banquet (TBD) 9 & 10 Ag Days (BBHS) 14 4-H Honors Night (St. Bernard School)

What’s Due on March 1st?

Want to Win a Trip to Washington, D.C.?

Want to Win a Trip to Washington, D.C.? Enter the Louisiana Electric Cooperative Youth Tour Essay Con-test. All 4-H members who are 16 or older (including 12th graders) are eligible to enter the contest. To enter: complete an application form (emailed from the 4-H agent upon request) and write an essay. Trip Dates: June 14-21, 2013 (conflicts with 4-H University dates)

Essay Guidelines: 4-H’ers are given the opportunity to voice their opinions (positive or negative) to their elected officials on any issues, prob-lems, situations or successes in the form of a formal letter to a governmental offi-cial. In the letter the topic of concern should be stated and thoroughly dis-cussed. The letter should be addressed to the respective local, state or federal official and should be in the format of a formal letter at least one page in length.

Scoring: Application Form-175 points Essay-100 points Quality of Work-25 points Total: 300 points Deadline: February 15, 2013 to the

4-H Office.

We have a lot of important 4-H applications due to the 4-H office on March 1st. Read the information below to find out what contests you want to enter:

4-H Portfolio and Project Book(s)-these will be due to your club leaders prior to March 1st. Be sure

to check with your club leader for their due date. Portfolios and project books that the 4-H office receives on March 1st will be judged. Books received after the March 1, 2013 deadline will not be judged and will not be considered for Outstanding Record Book Awards.

Parish & State Scholarship Application-All 12th grade 4-H members who wish to apply for both

state and parish scholarships should turn in the completed forms to the 4-H office by March 1st. The appli-cations were mailed to all senior 4-H members in December.

Outstanding Club Member Application — if you would like to be considered as an outstanding

club member, please turn in your completed Outstanding Club Member application form to the 4-H office by March 1, 2013. It is not the responsibility of your club leader to turn it in for you. All applications turned in after March 1st will not be considered for outstanding club member. All applications that are selected as outstanding club members will be notified by mail.

Jr. Achievement Award (8th Grade Award) Application—Any 8th grade 4-H member who

would like to apply for the 8th grade achievement award should turn in their application to the 4-H office by March 1, 2013. Applications will be mailed to all 8th graders enrolled in the St. Martin parish 4-H program.

Charles Fusilier Livestock Award Application-All senior livestock exhibitors can apply for the

Charles Fusilier Livestock awards. Applications will be mailed to Senior 4-H livestock exhibitors. The appli-cation is due to the 4-H office by March 1, 2013.

Busy Bee Award Application– All 12th grade 4-H members who wish to apply for the Busy Bee

Award should turn in their application to the 4-h office by March 1, 2013. Applications will be mailed to all 12th graders.

Super Saturday Contest Day-February 2, 2013

St. Martin parish 4-H will hold its second big contest day of the year on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at BBHS. Super Saturday will include a variety of 4-H contests. Parents, you may bring lawn chairs to set out on the grounds while the contests are taking place as well as snacks for your family. You are expected to stay with your child throughout the day. Because of the numerous events being held at one time, the 4-H agents and volunteers will be busy conducting contests and cannot supervise youth. There will be a concession stand and 4-H store at the contest. You can buy snacks, drinks and cute 4-H items!

Events Include: Bar B Que Chicken Contest Talent Show

(pre-registration required)

Ground Beef Cookery Contest Seafood Cookery Contest Commodity Ambassador

Speech & Poster Contest (pre-registration required)

Rabbit Show Please refer to the Super Saturday contest day rules and regulations packet for all rules and regulations for each contest. The packet was given out during the January 4-H club meetings.

General Rules and Regula-tions for all contests:

All contests are open to all 4-H members in St. Martin Parish as long as they meet the age requirements. 4-H’ers will be allowed to enter any/all contests as times permits. For all contests except the Talent Show, contestants compete as an individual. All awards will be presented at the conclusion of each contest. Decisions of judges are final in each contest. Pre-Registration is required for the Commodity Ambassador Speech/Poster contest. Club leaders will register all acts for the Talent Show.

