December 2025

(published December 9, 2025)

All 4-H Club and Countywide Project Leaders, 4-H Event/Activity Chairpersons or Organizers: Contribute to the articles posted monthly by completing a short form and uploading your article or photos using link: Newsletter article submission form 

NOTE: Articles for the current monthly newsletter, must be submitting by 2 pm. on the Monday before. Newsletter is published on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Any photos submitted with youth, must be identified for photo release.

As we head into the holiday season, I’ve been reflecting on how grateful I am for this community and the momentum you’ve brought to the year.

Working with Ozaukee County 4-H is something I value every day. Our youth continue to grow with so much curiosity and confidence, and it’s a privilege to support that growth as part of Extension’s mission to connect people with learning that strengthens families, communities, and our state. Seeing that mission come to life here is something I don’t take for granted.

Our volunteers, both long-time and brand-new, have been incredible. Watching new volunteers complete their trainings, step into their roles, and bring fresh energy to their projects has been a real highlight. The new projects launching this year are already creating more space for young people to explore their interests and discover what they’re capable of, and that’s exactly the kind of opportunity we strive to build through our program!

Thank you for the time, care, and creativity you pour into 4-H. You make our mission real for the kids and families we serve.

Wishing you a warm, restful, and joyful holiday season.

- Thanks, Abi, 4-H Educator - Ozaukee County 4-H 

As we approach the end of the year and holidays, please note the Extension office will have limited office hours the week of December 22nd and December 29th. Wishing you and yours a safe, warm, and happy holiday season!

A reminder to call the office for an appointment at 262-284-8288 or email personnel so we can properly assist you and have materials sourced and ready for pick-up. Business at the Office tips.

For ease of use, there are two drop box options for the Extension office:

We're appealing to Countywide Project Leaders who have yet to update the information on their 2025-26 webpages. We use the Countywide Project pages to direct 4-H families for additional information on countywide projects, and are trying to get the individual project pages updated for the current 4-H year. 

If you have already provided updated info, thank you! If not, now's your chance to email Claudia at the Extension office with information updates, including meeting dates, times, and locations for this 4-H Year!

Still need to make building reservations for this year? The Fairground buildings in Cedarburg and Administration Building in Port Washington are available on a first come, first serve basis.

Fairgrounds Reservations: 4-H leaders must submit this Google Form to reserve the Ozaukee County Fairgrounds space for upcoming events. Once you’ve submitted the form, county staff will review it and either approve your requested date(s) or, if unavailable, propose alternatives. Primary contact for Fairgrounds reservations remains Melissa Alexander.

Administration Building Reservations: 4-H leaders should contact Kaitlin, support staff in the Extension Ozaukee County office for meeting requests. Please be sure to include date(s), time, number of attendees, and requests for seating layouts when emailing for reservations. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter! Any questions, please contact Abi, 4-H Educator, at abi.quinlan@wisc.edu

Earlier this fall, 4-H families with youth ages 13 and older received an email with information regarding the WI Youth Survey - also called Thrive Survey. This is your opportunity to share your voice through the annual survey. The survey helps us understand how 4-H experiences are helping youth grow in areas like belonging, leadership, and confidence.

Results from this survey guide our local and statewide efforts—helping us strengthen programs, support volunteers, and ensure every young person feels valued and engaged.

We invite you to participate if you have not done so already! Your feedback helps shape the future of 4-H in Ozaukee County and across Wisconsin. If you have already responded to this survey, thank you!

The survey link has been extended until December 12th.  Youth who complete the survey will be entered into a raffle to win a $25 gift card. 

For more information on the 4-H Thriving Model, please visit 4-H Thriving Model – Wisconsin 4-H

4-H Gear is available for the 2025-2026 4-H year at this time! This is your ONLY ORDER OPPORTUNITY for the county gear for this 4-H year so please plan ahead!

ALL new members will receive a t-shirt and parents, leaders, and other youth that need to purchase additional sizes are welcome to do that through your 4-H Clubs.

