Search
February
6- Demo Day
6 – Senior Scholarship Deadline for Parish Review
10 – Junior Leader Meeting
13- Honor Cord Application Deadline
14-21 – State Livestock Show
17- Mardi Gras; Office Closed
19-20 – Spark Action Change Summit
19 – Record Book Workshop
23- Beef & Wild Game Cookery
27 – State 4-H Scholarship Due
March
6-8 – JLC
7- Ascension Match
7- SeaPerch Competition
10 – Food Challenge
16 – Raising Cane’s Fundraiser
17 – 4-H University Info Meeting (Jr Leaders)
20- Apr. 4 - SS Southern Regionals
23- Seafood Cookery
31- Achievement Day
Demo Day
The Ascension 4-H Demo Day is coming up on Friday, February 6th, and it’s never too early to begin planning! The holidays make a great time to work on your Demo Day submissions! There will also be activity stations for our 4-H members to participate in while judging and contests take place. The Demo Day event details, registration link, and rules for each contest are posted in the Demo Day Contest tab at www.lsuagcenter.com/ascension4h. Here are the lists of contests offered:
Don’t forget to apply for your 4-H Honor Cords to wear at your high school graduation! You have worked hard during your 4-H career so wear your honor cord PROUDLY! Guidelines and applications are available and must be submitted online at Senior Honor Cords (lsuagcenter.com). It takes less than 5 minutes to complete! Applications are due by February 13th! The honor cords will be delivered to the Ascension Extension Office and distributed during Achievement Day. More info can be found on our website under awards/applications.
Junior Leadership Conference- 14y & Older
Come explore during this Safari of leadership development at this year’s “Jungle Journey to Leadership” Junior Leader Conference. The Junior Leadership Conference (JLC) is a two-night camp at Camp Grant Walker designed specifically for high school students aged 14 and older, spanning 8th-12th grade. Executive Board members will lead sessions in four different subjects. JLC tracks are created to provide participants with activities they can apply within their high school communities. Camp will be held March 6-8, 2026. Registration opens January 13, 2026, and closes February 6, 2026. Ascension can send 6 members to the conference. The fee is $150, and transportation is not provided, but we are willing to help coordinate with the youth attending for carpooling and assistance if needed. If you would like to know more information, please contact Ms. Cheyenne.
Cookery Contest – Beef and Wild Game
This is a classic and a newer contest combined, so please carefully read the contest guidelines. The contest will include two different guidelines. Beef will include ground beef and other cuts. Wild games include fouls, venison, and other games. For each of our monthly contest entries, you will need to submit 2 copies of your recipe and 2 servings of your dish in a disposable container. The drop-off day for your completed dish is Monday, February 23rd from 8 am to 5:30pm. From there, your entries will be judged by our volunteers. More detailed guidelines and explanations will be available at our website at https://lsuagcenter.com/ascension4h!!
Seniors, there are lots of scholarships out there for you through 4-H! By completing ONE application, you will be entered for a chance to win any of the state 4-H scholarships, the local State 4-H Foundation Scholarship, the Ascension 4-H Foundation scholarships. Be sure you are in contact with the 4-H office, so you are not missing out on these opportunities! February 6th at 4:30 pm is the deadline for this scholarship application to be turned into the Extension Office to receive feedback. The FINAL submission deadline is February 27 @ 4:30pm. Contact the office if you have not already received the application.
What is SeaPerch? It’s a program, a contest, and a community where youth teams design, build, and engineer an underwater remotely operated vehicle. We are in search of interested youth and coaches who may be interested in putting together a SeaPerch team. This is an amazing event for students. The winning 4-H SeaPerch team will win a trip to compete at Nationals! For more information visit https://www.lsuagcenter.com/topics/kids_teens/projects/set/seaperch. The competition will be held March 7th.
Are you up for a CHALLENGE? We are on the lookout for potential team members and volunteer coaches to prepare for the Louisiana 4-H Food Challenge. This competition challenges teams of 4-H members to create a dish using only a key ingredient and access to a “grocery store” of other ingredients. From the ingredients, team members are challenged to create a healthy dish while practicing proper food safety, food preparation, and communication skills in front of a live audience. Following the dish preparation, teams then present to a panel of judges who will further test their culinary and nutrition knowledge with a question-and-answer segment. The Southern Regional food challenge is Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Baton Rouge. Registration will start on January 5th and close on February 6th. For more information, please contact Ms. Cheyenne.
Summer Camp Lottery- Open to 4th-6th Grade 4-H’ers
Ascension is “Beyond Ready for 4-H Camp” at Camp Grant Walker, July 6th-9th! Summer Camp is open to youth in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. Ascension 4-H will publish an online lottery form for camp sign-up in MARCH! Please be sure to complete the digital form as soon as possible to get your child a spot for this year’s camp adventure! A $50.00 non-refundable deposit will be collected at the end of the digital form to hold your child’s summer camp spot. We are also in need of adult volunteers to chaperone camp. If interested, please contact our office for more information!