Jr. Leader Club Update

The Jr. Leader club has been very busy in December! Thanks to the following club members who volunteered for the Cloverbuddy meeting held on December 13, 2012 at Teche Elementary School. They were Jeffrey Boudreaux, Jonathon Bou-dreaux, Kelsey Mason, Hannah Landry, Zac Dupuis and Hannah Landry. Thanks also to all of the club members who attended the Natchitoches Day Trip. The club also donated toys for the Toys for Tots collection at the December meet-ing. Thanks to all of the Jr. Leaders who worked hard to make the Not So Silent Night Dance a huge success! Those that helped were: Amber Bearb, Briley Bergeron, Elliott Bernard, McKenzie Billeaudeaux, Justin Blanchard, Seth Breaux, MacKenzie Champagne, Caitlin Dugan, Colin Dugan, Morgan Dugas, Zachary Dupuis, Camille Guidry, Laney Jo Guidry, Olivia Guidry, Dustin Hayes, Hailey Hayes, Hannah Landry, Devin LeBlanc, Alexis Louviere, Hali Louviere, Kimberly Louviere, Hannah Martin, Kelsey Mason, Ashtin Mouton, Tyra Mouton, Haley Newsome, Grace Richard, SolLuna Soto, Braelon Taylor, Briana Theriot, Christopher Wiltz, Maranda Wiltz and Phiyen Phan.

Some upcoming Jr. Leader events: Jan. Jr. Leader club meeting; January 21, 2013 Feb. Jr. Leader club meeting: February 18, 2013

Movie Night-February 22, 2013

The next Jr. Leader meeting will be held on Monday, January

21, 2013 at the 4-H office from

5:30 pm-7:00 pm.

Jr. Leader Jeff Boudreaux giving Food

for Families food drive a donation

from the Jr. leader club.

Livestock News SPRING LIVESTOCK SHOW DATES

St. Martin Parish Livestock Show

(January 11-12, 2013) BBHS-Free admission

Acadiana District Livestock Show

(January 23-26, 2013)

LSU State Livestock Show in Gonzales, LA

(February 9-16, 2013)

Attention Rabbit Exhibitors: The St. Martin Parish 4-H Rabbit Show will be held at our Super Saturday contest day on Saturday, February 2nd at the Breaux Bridge High School Livestock Barn.

Super Saturday Contest Rules & Regulations Packet was given out at the January 4-H club meetings.

All Rabbit exhibitors were mailed information from the 4-H Office.

Attention Poultry Exhibitors: The St. Martin Parish Poultry Premier Exhibitor contest will be held on February 5, 2013.

The Parish Poultry Show will be held on February 6, 2013 at the Breaux Bridge High School Livestock Barn. More information will be given to poultry exhibitors at a later date.

Shooting Sports Project Books: Registered participants received their Project Book at the mandatory Safety Meeting.

Participants should begin working in these books now so that they can be turned in along with their portfolio and by the appropriate deadlines.

IMPORTANT: REMEMBER: In order to participate in regional and/or state competitions, the par-

ticipant must turn in their shooting sports project book and portfolio by the parish deadline & have acquired the minimum number of training/practice hours required for the event.

Thanks to our new archery instructors who were recently trained: Larry Comeaux and James LaGrange.

Shooting Sports News

As we start a new year, let’s start on the right foot. Let’s make the world a better place. One way to keep that promise is to practice the six pillars of character. January is the month for Trustworthiness. A trustworthy person is a person of integrity and one who stands up for his/her beliefs. If you are trustworthy, you follow your conscience. Always have the courage to do what is right and to try new things even when it’s hard. Being trustworthy means always telling the truth and nothing but the truth. Be sincere. Don’t lie, cheat, steal, or sneak. Just practice the pillars of character and start the year off right!

Character Corner-Trustworthiness

4-H University Information

4-H Scholarships for 12th Grade 4-Her’s

State and Parish 4-H Scholarship applications are due to the St. Martin Parish 4-H office by March 1, 2013 by 4:30 pm (No exceptions.) There are two forms for scholarships: (1) Parish Form and (2) State Form. Scholarship applications were mailed to each senior in December.

