Pennsylvania youth elected to lead state 4-H council

Pennsylvania youth elected to lead state 4-H council

Credit: Mya Rushton The newly elected 2011-12 Pennsylvania 4-H State Council officers are (from left): Sarah Bassett, Liz McAndrew, Lia Schmittel, Garrett Richardson, Ashley Mohn, Danielle Knapp and Bridget McConn.

Pennsylvania youth elected to lead state 4-H council

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Seven Pennsylvania youth leaders were elected to serve one-year terms in executive positions on the Pennsylvania State 4-H Council at the 2011 Pennsylvania 4-H State Achievement Days held recently at Penn State's University Park campus.

The Pennsylvania State 4-H Council is a pre-eminent group of young people selected from around the state to be the official spokespeople for the Pennsylvania 4-H program to government, university and industry officials.

Officers elected for the 2011-2012 term include:

-- Sarah Basset, of Sunbury, has been selected to serve as president of the council. A senior at Danville Area High School, Basset has been involved with Northumberland County 4-H for nine years in horse, teen leadership, cake decorating, air rifle and scrapbooking projects.

-- Liz McAndrew, of Brockway, will serve as vice president of operations. A senior at Brockway Junior-Senior High School, McAndrew has been involved in Clearfield County 4-H programs for 10 years and has completed horse, leadership, animal science and public speaking projects.

-- Lia Schmittel, of Middletown, has been selected to serve as the vice president of events. A senior at Lower Dauphin High School, Schmittel has been a Dauphin County 4-H member for six years, completing rabbit, sheep, pig, photography and fiber projects.

-- Ashley Mohn, of Womelsdorf, will serve as secretary of the council. A senior at Conrad Weiser High School, Mohn has been involved in Berks County 4-H programs for 10 years and participates in projects such as dairy and teen leadership.

-- Danielle Knapp, of Ulster, has been selected to serve as reporter. A senior in the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, Knapp is an 11-year member of Bradford County 4-H. Her projects have included horse, goat, photography, leadership, square dancing and cake decorating.

-- Garrett Richardson, of Glen Campbell, will serve as the council sentinel. The Indiana Wesleyan School senior is a seven-year member of Indiana County 4-H. He participated in dairy, swine, poultry, rocketry and cooking projects.

-- Bridget McConn, of West Alexander, has been selected as historian. She is a junior at McGuffey High School and a nine year 4-H member in Washington County. McConn's projects have consisted of sheep, hogs and goats.

Pennsylvania 4-H is a nonformal youth development education program of Penn State Extension. It helps youth between the ages of 5 and 19 to become self-directed, productive and contributing members of a diverse society by empowering them to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults.

The 4-H council officers represent more than 100,000 Pennsylvania 4-H'ers through programs and presentations with regional and state-level civic groups, and through interactions with local, state and national government officials and Penn State administration. They promote Pennsylvania 4-H at a variety of events, including the Pennsylvania Farm Show and Penn State's Ag Progress Days.

They are actively involved in state-level 4-H programming, leading their peers in educational workshops. Also, they plan and implement the annual statewide 4-H Leadership Conference in State College. Officers also plan and administer the opening and closing ceremonies of 4-H Capitol Days and State 4-H Achievement Days.

Each council member also will raise $250 in donations for the state program, increase participation at all state events, and act as hosts and masters of ceremonies at regional and state 4-H events.

For more information, contact Mya Rushton at 814-865-2351 or mrp7@psu.edu.