Dear Waukesha County 4-H Families,

As we welcome spring, we want to take a moment and celebrate the energy, dedication, and resilience of our Waukesha County 4-H community. We know this is a busy time of the year, but please remember that every meeting, project and experience in 4-H helps young people learn, grow, lead and serve. Your family’s involvement makes Waukesha County 4-H stronger and we are grateful for the many ways that volunteers, members, and families contribute to supporting positive learning experiences for the youth in Waukesha County 4-H.

Celebrate National Volunteer Week April 19-25, 2026
National Volunteer Week is an annual celebration recognizing the efforts of volunteers and the positive impact they have on communities. 4-H volunteers are essential for creating  intentional, meaningful experiences for youth countywide and statewide. Through their dedication, volunteers help youth strengthen decision making skills, build leadership skills, and prepare for future careers. 4-H volunteers help youth discover their sparks (interests). If you would like to recognize a volunteer during National Volunteer Week, please send a short description and picture as to why you want to recognize them to James and Erin at james.boling@wisc.edu and erin.russell@wisc.edu.

In this newsletter you will see county and club news, project updates, upcoming events and important Waukesha County Fair Information.

Our Best Always,

The printable PDF version of the newsletter is still available! Click below to view it in PDF format. 

Upcoming Countywide Events

Join Waukesha County 4-H educators, volunteers, youth leaders and their hopping bunnies as we collaborate with the Lake Country DockHounds for this educational event 

Watch for additional events, dates, and sign-ups for 2026 coming soon via email, Facebook & our website!

2026 Summer Camp

Overnight camp has filled, but there are spots remaining for Day Camp on August 12-14. Find camp and registration information HERE.

Youth Leadership Group

The Waukesha County 4-H Youth Leadership Group will meet next on 3/19/26 from 6-8pm at the Waukesha Public Library. This group is always accepting new members and participants of any age—they just need a desire to grow their leadership skills! Upcoming 2026 meetings include: 4/1, 5/6, 6/15, 7/14 and a celebration in August 2026 (TBD). To sign up a NEW youth leader, click HERE. 

Thriving Model Survey Results for Waukesha County 4-H

The 4-H Thriving Survey is a national evaluation tool used to measure the impact of 4-H programs on youth development. It is based on the 4-H Thriving Model, which predicts that high-quality programs help young people "thrive," leading to long-term success in life.

The 4-H Thriving Model scores were based on a scale of 1.0-7.0 from a survey of more than 50 Waukesha County 4-H members in grades 8-12 in October 2025. A score of 5 or more indicates a fair thriving score, while a score of 6 or more illustrates a high thriving score. The Youth Thriving and Developmental Outcomes data below is based on the results from the 2025 survey.

This is where clubs can provide a brief update. This may include events, activities, and happenings within each club in the past month. A club officer or leader may provide a write-up or highlight a project or activity update with pictures to show off the social, recreational, educational, or business activities occurring within your club. We would like to highlight each club’s efforts to target the Essential Elements of Positive Youth Development: Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity, and how they are being used in your club. Please provide this by filling out a Newsletter Submission form and emailing any photos for next month’s newsletter to Sara at stomjanovich@wisc.edu by April 20, 2026.

Norrie, Youth Leadership Group: Chopped 2026 was super fun! There were two sessions, one for 5K-5th grade and another for 6th-13th grade. The younger session made tacos or nachos and the older session made mini pizzas. The two winning teams came home with a 4-H hot pad/ovenmit. Each team had $100 of Clover Cash to purchase food and recipe cards. Teams had to work together to decide what to purchase, how to make the item and decide on a team name. The younger group had 45 min to make their food item and slushie whereas the older group had one hour. Overall, it was super fun and I recommend signing up for next year.

Colton, 4-Leaf 4-H Club Member: The club Sweet Treats Auction was held at Les Paul Middle School, March 13th. 4-Leaf donated the proceeds from the auction to This Time Tomorrow Foundation.

The latest updates for countywide 4-H Projects can be found below. To view all 2026 countywide project information, including Project Leaders, visit the 4-H Projects page of the 4-H website. 

2026 Countywide Project Nights

Project Nights will take place on 4/8, 5/6, and 5/13. Watch for more information coming soon!

Please contact James or Sara if you would like to partner with Extension to volunteer to support a session of hands-on learning at Project Nights or special event days. We are inviting Youth Leaders or adult volunteers to continue to help 4-H youth find their SPARK as we plan for 2026 and beyond.

James received the Lifetime Excellence in Education Award from the Waukesha Education Foundation on March 25, 2026, and the next day he was back, happily teaching & connecting with students! Congrats James, we are so thankful & proud of your commitment to youth & families in our program and community!

The Waukesha County 4-H Teen Council presents Waukesha County 4-H Hockey Night! Join other 4-H families on Saturday, April 11th at 6pm for an Admirals game against the Chicago Wolves! This event is open to all Waukesha County 4-H youth and their families.

2026 Waukesha County Fair - GET YOUR KICKS!
July 15 -19th, 2026

Family Fun/Youth in Action Stage - Interested in performing on stage during the fair? Demonstrations, instrumental, vocal, dance, skits, all performances are welcome! For more information on available days and times, contact Susie Higler at mshilger92@yahoo.com.

Congratulations to all of our members that participated in Waukesha County 4-H Performing Arts Day on February 28th!

Aaditya
Payton
Hoden
Julia
Sara

Millie
Norrie
Adam
Kiley
Braeylyn

Harlow
Sutton
Madison
McKenzie
Silas

Finley
Jackson
Jocelyn
Grace
Eli

4-H offers a wide variety of opportunities for youth to get involved beyond the club and county level. A few upcoming events are highlighted below, or click button to see all statewide opportunities. 

Calling all Photographers!

Wisconsin 4-H is excited for the 2026 Photography Contest! The contest is open to all active 4-H members grades 3-13. The contest will open March 1st and close on April 1st at 11:59 p.m. Categories include: What 4-H means to me, People, Animals/Wildlife, Action/ Movement, Nature/Landscape, and Travel.

STEAM GAZE: A Creative Fusion of Art & Science!

STEAM GAZE is a full-day, hands-on learning experience for curious and creative youth in grades 3–5. Participants will explore a variety of STEAM topics, including chemistry, environmental science, theater, music, and visual arts.

Summer Academy 2026

Summer Academy Tracks:
Exploratory Tracks: Grades 8–10
Core Tracks: Grades 9–11
Advanced Track: Grade 11

Thanks to a generous donation by the Otto Bremer Trust, the registration fee has been reduced to $150. Registration is open March 6 – April 26, 2026, in 4HOnline.

Fact: 4-H in the United States engages 6 million youth.

Extension Waukesha County is committed to supporting quality educational experiences for our youth as well as supporting our volunteers and families. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or if you need any assistance.

James Boling

4-H Program Educator

james.boling@wisc.edu

Sara Wells-Tomjanovich

Associate 4-H Educator

stomjanovich@wisc.edu

Erin Russell

4-H Program Support

erin.russell@wisc.edu

An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements.