The April bulletin covers the following topics:
Please click the link below to check out this month’s bulletin:
If interested please contact a Sophomore today!
The Hay Springs FFA members have had a very successful second year and are preparing to compete in three of the Leadership Skills Development Events. Abigail Russell will be competing in the State Creed Speaking Contest after winning the District XII contest, and RyLee Wolken will be competing in the Senior Public Speaking Contest. Our Freshman Chapter Conduct of Meeting Team also won the District XII competition and will be competing at State. Members of this team include: Abigail Russell, Alexa Tonjes, Abigail Nelson, Ava McKillip, Noah Kelly, Jarhett Anderson, Jordyn Anderson, Taden Tobiasson and alternates Adrianna Haffner and Hayden Boles. This contest will all be held virtually so the educational opportunity to travel to Lincoln and compete in person experience will not be part of this state competition.
Several members will also be competing in the state Career Development Events after qualifying in district competition. Team and individual competitions from earlier in the year is as follows:
Agricultural Sales Team: Hannah Hoos, Logan DeCoste, Jett Rasmussen, and Abigail Russell
Food Science Team: Hally Johnson, Laney Smith, Breely Smith and Alexa Tonjes
Farm and Agribusiness Management Team: Hannah Hoos, Logan DeCoste, Jett Rasmussen, Braydon Binger, Colter Meeks and Abigail Russell
March 3rd, Hay Springs FFA Chapter members competed in individual and six different team contests in Kimball, Nebraska. The six contests were Agricultural Science, Senior Livestock Evaluation, Junior Livestock Evaluation, Meat Evaluation, Nursery and Landscape, and Agronomy.
The Senior Livestock team placed 5th and qualified for state. These individuals judged 7 classes of beef, swine and sheep and gave reasons on two classes: the sim-angus bulls and the breeding gilt classes. The team consisted of Jett Rasmussen(placed 20th), Colter Meeks(placed 23rd), Jaiden Anderson(placed 25th), Logan DeCoste(placed 33rd), and Augustus Scott(placed 44th).
The Junior Livestock team included Abigail Russell(placed 1st), Mia Skinner(placed 15th), Molly Spicer(placed 17th). Breely Smith(played 31st), and Hally Johnson(placed 42nd). The team placed 4th and is a state qualifier.
The Nursery and Landscape team had to identify equipment, parasites, plants and flowers, took a general knowledge test and had to design a landscape activity as a team. Overall the team placed 3rd and qualified for state. The team members were: Bailey Scherbarth(placed 6th), Abigail Nelson(placed 7th), Alexa Tonjes(placed 11th), Laney Smith(placed 12th), and Sissy Reina.
The Ag Science team placed 1st and qualified for state. The contest was the completion a 50 question test about the agricultural industry including agribusiness, ag processing, animals, plants and dissection of a flower while identifying the parts of a flower. The first team included Ava McKillip(placed 1st), Abigail Russell(placed 2nd), Alexa Tonjes(placed 3rd) and Abigail Nelson(placed 5th). The second Hay Springs ag science team placed third and consisted of Noah Kelly, Jordyn Anderson, Jarhett Anderson, Adriana Haffner. Alternate team members were Taden Tobiasson and Hayden Boles.
The Meats team competed well and will also be competing at state. The teams were scored based on a meat evaluation test, the placing of 4 classes of wholesale and retail cuts including: T-Bone steaks, short loin, pork chops, and rib chops. They also had to identify 30 retail cuts via slideshow. The Meats team consisted of Braydon Binger, Toby Scherbarth, and RyLee Wolken.
The Agronomy team had to do some math questions about fertilizer and acres, and identify crops, insects, weeds, crop diseases, and equipment. Team members also completed a test about crops, soils and water conservation, and fertilizer etc. The Agronomy team consisted of Noah Kelly, Jordyn Anderson, Jarhett Anderson and Taden Tobiason. Our Agronomy team will also be competing at state.
Hay Springs Public Schools is no longer mandating the wearing of masks. We are encouraging students and staff members to wear masks if they are unable to socially distance. If teachers request students wear masks in their classrooms, students will be expected to honor that request. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the administration. Thank you in advance for your support.
So excited to announce our spring concert dates!
Monday, March 29th : High school band & choir to Edgemont for PANCO music contest (all day)
Tuesday, April 6th : 6th grade band & choir; 7th & 8th grade band & choir-auditorium (7pm)
Tuesday, April 20th : High school band & choir-Pre-contest concert-auditorium (7pm)
Wednesday, April 21st : High school band & choir to Alliance for District Music Contest (all day)
Monday, May 10th : 4th-5th grade spring concert-auditorium (7pm)
Wednesday, May 19th : Prek-11th grade talent show (TBA)
The fifth graders took part in Water Across Nebraska, a virtual program for 4-6th graders, sponsored by the Nebraska Extension and the Nemaha Natural Resource District. Our greatest natural resource in Nebraska is water. Through this virtual field trip, we learned the importance of environmental stewardship to protect and properly use our natural resources. We watched a demonstration of a water table to see how surface and ground water are connected and played Water Jeopardy.