We are SO excited about 4-H U we want you to save the date. We want YOU there! 4– H U will be June 18-21, 2013 at LSU. Our Goal this year is 50 4-H’ers representing St. Martin parish at 4-H U! Help us reach this goal! 4-H University is for all 4-H members who are 13 or older as of January 1, 2013. It is a four day, three night conference on LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge. You can choose to compete in a contest or go to a Clover College session (which is more like being in college where you learn a lot of information on one topic and do hands-on activities).

4-H University Informational and Contest Selection Meeting March 14, 2013 6:00 pm-7:00 pm 4-H Office All 4-H members who are 13 or older as of January 1, 2013 who are interested in attending 4-H University must attend this meeting. We will explain 4-H University, discuss trip expectations and you will choose what contest/clover college session you would like to participate in. Please consider coming to 4-H University this year!

Contest Spotlight-Each month we will spotlight a few 4-H U contests that you can take part in while attending 4-H U!

ATV Safety Contest Contest will consist of:

(A) written test (B) Parts Identification (C) ATV Safety Skill Driving.

Also, contestants must complete an online safety course prior to the contest.

St. Martin Parish can send two (2) individual entries who are 13 years or

older as of January 1, 2013 in this contest.

Award : 4-H Outdoor Skills Trip-Arkansas

Photography Contest Contestants will submit a 10-page portfolio of photographs taken

throughout the year with a short story, and take a written exam. Test ques-

tions will test one’s knowledge about photography and will include multiple

choice, true-false, and essay questions. Detailed rules apply to the portfolio.

St. Martin Parish can send two (2) individual entries who are 14 years or

older as of January 1, 2013.

Award : 4-H Congress Trip to Atlanta, GA

Honey Bee Essay Contest—Enter Today!

R U Hooked on FISHING?

For the 2013 essay contest, the essay topic is: “Reducing the Usage of Bee-Killing Pesticides in my Community” Pesticides are a fact of modern life, but misuse or overuse of pesticides, or mak-ing poor choices when selecting and ap-plying pesticides can be devastating to honey bees and other pollinators. 4-H’ers are encouraged to learn about bee-killing pesticides being used in their communi-ties – by homeowners, businesses, or farmers. Then, they should investigate how the impact of those pesticides on honey bees can be lessened.

RULES: Contest is open to active 4-H Club members only. (4-H'ers who have pre-

viously placed first, second, or third at the national level, or first place on the state level, are not eligible.)

Requirements: Failure to meet any one of the following requirement disqualifies the essay. We will ONLY accept typed essay entries [do not sub-mit hand-written, or emailed copies]

Length – the essay proper: 750 to 1000 words. The word count does not include the endnotes, the bibli-ography or references, or the es-sayist's biographical sketch – which should be on a separate page. Prepare your essays dou-ble-spaced, 12-pt. Times or similar type style, following standard man-uscript format. Submit as a Mi-crosoft Word compatible docu-ment.

Essays will be judged on (a) scope of research - 40%; (b) accuracy - 30%; (c) creativity - 10%; (d) conciseness - 10%; and (e) logical development of the top-ic - 10%. Write on the designated subject only. All factual statements must be referenced with bibliographical-style endnotes. A brief biographical sketch of the essayist, including date of birth, gender, complete mailing address, and telephone number, must accompany the essay. Turn in your essay by February

4, 2013 to the 4-H office as a Word document.

Fishing Project Club Workshop Registration Form

Due to the 4-H Office by January 15, 2013.

Name ________________________________________________

Age _____ Grade _______

School / Club __________________________________________

Email Address _________________________________________

Telephone Numbers ___________________________________

Return by January 15, 2013 to: St. Martin Parish 4-H

Fishing Workshop 114 Courthouse Street Breaux

Bridge, LA 70517, Fax: 337-332-2870 or Email:

hguidry@agcenter.lsu.edu

All 4th-12th grade 4-H members are invited to an upcoming:

Fishing Project Club Workshop Saturday, January 19, 2013

9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. 4-H Office

Interested in learning more about fishing? Join us to find out opportunities being of-fered through the NEWLY formed Fishing

Sports Project Club.

