A confident presentation by diminutive Chloe Sierra, president of the Winnfield Primary School 4-H Club before the table of Winn Parish School Board members Monday night spoke well of that youth development program, as Principal James King looked on.
WPS was in the board’s featured agenda “Spotlight” for their March meeting and King used the opportunity to display programs and teachers there. Also featured were the Garden Club and Pre-K teacher Kim Vines.
Accompanied by club secretary Keegan O’Brian, reporter Cash Godwin and 4th grade math teacher and 4-H sponsor Susi Jones, Chloe explained they were sharing the “incredible impact of our 4-H Club on students and the community.”
The board heard that 4-H is a “youth development program that empowers young people to reach their full potential, working alongside adult mentors, building skills in leadership, citizenship and life skills. Our motto is ‘To Make the Best Better.’”
This year the WPS 4-H has collected and donated over 2,500 items to the local Food Pantry, a support tradition they have maintained over the past 12 years. “We have the greatest number of students participating in this community service activity. For many of us, this is our first opportunity in school to demonstrate leadership and communication skills outside of the traditional classroom.”
King also recognized Pre-K teacher Kim Vines, telling the board that he wants them to see first-hand what is happening at WPS. Mrs. Vines was recently evaluated, not in-house but by an outside agency, he emphasized, “and she got the highest score you can get. Blew it out of the water.”
Her comments were brief as she thanked King for his observation. “This is a great school. It’s a great parish.”
King pointed out that since the Primary School offers no sports programs, they work to broaden student opportunities through school activities. Another club doing this is the Garden Club and he introduced an enthusiastic Kaycie Smith to explain that program.
She told the board that some 75 children are hands-on involved in working with plants from seed to the table and the responsibilities in doing so yields surprising results. You can imagine that many children don’t like to eat greens but when they’ve worked with them and watered them and watched them grow, they actually enjoy them.
The young gardeners have tried their hands at herbs and vegetables, some with success, some not so much, including tomatoes, squash, basil, watermelon, okra, zucchini, and gourds. They’ve sprouted seeds and worked to create their own compost to add to their garden beds. They even had the opportunity to view soilless, water-based hydroponics.
Mrs. Smith said their 4-H program partners with the LSU AgCenter as well as the Food Bank for lesson. Field trips are also scheduled to broaden student experiences.
