- Author: Ashley Pyler
On the morning of Saturday, March 23rd, 36 Ventura County 4-H members gathered at the University of California Hansen Agricultural Resource and Extension Center (UCHAREC). Nine of the 36 members were with the Loma Vista 4-H Club. Members were also represented from the Conejo/Simi Valley, Santa Rosa Valley (SRV), and Mupu 4-H Clubs.
These members were here to attend the Annual 2019 Ventura County 4-H Presentation Day Event. All of these members have spent many hours preparing for this event, and were very excited to now finally go through with their presentations and interviews. However, the members were also somewhat nervous to present themselves in front of their evaluators. All of the presenters were wondering if they had prepared themselves enough for this very morning.
The event began at 9:00 a.m. with an orientation briefing presenters as to what to expect throughout the day. Once orientation concluded, all of the presenters went their own separate ways to complete all of their presentations and interviews. It was up to each presenter to determine their individual schedules. Members presented presentations in the following categories: Illustrated Talk, Demonstration, Science/Engineering Presentation, Education Display Talk, Interpretive Reading, Share the 4-H Fun Skits, and Cultural Arts.
The most common category that members competed in was the Illustrated Talk category. Several members also competed in the Interview Contest. This contest provides job descriptions, and each member competing creates a resume and cover letter matching their chosen job description for their age. They then bring their resume and cover letter with them to the interview, and practice their interviewing skills.
Presenters that felt very confident with their presenting skills took part in the Impromptu Speech Category. Many presentation evaluators consider this to be the hardest 4-H presentation category. To start, members are given a topic to present about. They then have 3 minutes to prepare an entire presentation with an introduction, body, summary, and conclusion. The presenters must also site their sources. To help them gather their thoughts, members are given a pencil and 5" x 7" flashcard. Once the 3 minutes are up, the presenter must stop writing, and give their presentation (their presentation must be 2-5 minutes in length).
Once most of the presentations were over, everyone ate their lunch, and watched the final two presentations of the day. The first presentation was an enjoyable Share the 4-H Fun Skit. About a dozen members of the Mupu 4-H club dressed up in their costumes and delivered a fun and humorous skit. The final presentation for the day was the only Cultural Arts Presentation for all of Ventura County 4-H and was presented by Ashley Pyler of the Loma Vista 4-H Club. She talked about Yanni, who is one of her favorite piano composers, and then played an excerpt of "One Man's Dream".
After the Cultural Arts Presentation was over, it was then time to announce the awards. Everyone from the Loma Vista 4-H Club did very well that day, but three of the nine Loma Vista 4-H members had a different perspective of the entire event. Alexander Blomquist, Rachel Lipscomb, and Matthew Ziegler were all first time presenters.
Alexander participated in the Fashion Revue and also presented a Science/Engineering Presentation. Rachel Lipscomb submitted photos in the photo contest, participated in Fashion Revue, presented an Illustrated Talk (Digital Slides) about why beagles make great pets for families, and applied for the position of Smoothie Maker with "Smooth Fruit Shack" in the Interview Contest. Matthew Ziegler presented an Interpretive Reading Presentation, participated in the Plant Science Judging Competition, and applied for position of Movie Clerk with "Reel Theaters" in the Interview Contest. All three of the first-time Loma Vista 4-H presenters did a phenomenal job at their first 4-H Presentation Day, and all three of them will excel with 4-H presentations for several years into the future.
After the awards ceremony had concluded, a generous group of 4-H'ers stayed late to assist with the event's necessary cleanup. Everyone presenting at the event worked really hard to prepare their presentations and interviews, and were rewarded with receiving red seals, blue seals, and gold medals. Participating in 4-H presentations and interviews may seem quite daunting, but anyone can do it who puts their mind to it. Even though presenting a 4-H presentation or interview seems really scary, it is a lot of fun once you are doing it. If you did not participate in this year's Ventura County 4-H Presentation Day Event, I strongly encourage you to participate in next year's event in 2020. In summary, the members got to strengthen their presenting and interviewing skills, and everyone had a wonderful time.
