Spaulding named new 4-H agent

After joining 4-H in the fourth grade, Lisa Spaulding has progressed through the ranks, and was recently named the new 4-H agent for Whitley County.

“They say choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” said Spaulding. “I’m doing exactly that, giving kids opportunities to learn, making a difference in their lives and having fun while doing it.”

As a 4-H agent, Spaulding said, “We go into the schools and we give the teachers opportunities to do different kinds of activities that they may not have the funds to do.”

Spaulding said she is able to take in all of the materials needed for the lesson and she gets to talk with the students for 1 hour a month.

She said some of the projects include dissecting owl pellets, raising butterflies, etc.

While she takes an hour of the teacher’s time, she is able to involve the students in learning that they consider to be fun time but is actually packed with educational material.

Both inside and outside of the classroom, 4-H offers students a variety of opportunities ranging from agriculture to art and photography.

Having first-hand experience of the opportunities that 4-H can provide students, Spaulding said she wants to make sure as many students have those opportunities as possible.

Spaulding said her goals include establishing a couple of 4-H clubs that students can get involved with after school that meet at the extension office. Previously, Spaulding has run a high school club.

She said she also wants to start clubs for both middle school and high school students that will meet monthly or biweekly to keep students engaged.

“I want it to be somewhere that kids can go after school to hangout, relieve some stress, meet new people and learn educational opportunities and leadership skills,” said Spaulding. “I just want to be able to reach as many students as I can in Whitley County.”

Spaulding said she also wants to work to reach as many students in the fourth through sixth grades as possible. She said if you can get students volunteering while they are young, they are more likely to continue volunteering when they get older.

Spaulding said her service with 4-H started as a teen leader at camps before she transitioned to being an adult leader after high school. She has worked in an assistant position, and is now working as the 4-H agent.

The 4-H pledge is “I pledge my head to clearer thinking, My heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.”

Since the fourth grade, Spaulding has been striving to excel in these areas, and now as the new 4-H agent, she hopes to help youth excel in them as well.