We also participated in the following hands-on activities:
Water Detective: How much water does your family use in a day?
When the Rain Water Rolls: We saw how materials can run-off into lakes, rivers, and streams when it rains.
Over the Banks: We compared Nebraska rivers at different times of the year to see how the water levels changed and how that affected the land around the river.
Break the Tension: We observed similarities between a water strider and the number of droplets that can fit on the head of a penny.
Buy Hawks Track Apparel and support the team! Click below for a direct link to the shop or browse the catalog below.
https://www.bsnteamsports.com/shop/HS2021TR
track2012flyer
Clover Buds
The Hay Springs Clover Bud workshop will be held virtually on March 5th from 10-11 am. Please register for the Hay Springs event with Marie Nelson by March 3rd. Clover Bud members are youth between the ages of 5 and 7 as of January 1st, 2021. These youth will experience teamwork, social interaction, and decision-making skills while participating in hands on activities. Upon participating in these workshops, youth will have Clover Bud projects to display at the 2021 Sheridan County Fair.
Speech Contest
Speech date for Sheridan County will be 2:00 pm on May 23rd at the Gordon City Hall. The Speech and Public Service Announcement (PSA) contests provide 4-H’ers the opportunity to learn to express themselves clearly, organize their ideas and have confidence. The 2021 state PSA theme is “Opportunity 4 All”, and time limit is 60 seconds. Contests are open to all 4-H’ers ages 5-18 (by January 1 of the current year) — need not be enrolled in a specific project. Speech lengths for: Clover Bud – under 2 minutes, Junior – 1-3 minutes, Intermediate – 3-5 minutes, Senior – 5-8 minutes. Youth may choose to participate in either or both the Speech and PSA contests. If questions, contact Marie Nelson at mnelson82@unl.edu or 308-327-2312.
YQCA Training
Youth who are interested in participating in a livestock animal project including: rabbit, poultry, swine, beef, sheep, and goat; must complete the Youth for Quality Care of Animals training prior to June 15th. After families enroll online at ne.4honline.com, they can visit https://yqca.learngrow.io/Account/Login and login with their 4-H Online account information. Youth have the option of completing the training in person or online. The online training costs $12 per person and the in person training only costs $3. The first in person training will be held on March 12th starting at 9 am at the Sheridan County Extension office, and the second in person training will be March 25th at Hay Springs Public School at 4:15 pm. Youth will need to go online to register for the training prior to this date. For help you can email help@yqca.org or contact Marie Nelson at mnelson82@unl.edu.
Sewing Workshops
Start working on your clothing/quilting projects for fair now! Free sewing workshops at the Extension Office:
March 12th 1-4 pm
March 26th 1-4 pm
Sheridan County 4-H Scholarship – Due April 15th
The Sheridan County 4-H Council is sponsoring a $500 scholarship to be awarded to a senior of Sheridan County who has been involved in 4-H. The application for this scholarship is due on April 15th via email to Marie Nelson at mnelson82@unl.edu or mailed to the Extension Office at PO Box 329 Rushville, NE 69360. Interested participants need to complete a simple two-page application answering questions about their 4-H experience. The scholarship application can be found at: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/northernpanhandle/scholarship-opportunities-sheridan-county/. For more information, please contact the Extension Office at (308) 327-2312.
Horse Level Testing
This year’s District Horse Show will be held in Scottsbluff on June 14th. To participate youth must complete their Horse level 1 and 2 prior to May 7th. Youth can visit the Extension Office to complete their test. For more information and written test prep materials visit https://4h.unl.edu/horse/district-shows.
Save the Date – Wilderness Wonders
Come Outwit, Outplay, and Outlast at the 2021 Wilderness Wonders Camp. Test your survivor skills at this summer’s Wilderness Wonders Camp! New this year, there will be two one-day camps. On June 2nd, youth in grades 3rd through 5th will be challenged on how they can survive in a group through this hands on camp. This camp will be held from 9 am until 5 pm at Camp Norwesca. The camp is limited to 40 campers with a $40 fee.
June 3rd will be a one-day camp for youth ages 5 to 7 or grades K-2. These youth members will be challenged with their own set of survivor skills from 9 am until 2 pm at Camp Norwesca. This camp is limited to 25 youth and will have a $30 fee. Youth will need to bring their swimming suits and towels to the June 3rd camp. The camp application can be found at https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/northernpanhandle/4-h-event-calendar/.
Applications are due to the Nebraska Extension-Box Butte Office at 415 Black Hills Alliance, NE 69301 by May 14th. Please contact the Extension Office if you have any questions.
Report incident