- Author: Valerie Zeko
Ventura County 4-H Presentation Day took place on Saturday, March 23 at UC Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Presentations took place in the small and large barns as well as our new conference room, and the interviews took place in our 4-H offices. All of the judges were very impressed! Regular 4-H youth members (ages 9-19) awarded a gold medal for their presentation at our VC 4-H Presentation Day can present the same presentation at Southern Area Field Day at Mt. SAC on May 4, 2019. Sign up here: https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=20098
Illustrated Talk:
- Jake Robinson – GOLD
- Kaylee Tan – GOLD
- Samantha Robinson – GOLD
- Adeline Vertucci – GOLD
- Ashley Pyler - GOLD
- Nadja Klem - GOLD
- Livia Vertucci - GOLD
- Rachel Lipscomb - GOLD
Science / Engineering Presentation:
- Alexander Blomquist – GOLD
- Sammy Belik – GOLD
Educational Display Talk:
- Anna Linehan - RED
- Anna Sorensen - GOLD
Interpretive Reading:
- Kelly Quinn - GOLD
- Matthew Ziegler - RED
- Adler Striegel - GOLD
- Andrew Pyler - GOLD
Impromptu:
- Irelyn Kennedy - RED
- Ashley Pyler - GOLD
- Adler Striegel - RED
Cultural Arts:
- Ashley Pyler - GOLD
Interview Contest:
- Jake Robinson - GOLD
- Sammy Belik - GOLD
- Irelyn Kennedy - GOLD
- Rachel Lipscomb - BLUE
- Ashley Pyler - GOLD
- Shelby Wright - BLUE
- Anna Linehan - BLUE
- Kelly Quinn - GOLD
- Matthew Ziegler - BLUE
- Anna Sorenson - GOLD
- Andrew Pyler - GOLD
- Adler Striegel - GOLD
Share the Fun Skit ~ Thank you to the following Mupu 4-H youth for performing:
- Sofia Manzano
- Rocky Manzano
- Kelsey Hendren
- Saynt Manzano
- Mila Manzano
- Carson Bell
- Olivia Bell
- Katie Carr
- Jessica Davison
- Logan Davison
- Chris Mijares
- Bentley Thrasher
- Rook Johnson
- Luis Robles
- Sofia Arana
- Author: Livia and Adeline Vertucci
"Fashion My Way" was the theme for the 2019 Ventura County 4-H Fashion Revue held at UC Hansen Agricultural and Research Center (HAREC) in Santa Paula on Saturday, March 23rd. It was a beautiful day at the farm!
Ten 4-H'ers participated in Fashion Revue!
Ten 4-H members from two clubs, Conejo-Simi and Loma Vista, were judged by two community members, a teacher and an artist, who are also seamstresses. Participants were evaluated on their Self Esteem, Poise, and Posture, Personal presentation, and Grooming, Verbal Communication and Interaction with Evaluators. On their garment they were judged on choice of style, fit, Workmanship as it relates to outside appearance, and how the whole look was coordinated.
This year's categories included: Traditional, where participants construct any type of garment; The Box Challenge, where participants create a garment that contains 3 colors – red, white, and blue and an extra component, such as a zipper, buttons, or trim; Retro/Historical Challenge, where participants create a garment that is inspired by or looks like an old design, from before the year 2000, using new fabric and notions; and the Consumer Science Purchased, $40.00 Limit, where participants shop for an entire outfit with the total cost not to exceed $40.00, including shoes but not sales tax.
Participants showed off their creations to family and friends in the pre-awards ceremony fashion show, where they were escorted to the gazebo stage by 4-H members Sammy Belik, Andrew Pyler, Kelly Quinn, and Matthew Ziegler. The day ended with everyone enjoying delicious chocolate cake!
And the winners are...