Want to attend …… just RSVP by January 15, 2013

What Message Are YOU Sending?

Did you know? :

8 trillion text messages will be sent in 2011

42% of people will text in the

bathroom

How often do you text? Do you text more than you talk?

Text messaging was created as a short and sweet method to keep in

touch with people; it was not intended to take the place of phone calls

or talking face to face.

Can you decode the message below? Decode this message: 4-H S so QL! I cnt w8 'til camp! ________________________________

Who is this message appropriate for: Friends Parents 4-H Agent What would you text your 4-H Agent about camp: __________________________________

Do you use ALL CAPS? Did you know when you use ALL CAPS it is

just like yelling at someone?

What about those abbreviations?

Please don’t make up your own and just stick to the ones you know

they will understand.

Think about who you are texting, to determine what and how you should

state your message, don’t forget to be respectful.

Trivia Contest Question

Each month, we will have a trivia question in our

newsletter. If you are one of the first 5 members

from your club to email the correct answer to us, you

will receive a prize at your next club meeting.

4-H January Trivia Question: Visit the website: http://www.texted.ca/app/en/the411. From the 411 page, list 3 out of the 11 guidelines for safe texting. Also, what would you tell someone who needs help with unsafe texting habits?

Email us the answer along with your full name, the school you attend, and your grade level by 1/25/13 to: stmartin4h@yahoo.com

December Correct Answer:

What is the recommendation for

changing your password?

You should change

your password every three (3) months.

It is the policy of the LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service that no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race,

color, national origin, religion, gender, age, or disability. If you have a disability which requires special assistance for your participation in any aforemen-

tioned activity, please contact the St. Martin 4-H office at 337-332-2181. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this

institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs or disability.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Hope Ms. Laura

Hope Guidry Laura M. Brumbaugh

4-H Agent 4-H Agent

hguidry@agcenter.lsu.edu lbrumbaugh@agcenter.lsu.edu

Clovers To: Clovers to all of the clubs that participated in the Food for Families Food Drive on December 5, 2012. We are proud that you represented St. Martin Parish 4-H. Clovers to all of the 4-H members who helped take in and sort the Food that was collected for the Food for Families Food Drive on December 5, 2012 at the Veterans home in Breaux Bridge. Many of you were a great help! Clovers to Jeffrey Boudreaux who represented St. Martin Parish 4-H and the Jr. Leader club by presenting Ms. Hazel Theriot a donation from the Jr. Leader club on a live broadcast on KLFY TV10. Clovers to Ms. Hazel Theriot who coordinates the food drive each year. Clovers to Parks Middle school 4-H clubs who visited the nursing home in December. Clovers to St. Martinville Elementary 4-H clubs who collected things for the nursing home in December. Clovers to Cecilia Jr. High clubs and Teche clubs who went caroling at the nursing home in December.

Prep time: 10 minutes How much does this recipe make? 4 servings

What you need: 4 whole-wheat pitas 1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt ½ cup fresh or frozen spinach ¼ of cucumber, sliced pinch of salt ½ teaspoon black pepper

Equipment needed: -Food processor or blender -Knife -Baking sheet From: http://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/recipes/

pita_dip.html#cat20229

What to do: 1-Preheat oven to 400° F. 2-Have an adult help you with this step: Place yogurt, spinach, cucumber,

salt, and pepper into food processor or blender. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. 3-Place dip into a bowl and refrigerate until chips are done. 4-Cut pitas into 8 wedges. 5-Arrange pita wedges on a baking

sheet in a single layer. 6-Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder.

7-Bake for 5 minutes or until light golden brown and crispy. 8-Use the pita wedges to scoop up the

yogurt dip!

Try This-Lean Green Pita Dippers

Visit our website at:

www.lsuagcenter.com/stmartin