Greenville 4-H’ers ‘want it all!’

By Walter Boomsma
Special to the Observer

    GREENVILLE — One of the reasons Gretchen Huettner decided to become a 4-H Leader is that she has fond memories of the many opportunities 4-H provided her when she was young. She readily admits that as a leader, she now appreciates how much work is involved. “But,” she quickly adds, “The kids really do most of it.”

Photo courtesy of Walter Boomsma

    TEAM PHOTO — Greenville Health Science 4-H Club members and leaders take a break from serving at the Blacksmith Shop demonstration to ham it up for a photo. Pictured, from left, are Rebecca Huettner, Gabrielle Huettner, Caitlyn Dauphinee, Gretchen Huettner and Mysty Dauphinee.

    Even the club’s name took some time and effort. The members describe how they started as the Greenville Health Science 4-H Club — a name adopted because the club’s roots were in a 4-H Program conducted at C. A. Dean Hospital where kids have an opportunity to learn about careers in the field of health care through direct interaction with medical professionals.
    Shortly after starting as a club, the kids decided they were really interested in more than just health science, opting to participate in the Maine Envirothon, an environmentally themed high school competition. Member Rebecca Huettner describes the club’s realization, “We want it all!”
    So members decided to drop the word “health” and insert the word “super” to create the Greenville Super Science 4-H Club. They had just six short weeks to prepare for the Envirothon competition. In the spirit of 4-H, they dug in and started studying. Even with a lack of resources and time the team placed fifth in the Regional Envirothon competition.
    When you ask 4-H’er Caitlyn Dauphinee where she sees the Club in a few years she replies, “We’ll be first place in the Envirothon and I won’t be secretary anymore.”
    Huettner describes some of the differences between when she was a member. “Kids today have a lot more options both outside and inside 4-H,” said the club leader. “That means when they make a choice, they end up doing the planning and the work out of a sense of ownership and responsibility. Because they see themselves as a team, they share the work — even if it means doing a job that may not be your favorite.”
    Years ago, the focus of 4-H included kids owning and caring for their own animals. The time-tested 4-H slogan “Learn by Doing” still is applied to agricultural activities — club member Ruth Reynolds will be showing at the Piscataquis Valley Fair this year.
    But 4-H also includes a wide range of activities such as robotics, aquaculture, and digital photography. In addition, clubs are self-governing providing social and leadership development.
    The Greenville Super Science 4-H Club has an amazing track record in the few short months they’ve been chartered. In addition to participating in the Health Science Program, every member is CPR-certified. When club members began preparing for the Envirothon Competition, they found some science topics at the local Shaw Library were not fully represented.
    After the competition, they asked the librarian if they could conduct a fundraiser to help the library purchase more science books, and held a successful bake sale using their own recipes and creations.
    They also helped with Greenville’s Annual Chocolate Festival and provided refreshments at the Dover Foxcroft Blacksmith’s Shop during Homecoming Weekend.
    Rebecca explains that the club is “close knit — we understand each other’s skills and strengths. When we do a project, we know who should do what, but we also are all learning different skills.” She sees a value of the club being “discovering how much you can do with kids your age,” adding that she recently discovered some 4-H classes and material she wants to research.
    One of her club jobs is that of reporter and she’s already thinking she may take the job for a second year because “I think I could learn to do it better.”
    While Caitlyn would like to see somebody else become secretary, she says one of the biggest benefits from being a member of the club is “We have fun—even when things get stressful.”
    The club’s leaders believe that the most important quality of a 4-H leader is being a person who “wants to see kids succeed by doing things they want to do.” Leaders Mysty Dauphinee, Gretchen and Doug Huettner also appreciate that their kids are club members, so 4-H time is also family time.
    Member Gabrielle Huettner admits the current membership is “completely involved in science” and anyone who is thinking about joining should be prepared for that. The club consensus is that success isn’t being the biggest club in Piscataquis County, but it might be being the busiest and most active.
    For information about joining a 4-H club in the area or volunteering as a leader, contact Sheila Norman at the Piscataquis County Extension Office in Dover Foxcroft, 564-3301.