By Kaylee Scarbrough

4-H is a program for youth ages 5-18 to compete in hands-on projects and obtain strong relationships within their community. These 4-H members have loved this organization for many years. This is a Q&A of different members of 4-H in our high school.!

Question 1: What categories are you in?

Answers: Maleah Cooper (President) – “I’m in visual arts, creative writing, cooking, canning, sports nutrition, showing cats, and geology, which is my favorite.”

Katie Muskopf (Secretary) – “Well, I’m in visual arts, cooking, photography, geology, interior design, and showing cats!”

Justin Peitz (Vice President)  – “I only show goats, but it’s fun.”

Abby Warren (Secretary) – “I show swine and did cooking when I was younger.”

Ava Hout – “I’m in health 3, show rabbits, and physical activity.”

Question 2: How long have you been in 4-H?

Maleah – “9 years”

Katie – “5 years”

Justin – “7 years with 3 years in Kentucky.”

Abby – “7 years”

Ava – “8 years”

Question 3: Have you won any awards?

Maleah – “I got first for my cat Eloise my freshman year and I am a 4x State Champion in geology!”

Katie – “I’ve been to state 4x and I’m 2x State Champion in photography.”

Justin – “I won the National Premier Youth Doe in Columbus, OH.”

Abby – “I’ve placed second and third in swine for open shows.”

Ava – “I’ve won best in show for my rabbits and State Fair Delegate.”

Question 4: What is the farthest you’ve traveled to a 4-H competition?

Maleah – “Springfield, IL”

Katie – “Springfield, IL”

Justin – “I drove from Flora to Nashville, TN.”

Abby – “I’ve only done shows in Clay County.”

Question 5: What projects have you done or what was your favorite project?

Maleah – “My favorite project was building my box! I painted it pink and was the only girl and I beat all them boys!”

Katie – “I took a photo of some barrels and that was my favorite project I’ve done!”

Justin – “My favorite activity was when we were split up into a group of 3 or 4 and were given a random goat to get ready to show. It was called the “Youth Grooming Contest”.”

Abby – “When I was little I did baking and it was lots of fun!”

Ava – “In health 3, I made a dietary and workout plan to follow to successfully lose weight!”

Question 6: What is your favorite part about 4-H?

Maleah – “I love the community behind it and meeting and talking with people!”

Katie – “I get opportunities to try new things. I never would have done cake decorating if I wasn’t in 4-H!”

Justin – “My favorite part is traveling and meeting new people!”

Abby – “I love being out at the fair, spending time with family and friends, and the experience is very, very good!”

Ava – “I love being with the groups and my friends!”

Question 7: For those in animal-related categories, why did you choose that animal?

Maleah – “It seemed fun!”

Katie – “I had cats, so why not?!”

Justin – “We first started out with chickens and rabbits, then we wanted to move bigger animals and show more hands-on! We met some people that hooked us up with goats and we loved it! My mom also had horses and livestock as a kid and she wanted us to have that experience too!”

Abby – “I realized how fun it is to show swine and I ended up loving it! Ava – “We have a farm and I decided to show rabbits because I wanted to contribute to the fair!”