4-H
Scholarship established in memory of Bossier Parish 4-H’er
Family and friends of Scotty Moore, a Parkway High School 4-H’er killed in a motorcycle accident four years ago, have established an endowed fund in the LSU Foundation to benefit the LSU AgCenter 4-H program.
The Scotty Moore Memorial Scholarship Award will assist undergraduate students attending any two- to four-year college, university or vocational institution.
Wendell Scott “Scotty” Moore Jr. was born on June 1, 1983, in Shreveport. When he was 2 years old he began riding in tractors and checking on cows with his father and grandfather. He began driving tractors and cutting hay when he was 8 and joined 4-H when he was in the fourth grade at Curtis Elementary School.
He showed registered Brangus cows from the fourth to 12th grade at the State Fair of Louisiana. At one time, he was the only 4-H member at Parkway High School.
Moore loved working with the younger members of 4-H. He helped them with showmanship skills, grooming cows and learning the importance of good sportsmanship, according to Jeannie Crnkovic, Bossier Parish agent.
Moore was killed in a motorcycle accident on Oct. 24, 2004. He spent the day before his death at the fair helping the younger members prepare for their showmanship classes.
Moore was the son of Scott and Kathryn Moore of Elm Grove. His father said friends of the family initiated the idea for the scholarship.
“This will be a great asset to the Bossier livestock program for decades to come,” said Troy Menard, LSU AgCenter associate agent. “Livestock exhibitors can apply for the scholarship and get help with their college financial needs.”
Recipients of this award must be participants in the Bossier Parish 4-H program who have been livestock exhibitors for three years or more. Recipients must be graduating high school seniors with a 2.5 grade point average or higher.
“It is a very honorable gesture by the donors that have come together to create an endowed scholarship in memory of Scotty,” said Eric Eskew, executive director of the 4-H Foundation. “A scholarship will be awarded in 2009.”
Moore said he decided to fund a scholarship this year as well. It went to Erika Anderson, a Benton High School senior, and was announced at the Bossier Parish 4-H Awards Banquet.
Additional donations may be made to the account in the future.
Centennial program, obtaining pig highlights for Farrar
Molly Farrar, assistant extension agent in DeSoto Parish, conducted a 4-H Centennial Celebration Program for Leader/Senior Recognition. Thirty people attended.
Farrar also sought out a pig for Forest Hill Elementary School principal Chip Killian to help him keep a promise to students in recognition of improving their standardized test scores.
Students gathered on the playground May 19 with banners that said “Pig kissing principal” and chants of “Kiss the pig. Kiss the pig.”
Killian pondered the situation and made the move to much applause.
He said the promise slipped out in a school assembly in October but was not to be forgotten.
The pig was provided by Parker Bevel, a student at Herndon Magnet School, who raises pigs. Marcia deMarigny, an aide at the school, dressed the pig in a red tutu.
Forest Hill does not have a 4-H club at the moment, so Farrar did the legwork to find the pig.
Killian is looking for a teacher to sponsor 4-H at the school.
Students asked if the pig tasted good and wondered what the pig thought about the whole ordeal. He did squeal, but it was unsure whether it was in delight.
Awards, fun days held
Awards days were held in Bossier and Webster on May 6 and in Caddo on May 7. Fun Days were May 13 in Bossier (the second day was canceled due to heavy rains) and May 16 in Webster.
Five people were inducted into the Hall of Fame for Webster Parish on May 6. The oldest was R.D. Hinton, 96, who was a 4-H'er in 1921 with a pig project. The others are Allen Mears, retired county agent from Webster Parish; Harold Newsom, first member of the 4-H Foundation; Ruby McClaran, a 4-H leader for 36 years; and Jan Hare, retired leader.
The 4-H Extravaganza for Caddo Parish elementary school students was held April 18, followed a week later for high school students.
Employees
Darinda Dans has been appointed research associate at the Red River Research Station Agronomy Department. She will be working with Dr. Eddie Millhollon. She is an LSU graduate where she was a lab assistant in the Agronomy Department. She worked for Ana-Lab as a field technician collecting and testing soil and water samples. She is experienced in general nursery operations as an assistant manager of a plant nursery.
Kate Jackson is a new research associate at the Pecan Research Station. She is from Columbia and attended Caldwell Parish High School and graduated from Louisiana Tech University in November in animal science with concentration in equine science. She got married May 16 to J.D. Burnham and lives in Arcadia.
Upcoming
• The LSU AgCenter is offering a Smart Portions program, a series of seven educational classes for individuals to help achieve and maintain a healthy weight based on lifestyle changes.
Classes will be held on Tuesdays, June 3, 10, 17, 24 and July 1 and 8 from 11 a.m. to noon at the offices at 2408 E. 70th, Shreveport. Please call to register at (318) 226-6805. The fee for the series of classes is $20.
• June 5 is 4-H Day at the Capitol. Groups will meet with their legislative representatives, go on tours, attend committee meetings and be recognized for the contributions 4–H has made to the state during its 100 years.
• 4-H’ers and volunteer leaders from Louisiana's 64 parishes will converge on the LSU campus to participate in competitive activities and learning experiences at 4-H University on June 17-19.
• 4-H summer camps are beginning for fourth through sixth graders in Pollock. Dates are May 26, Webster; June 2, Red River, Natchitoches, Sabine; June 9, Bossier; July 14, Caddo; and July 25, DeSoto.
• The 14th Annual North Louisiana Dairy Festival will be held Saturday, June 7, at the State Fair of Louisiana. Events include a showmanship clinic, a judging clinic and an ice cream-eating contest.
• The Louisiana Pecan Growers’ Association meeting will be June 13-14 at the Pecan Station. The annual Field Day will begin with lunch at noon Friday, followed by a program, tours and exhibits.
• Red River Research Station’s annual Field Day will be Wednesday, June 18.
Lagniappe
Maurice, La., native and former 4–H member Kent Desormeaux, 38, and his mount Big Brown scored impressive victories at the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and are now poised to win the Belmont/Triple Crown on June 7.
LiveFit Tips from Vicky Chesser
Having trouble keeping up with your LiveFit data? Starting to keep a log of what you eat and how much activity you get can be a little challenging, but it doesn’t have to be.
Many are able to keep up with a piece of paper that was provided in the informational packet, but some just can’t seem to find the log when they need to record their numbers. It may take a little time to get into the groove and figure out what works for you. Everyone will have something a little different that works for him.
The following are some time-saving tips others have shared.
Don’t want to keep up with your daily steps?
• Wear your pedometer all week long then divide the number by 7 to get your daily average.
• Call your voicemail and leave yourself a message. You can “tell yourself” what you eat or how many steps you get.
• Use your cell phone -- you can store the numbers from your pedometer under the calendar section of most phones.
Need to keep up with your fruits and vegetables?
• Use rubber bands. If your goal is 5 cups of fruits and vegetables each day. Place 5 rubber bands on your wrist. When you eat one cup, take off the rubber band. At the end of the day, it will be easy math. If office supply jewelry isn’t your thing, you can use a similar system with a link of paper clips on your keys, etc.
• Use your camera phone. Most new phones will hold several pictures at a time. When you get a chance to record the data, the time and date will be recorded as well.
Are you meeting your LiveFit fruit and vegetable goals? There are lots of tips to help you get in more fruits and veggies. Here are few to try:
• Add some fruit to your morning cereal.
• Add extra veggies to your pizza.
• Stir in some onions, bell peppers or jalapenos to an omelet.
• Add some mushrooms, onions or carrots to spaghetti sauce.
• Start or end every meal with a salad. Fruit salads make a great dessert.