Senior Division, Traditional: Adler Striegel, Loma Vista, medalist and county winner
Senior Division, Retro/Historical Challenge: Livia Vertucci, Loma Vista, medalist and county winner
Intermediate Division, Box Challenge: Adeline Vertucci, Loma Vista, medalist and county winner
Intermediate Division, Traditional: Alexander Bloomquist, Loma Vista, medalist and county winner
Intermediate Division, Traditional: Olivia Bloomquist, Loma Vista, blue ribbon
Intermediate Division, Traditional: Malia Maldonado, Loma Vista, blue ribbon
Intermediate Division, Consumer Science Purchased: Rachel Lipscomb, Loma Vista, blue ribbon
Intermediate Division, Consumer Science Purchased: Irelyn Kennedy, Conejo-Simi, medalist and county winner
Junior Division, Traditional: Rossilyn Buchanan, Loma Vista, blue ribbon
Junior Division, Traditional: Chloe Pickett, Loma Vista, blue ribbon
Best Fashion Revue EVER thanks to Consumer Science PDC Chair Rachel McClanahan! Everyone had a wonderful day at the farm!
- Author: Claire B., Santa Rosa Valley 4-H
The Southern Youth Summit (SYS) is sponsored by the state 4-H and the theme this year was “Bee the Change.” I have been to SYS for two years and it is a wonderful experience where I have learned leadership skills and met other 4-H youth leaders. I enjoy choosing from a menu of presentations that are offered at the event. The two that made the most impact on me this year were the Mindfulness and the Futurist presentations. Both of them have concepts that are important for me not as a leader, but also personally as I lead a healthy life.
The Mindfulness session allowed our group to define Mindfulness. The presenter gave a funny description of when she ate a whole box of cookies, but didn't even realize it because she was watching television. The two presenters then gave strategies that we could use to be mindful and we took a hike in the beautiful area surrounding Pathfinder Ranch, the location of SYS. I found the techniques useful and look forward to attending the Mindfulness Retreat in November.
Chet Sisk, the Futurist, helped me see what the future has in store and how I can make a difference right now. He inspired me to look at civic education and what I can do to make a changes in my community a step at a time and how they will impact the world globally. He was a captivating speaker.
SYS is a wonderful experience that gives ideas and strategies to support leadership. I encourage everyone to attend next January!
- Author: Sammy Belik
On February 23, I went to the State Avian Bowl Qualifier in Fresno with my team to represent Ventura County. Our team name was the “Bird Nerds.” Our team included Scarlet James, our Captain, Olivia Willoughby, and myself, Sammy Belik. Scarlet and Olivia are in Santa Rosa 4-H club, and I am in Conejo Simi 4-H club.
Avian Bowl is an avian knowledge contest. My team studied for two to three months to get ready. We learned about many things including Raising Game Birds, Eggcyclopedia, and Avian Body Systems. In Eggcyclopedia I learned that a scotch egg is a hard boiled egg, covered in sausage, breaded, and deep fried! My favorite subject was Contributions of Poultry to the Development of Science where I learned things like where B-Lymphocytes come from and what an attenuated vaccine is. There are two divisions in the contest, the Juniors and the Seniors. The Seniors that win first place in the Qualifier get to go to Kentucky to represent California at the National Avian Bowl.
The rules are strict, so it was very hard, and it made me very nervous until we started playing. The rounds are twelve questions each with a bonus question if everyone on your team answers a question correctly. We can't talk to our teammates unless it is a bonus question. It was double elimination, but our team was undefeated! We won first place out of all the Juniors and earned belt buckles. At the end, we played Junior Champions vs Senior Champions twice. And still we were undefeated! Our team is going to Orange County fair next to compete in Avian Bowl.
I started doing avian bowl two years ago at Ventura County Fair when I had never studied before, so it's okay to be a beginner and start at Ventura County Fair. This year the Fair won't be able to allow show birds because of the New Castle outbreak, but there will be an avian bowl. It's really fun! Everyone should try it!