Please place your orders at your December general meetings and if you missed that, email your general leaders to place your orders.  All payments will flow through your clubs to keep things simple.

Looking forward to promoting 4-H with you by wearing the gear.

Questions? Please contact your club's general leader.

A Concordia University professor is giving Ozaukee 4-H youth an opportunity to have fun creating a clay masterpiece in Mequon! Ceramics, pottery, and art project members are invited to learn the process of forming clay and have it fired for them in a kiln for no cost to the youth. The class is limited to 16 so don’t delay in reserving your spot by January 2. The project will be one you can enter in the fair.

Where? Concordia University - 12800 N Lake Shore Dr, Mequon, WI 53097

When? Saturday, January 10, 2026 – 8 am to Noon; we will meet by 7:50 am in lot B by the lake.

How? Contact Amy Gierach 262-242-1550 (call or text) to reserve your spot by January 2.

-Submitted by Amy Gierach, 4-H Adult Volunteer Leader

The 2026 Haunt Scholarship applications are currently being accepted. Ozaukee County 4-H youth who have volunteered at least for The Haunt are invited to apply. Applications can be found under the ‘Scholarship’ section on the Forms page of the 4-H website and are due to the Extension office by February 1, 2026.

Any questions, please contact Michelle Kringel at michdogginit@gmail.com . Late applications will NOT be accepted, no exceptions.

-Submitted by Michelle Kringel, Haunt 4-H Adult Volunteer & Scholarship Committee

Are you an adult volunteer ready to volunteer or expand your volunteer experience with Ozaukee 4-H? Maybe becoming certified as a Shooting Sports volunteer is your spark? Check out the upcoming Southeastern Wisconsin Shooting Sports Certification Workshop!

Mark your calendar for the annual Ozaukee 4-H Dance!

-Submitted by Dorothy Parchim, 4-H Adult Volunteer Event Coordinator

Reminders & Mark Your Calendars!

Space Camp Registration: December 15. Reminder to youth in grades 6-8 that registration for Space Camp 2026 is open until December 15th in 4HOnline. For more information, trip details, dates, application & registration, and more, please visit the 2026 Space Camp webpage.

WI 4-H Ambassador Teams Application: December 15. Ambassadors get unique opportunities to represent Wisconsin 4-H, develop leadership skills, and contribute to statewide programming. Apply to join the Arts, Leadership, or Agriculture Ambassadors depending on what inspires you most. Youth must be in grades 9-12 are invited to apply until December 15th. Learn more and apply here at the WI 4-H Ambassador Team webpage.

Winter Academy Registration: January 11. Winter Academy consists of three virtual sessions which provide youth with tools to set career and college goals, develop soft skills most important to employers, and build problem-solving skills. Youth in grades 8-10 are invited to register using 4HOnline. More information available on the Winter Academy webpage.

Fairgrounds Reservations-Digital Form. Reminder that 4-H leaders must submit this Google Form to reserve the Ozaukee County Fairgrounds space for upcoming events. Once you’ve submitted the form, county staff will review it and either approve your requested date(s) or, if unavailable, propose alternatives.

Adults must be approved volunteers to be actively leading projects or working with 4-H youth. If you are not a current approved volunteer this year, you can not serve in your 4-H volunteer role. Questions about your enrollment or status? Log into your 4HOnline account to check status OR call the Extension office at 262-284-8288.

The numbers are in for the 2025 season. We had 2,600 guests purchase Haunt tickets, and 344 purchased escape room tickets. That is a grand total of 2,944 guests! Not included in this number is the double dares. A total of 111 guests chose to experience the Haunt twice in the same night.

Final profit numbers will be available in January. Club leaders have been contacted to confirm hours worked and checks will be sent soon. If you are a general leader that hasn’t heard from the committee, please reach out to 4hhaunt@gmail.com. 