4-H University Informational Meeting- Open to 8th-12th Grade 4-H’ers
Join the Ascension “Krewe de 4-H U!” at 4-H University! 4-Her’s choose from over 30 competitive events ranging from Agricultural Use Demonstrations, Fishing Sports, Esports, Fashion Revue, Graphic Design, robotics, and more! Through competing, youth excel in life skills such as personal growth, teamwork, decision-making, problem-solving, resiliency, and many more. This year’s 4-H University event will take place on the LSU Campus June 23-25. There will be a MANDATORY INFORMATIONAL MEETING on Tuesday, March 17th, at 6 pm at the 4-H Office!!
Information about both camp opportunities will be forthcoming around March, but we wanted to go ahead and provide you with the dates early so you can plan around them. More info to come!
4-H Summer Camp (4th-6th Grades)- Pollock, LA- July 6-9, 2026
LOST Camp (7th-8th Grades)- Pollock, LA- July 30-Aug 1, 2026
Please give a warm welcome to Ms. Anna Sharkey, the new 4-H Youth Development Agent in Ascension Parish.
Ms. Anna is from Amite, Louisiana. Ms. Anna is a December Graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Science – Agricultural Education, Leadership, and Communications/Production Management. Ms. Anna worked as a student advisor for the Mississippi State Cattlemen’s Association where she provided guidance to students, coordinated workshops and events to enhance student engagement, and provided resources and student services. Ms. Anna oversees the Ascension 4-H Shooting Sports Program and is excited to bring her unique strengths to Ascension Parish by contributing to a vibrant 4-H program. Be sure to say hello to her at the February club meetings!
Anna can be reached at asharkey@agcenter.lsu.edu or by phone in the Ascension Office at 225-621-5799.
Achievement Day Information
All 4-H members, parents, and family members are invited to attend
Achievement Day on March 31st, 2026, at Dutchtown High School!
As you continue through the year, it’s important to keep track of all your activities and accomplishments to make submitting your record book easier in the spring.The Record Book Documents can be found at https://tinyurl.com/4hRBook .This document must be used for the parish and state record book competitions!
** 4th and 5th graders can submit their 4th and 5th-grade PROJECT BOOKS for parish project work awards.We will judge the content and effort in the Discovering 4-H or the Exploring 4-H project books to recognize those who have completed them for Achievement Day.Books in this competition that do not submit the additional portfolio portion are eligible for PARISH competition ONLY, not state competition**
6th—12th and those 4th-5th graders wanting the opportunity to compete at state have one more step—the 4-H Portfolio. The Portfolio Document can be found at https://tinyurl.com/4hRBook .This document must be used for the parish and state record book competitions, so please start transitioning your info! A helpful resource document has been uploaded to our website under “Contests< Record Book Competition” Project and Record Books will be due to the Ascension Office by March 10th, so please start working!
Looking to compete in the state contest and want some extra help preparing? Join us at the Record Book workshop on February 19th at the 4-H office at 6:00 pm!
Outstanding 4-H’er Nominations
As spring draws closers, we become busier but be sure to remain active in your school club and parish 4-H activities! Each club leader will be eligible to nominate two members for the club and parish Outstanding 4-Her Award to be recognized at Achievement Day. Applications can be obtained from your club leader. Members at large can get an application from our office. All club leaders and members at large must turn in applications to us by March 10th.
Achievement Day Talent Show
4-Hers who have a special talent, whether singing, dancing, playing an instrument, etc. can apply to potentially be showcased in the LIVE 4-H Achievement Day Talent Showcase! To be considered, 4-Hers should complete the talent show entry form and submit a clear, quality video of their talent. More details and entry forms can be found on our website, www.lsuagcenter.com/ascension4h, under contests. Entry forms and videos are due to the office by March 10th! The agents will review the forms and videos to select the acts to be showcased LIVE at Achievement Day! Due to time limits, only a couple acts will be selected in each age division to perform live.
Achievement Day Service
Drum roll please…. This year’s end of the year service project will be collecting Pop Tabs! Get your club and school on board to begin bringing in the tabs of any type of can… soup, soft drinks, energy drinks, etc. Pop tabs will be sold, and the money will be donated to a charitable organization. There will be a friendly competition to see which club can collect the most pounds of pop tabs for Achievement Day! Good luck!
4-H Golden Clover Award & Emerald Achievement Awards
The 4-H Golden Clover Award and Emerald Achievement Award in Louisiana gives recognition and a $50.00 award to 4-H Club members who have shown outstanding leadership ability in their club and their parish. The object of the program is to encourage project growth and a broad program of 4-H club members who have shown outstanding leadership ability in their club and their parish. If you are active in your club or on a parish level, please consider applying.
Applications for these awards are due to the 4-H office on March 10th, 2026. A club member may win the award only one time. Members in 6th-12th grades may be eligible to apply. Visit the applications/awards section of our website to download an application!
