FORT CARSON, Colo. — Elementary school-aged students lined up on red dots in a classroom-like setting prepared to talk about their 4-H projects, which they had worked on for several months. They seemed anxious, excited and ready to showcase what they had accomplished. The 35 students from Abrams and Mountainside Elementary schools participated in the Fort Carson 4-H Fair April 21, 2022, at Child and Youth Services' Mesa School Age Center on Fort Carson.
Their projects were in one of four categories: cake decorating, entomology, stop motion and artistic fabric.
Students are junior ambassadors of Mesa, which is part of the local 4-H Club, said Debbie Bonvillain, a trainer at the center.
Many of the students began working on their projects in January 2022.
Students started out with a draft of their project, they brainstormed, and used their skills to gather up materials, Bonvillain said. Their projects consisted of on-camera presentations, written descriptions (a 4-H story about what they’ve learned) and visual presentations on cardboard posters.
They also participated in a 3-to-5-minute interview about their projects with a 4-H judge.
“The interview gives them an opportunity to share about what they’ve done and learned, to take some pride in what they’ve accomplished, and to give them an opportunity to further develop their communication skills,” said Vanessa Tranel, military 4-H specialist with the Colorado State University Extension.
Tranel said it’s a simple interview, but it can help prepare the students for public speaking or even with their first job interview.
The students competed against their Fort Carson classmates as well as students from Peterson Space Force Base and the United States Air Force Academy. Students with the top exhibits in the project areas
will compete against students from 64 counties at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo in August 2022.
For Aaliyah Hall, her project focused on permanent designs.
Hall, a fourth-grade student who attends Abrams Elementary School, explained that her project included using permanent markers and paints, which can be used on fabrics such as pillowcase, shirt or pants.
Working on her project, she learned the importance of taking her time.
“I learned to take my time because a couple of other projects I did I rushed, and it didn’t look nice,” Hall said.
She said even though she had some challenges with her tracing skills, she was proud of her final project.
Fort Carson was one of the 4-H military pilot sites in the mid-1990s, said Tranel.
“The purpose of the partnership is to help the kids develop life skills and resiliency skills so as they’re moving from installation to installation, it may not look exactly the same, but if they were in 4-H at Fort Carson and they moved to Fort Hood or Italy or Germany, there will be something predictable for them,” Tranel said.
The 4-H clover symbolizes the desire for effective learning — head, heart, hands and health.
“The program may look a little bit different, but if they (students) were a member of the group here, they can be a member of the group there,” Tranel said.
Wherever the students live, they have the opportunity to benefit from participation in 4-H.
“It gives them some recognition for their hard work, and their parents can see what they’ve done,” Tranel said. “And having pride in their work, which builds their self-esteem.”
Working on these projects helps students set goals and develop a work ethic.
“They set goals to decide ‘I’m going to complete my project, and I’m going to do my project well,’” Tranel said.
The students are encouraged to finish what they start.
“When they start a project, they end a project,” Bonvillain said. “Their voice counts; it means something. They have skills, and I want them to put those skills to use and come out with something.
“They have something to contribute, and somebody’s watching who will recognize that they’ve done a wonderful job.”
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