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The 94th Annual 4-H Achievement Banquet was recently held on Oct. 26 at the Ellis Co. Fairgrounds in Hays to honor Ellis Co. 4-Her’s! More than 150 4-H members, their families, and special guests attended the annual awards banquet sponsored by the Ellis County 4-H Council. This year they recognized all Ellis Co. 4-H members, leaders and supporters.
Nominated as outstanding 4-H members from the 4-H clubs were
SR Nominees JR Nominees
Big Creek Astros Isaac Moreno Preslie Werth
Buckeye Jr. Farmers Faith Schmeidler Brynlee Walter
Ellis Sunflowers Kylee Pfeifer Hunter Talkington
Gemini Jrs. Kimberly Sack Eva Betz
Shooting Sports Zachary McCall Gavin Bemis
Victoria Vikings Ella Neher Esther Neher
The Senior winners were Faith Schmeidler and Ella Neher, and the Junior winners were Preslie Werth and Brynlee Walter.
Grace Schmeidler and John Weisenborn were awarded the “I Dare You” leadership award. The National I Dare You Leadership Award is given in recognition of personal integrity, balanced living, and potential for leadership. Each recipient receives a copy of Danforth’s inspirational book, I Dare You. Grace Schmeidler has demonstrated outstanding leadership, dedication, and service through her extensive involvement in 4-H and beyond. Grace’s reference describes her as “honest, dependable, and incredibly hardworking," adding that she goes above and beyond in her 4-H roles and is always willing to help others learn and grow. John Weisenborn has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, integrity, and service through his involvement in 4-H, school, and Boy Scouts of America. His reference describes John as a strong leader with a deep commitment to helping others and improving his community. His positive impact and drive make him a deserving recipient of the "I Dare You" Award.
The Kansas Key Award is presented to 10% of Kansas 4-H’ers who attain a high level of leadership throughout their 4-H career. You must be enrolled in the 4-H Leadership project for 4
years and complete 9 of 11 leadership goals set out by the State 4-H program. This special 4-H leadership award went to Grace Schmeidler and John Weisenborn.
Marisa Wasinger was awarded the 2024 Rosemary Smith 4-H Scholarship given by her family in memory of long time 4-H Leader Rosemary Smith. Marisa has served at many levels in her 4-H career to help promote 4-H. Her latest has been as a member of the Cottonwood Extension District 4-H Water Ambassadors and as the Ellis County 4-H Council President.
Receiving Gold Certificates for their Project Record books were Addy Haffner – Jr. Clothing, Bret Pope – Jr. Beef and Wood Science, James Wheeler – Jr. Poultry, Jessa Taylor – Foods and Nutrition, Alaina Yarmer – Int. Clothing, Poultry, and Self-Determined, Audrey Yarmer – Int, Dog, Poultry, and Recreation, Brynlee Walter – Int. Beef, Foods and Nutrition, Meat Goat, Photography, Sheep, and Visual Arts, Cannon Vajnar – Int. Entomology, Karci Kimzey - Int. Horse, Kate Pope – Int. Wood Science, Layne Haffner – Int. Shopping in Style, Chloey Brown – Sr. Foods and Nutrition and Photography, Faith Schmeidler – Sr. Beef, Grace Schmeidler – Sr. Leadership, Keeli Kimzey – Sr. Horse, Lizzy Vajnar – Sr. Communications and Meat Goat winners will advance to the NW Area competition in January.
Each 4-H Club in the county has the opportunity to nominate a business and an individual who they feel have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help Ellis Co. 4-H. The Ellis Co. 4-H Council makes the final decision on who to recognize as a “Friend of 4-H”.
This year’s individual Friend of 4-H goes to Bill & Susan Rajewski. They were nominated by the Gemini Jrs 4-H Club. Bill and Susan have a definitive love for 4-H and the youth of Ellis County. Susan was the long-time co-leader of the Gemini Jrs 4-H Club. In that role, she was a strong advocate for club members and encouraged each to actively participate in local, regional, and state activities. She was also well known for her cute, hand-crocheted doodads that always contained a treat of some kind, usually candy. Both Bill and Susan have always answered the call when asked to lend a hand. Susan stepped up as the superintendent of the Foods Challenge when it first come to the Ellis County Fair and has been involved since. She is also the fair superintendent for open-class arts and crafts. They also support 4-Hers through their participation as buyers at the Ellis County Fair Livestock Auction. Thank you for your dedication to Ellis County 4-H, through both volunteerism and financial support, you truly are a Friend of 4-H!
This year’s business Friend of 4-H is the Bank of Hays, nominated by the Gemini Jrs 4-H Club. The Bank of Hays was founded in 2004 with the goal of meeting the needs of the Hays
community. One of the ways they have shown that commitment to community support is through their devotion to Ellis County 4-H ever since. Shortly after the new bank building opened, Bank of Hays hosted a 4-H photography exhibit. In the years since, Bank of Hays has contributed in many and varied ways, from volunteering at 4-H events to being one of the donors for the construction of the new food stand. For many years, Bank of Hays has funded the exhibitor breakfast at the Ellis County Fair at the request of the Ellis County 4-H Council. The exhibitor breakfast is a key event to kick-off fair activities and is something that exhibitors and judges both appreciate. For all of these reasons, it is clear that the Bank of Hays is highly deserving of being name the Business 2024 Friend of 4-H.
All Ellis Co. 4-H members present received their certificate of completion of the 2023-2024 4-H Program Year and if criteria were meet, they were awarded membership pins based on the number of years and level of involvement in the local and statewide 4-H program activities. Club leaders and Shooting Sports instructors were also recognized for their dedication to the 4-H program.
Congratulations & thank you to these individuals for their dedication to and support of Ellis County 4-H youth.
The evening concluded with the 4-H Scholarship & Development Committee holding a silent and live auction to raise money for 4-H activities and graduating senior scholarships. If you would like to donate to the organization please contact our office at 785-628-9430.