More than 80 Rutgers student groups participated in this year’s Monster Mash – an alternative Halloween event at Rutgers, and welcomed more than 2,500 local elementary school children and their families on the Cook/Douglass campus on Oct…
Youth/Community Development
Retired Rutgers 4-H Agent Erika “Ricki” Leal Inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame
Erika Leal of Palm Coast, Florida, and formerly Wayne, New Jersey, was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame on Oct. 9 for her lifetime achievements and contributions to 4-H. Honored by the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents, Leal was one of 16 people inducted during the ceremony held at the National 4-H […]
Boonton Resident is Among Winners at County Fair
Local residents received high honors at the Morris County 4-H Fair, held on July 15-19 at Chubb Park in Chester. Youth and 4-Hers from Morris County were welcome to compete in divisions such as photography, woodworking, fine art and crafts with projects completed prior to the fair. Projects were judge based on the Danish system; awarded excellent, very good, good or fair ribbons. These judged projects were on display during the fair… Also winning big in the foods division was Boonton native Arianne Grevesen, a member of the Buckanears 4-H Small Animal Club. She received a best in show for her cannoli cupcakes in the Backed Goods Unit Grades four-eight… The Rutgers Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program uses a “learn by doing approach to enable youth to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to become competent, caring and contributing citizens of the world.”
4-H Science Ambassador Program Helps Rahway Students Gain Knowledge Through Research
Children at the Rahway Public Library got a fun introduction to the principles of the scientific method this summer from a group of volunteer Union County 4-H Science Ambassadors. The projects included blowing bubbles and a simple “ski slope” demonstration… 4-H is a national youth development program. In Union County, 4-H is supported by the Freeholder Board, Rutgers University’s Cooperative Extension, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture… To prepare for their Rahway Library presentation in July, they attended the 4-H Summer Science Program at Rutgers University earlier in the month. They lived on campus at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences during the one-week program, learning about scientific investigation as it relates to current issues and challenges.
Find Out How Big the Largest Tomato Contest Winner is at N.J. Fair
11-year-old Cody Wright is by far the youngest of the nine competitors at the Salem County Fair’s Largest Tomato Contest, but he has something the other competitors don’t have. He has a pedigree… The tomato contest has a loyal following – with a lot of the same faces competing each year. Cody took the third place trophy last year and, as he enrolls in the competition this year with his primo red tomato, he sizes up the other tomatoes… David Lee, Salem County agricultural agent for the Rutgers University Cooperative Extension, runs the competition and weighs the tomatoes… “Everybody has their own secret and they don’t like to tell but some guys will stay up all night and put night lights on them and covers on them and grow them on straw and use special fertilizer,” Lee said. “Everybody has their own thing.”
New Brunswick Community Farmers Market – “Community” is Our Middle Name
National Farmers Market Week (August 2–8, 2015) is a week-long celebration of our nation’s farmers markets, the farmers and ranchers who make them possible, and the communities that host them. This year marks the 16th annual National Farmers Market Week recognizing the important role that farmers markets play in our local food economies. A perfect […]
New City School Names Alexis Wright Next Head of School
Alexis Wright has been unanimously selected by New City School’s Board of Trustees to serve as the next Head of School. Alexis comes to New City School from Bank Street College of Education in New York, NY, where he has served as Dean of Children’s Pro…
Cumberland County 4-H Presents at National Marine Educators Conference
County 4-H Agent Julie Karavan was awarded the Expanding Audiences Scholarship, which allowed her to attend the National Marine Educators Association Conference in Newport, Rhode Island, held June 29-July 2. Karavan presented two professional development workshops related to her extension teaching and practice in Cumberland County. Her presentation, Aquatic Robotics, was offered educators information and […]
Cumberland County 4-H Invites Bridgeton Pathways Students to “Spy” on Nature
Students in the Bridgeton 21st Century Pathways Program took part in hands-on experiential learning with Cumberland County 4-H during the week of July 13th… The Rutgers Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program partnered with Bridgeton Schools to engage youth in science, engineering, and the arts. The week-long program, designed by County 4-H Agent Julie Karavan, invited students to spy on nature, learning how Rutgers scientists and engineers monitor local species and habitats. Students produced their own constructions and personal creations- including underwater robots, contact prints, poetry, and artwork, based on their first-hand observations… The program included a service learning opportunity with Jenny Paterno of Project PORTS. Participants visited the Rutgers Haskin Shellfish Lab and created over 100 shell bags to provide habitat to oysters. Students also were able to take a tour of the gardens at Rutgers Cooperative Extension, where they constructed LEGO based underwater robots designed to retrieve a simulated biological sample or marine debris… “Rutgers colleagues made this a fabulous experience for the kids,” said Karavan. “Having a 4-H alum return in a staff position to teach in the schools really enriched the program.”
Rutgers 4-H Hosts Azerbaijani Youth Learning About Democracy and Entrepreneurship
Over the course of three weeks in June this year, 18 youth and two adult educators from Azerbaijan participated in a Youth Leadership Program funded by the U.S. Department of State and facilitated by the 4-H programs of University of Delaware and Rutgers University. During this exchange program, which focused on the general themes of […]