Great job to all involved to make this a scary but fun community outreach event. The Haunt committee invites anyone interested in helping with any aspect of the 2026 event to the January meeting:

Date: January 6th 

Time: 6:30 pm

Location: North Pavilion at Fairgrounds

Wishing all a safe and happy holiday season. See you in 2026!

- Submitted by Haunt Co-Coordinators: Katie Noetzel, Rose Paulus, Sue Dowe

Our 4-H youth officers gathered in November for an engaging Officer Foundations Workshop focused on building confidence, teamwork, and strong club leadership skills. Youth rotated through hands-on stations where they practiced running meetings, taking minutes, balancing club budgets, writing newsletters, and creating welcoming plans for new members. Mixed-role groups also worked through real club scenarios in the “Dream Club Meeting” challenge, putting their new skills into action.

Thank you to all the youth and volunteers who joined us. Your leadership helps make our clubs stronger, more welcoming, and more fun for everyone. We’re excited to see the positive impact you will bring to your clubs this year!

WOW! Great work and shout out THANK-YOU to all who helped at the Strawberry Festival and Harvest Festival in 2025.

In two simple weekends, 4-H earned $5,494.69! Many lemonades were purchased and laughs were shared as we teamed up with Festivals of Cedarburg and helped make their events a success. The money raised will be within the Leaders Association budget to assist with many upcoming youth leadership opportunities, camp, travel scholarships, project support, and MANY other areas of continued support for the 4-H program.

We hope to work with you again next year for the two Festival weekends!

- Submitted by the Lemonade Stand 4-H Adult Leader Team

The 2025 Ozaukee County 4-H Leaders Association Banquet took place on Saturday, November 25th, 2025.  It was held at Lepanto Banquet Hall, in Port Washington.  Over 90 people attended the banquet this year!  Everyone enjoyed the social hour, a delicious buffet dinner, trivia, and the award ceremony. 

This year, three Leader Recognition Awards were given out, to Heather Hamm, Rick Lee, and Cindy Reetz and Heather Reetz (Gollwitzer).  In addition, two Friend of 4-H Awards were presented to Ryan "Fig" Figarino, and Angel Tello of Tello's Grille!  Congratulations to all of the winners!

To read more about the award recipients and their outstanding contributions to the Ozaukee County 4-H program, please visit the Adult Volunteer Awards section of the website.

- Submitted by Lori Hosseini, 4-H Leaders Association Volunteer Banquet Planning Committee

The Ozaukee County 4-H Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications for 2026! Scholarships are available to active 4-H members who are high school seniors or within one year of graduation.

Applicants must have at least five years of 4-H membership, have met annual achievement requirements, and have not previously received an Ozaukee County 4-H Foundation Scholarship.

Applications are due February 1, 2026. (must be postmarked by that date)

The application is available online at link: Ozaukee County 4-H Foundation Scholarships 

- Submitted by Jaime Jacobson, Ozaukee County 4-H Foundation Coordinator

Get Ready to Bowl for a Great Cause! Mark your calendars for Sunday, February 1, 2026, at Circle B Bowling in Cedarburg.

The Ozaukee County 4-H Foundation invites you to join one or both of our fun fundraising events benefiting Ozaukee County 4-H youth.

Bowl-a-Thon Info:

Adults-Only "9-Pin Tap" Tournament

What It Matters?

Funds raised help the Foundation support youth development, leadership, project work, and college scholarships across Ozaukee County. Every lane filled and every donation made helps strengthen our 4-H community and build a brighter future for our youth.

Let’s roll into February with fun, friends, and 4-H spirit!

- Submitted by Jaime Jacobson, Ozaukee County 4-H Foundation Coordinator

Reminder that the online 4-H calendar is the best way to stay on top of the many countywide activities going on throughout the 4-H year. Bookmark it here!

Abi Quinlan, 4-H Educator

abi.quinlan@wisc.edu

Extension Ozaukee County

121 W. Main St.

Port Washington, WI 53074

262-284-8288

To help us serve you, please call for an appointment when coming to the Extension office.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming in compliance with state and federal law.