Dear Editor,
My name is Spens Schlicht and I am an eight-year member of the Town ‘N Kountry Kids 4-H Club.
I am writing this letter to encourage the youth in our community to join 4-H.  I joined 4-H when I was eight years old — mainly, because my brother, Rex, was so involved in it. At first, I didn’t really understand all the benefits of 4-H. I was just in it for the fun activities and the opportunity to be around animals.
As the years have gone by, I now realize that the character 4-H builds in you goes far beyond having fun.  I mean, I still have fun and I still LOVE showing chickens and ducks, but 4-H has helped mold me into the person I am today.  4-H has helped me develop my self-confidence, my public speaking ability, my pride in our community, and my appreciation for others.  It instills responsibilty, cooperation and (most importantly) caring skills into our character.  These are the characters that will make the world a better place.
Spens Schlicht

Sanborn Weekly Journal,
We have just celebrated National 4-H Week, as we are approaching another new and exciting 4-H year. I am entering into my fifth year as a member of the Town-N-Kountry 4-H Club. As I reflect on this past year, I am reminded of the importance of 4-H in a kid’s life. I was faced with new challenges and opportunities, promoting self-growth and confidence.
It was the first year I participated in Public Speaking at the county level, and on to the state level. My illustrated talk was about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, “The Invisible Wounds of War”. This was a very difficult and in-depth topic that I took to heart, talking about Vets in distress. With the support of parents and “Coach Paula,” I was able to succeed and make my first experience a positive one.
I have learned to be open- minded, that your way is not always the best way. We learn from others to be patient. Sometimes the judge’s feedback is difficult to accept as a positive learning experience. 4-H helps you to find what you are good at, your strengths and weaknesses, explore new ways and explore important issues. 4-H helps you to believe in yourself and pushes you to find new paths. We work together to seek new ideas and stand up for our community.
Emily Ohlrogge

Dear Editor,
My favorite thing about 4-H is shooting sports and all that I have learned to better my shooting skills. Being able to build and make projects, take photos and show them at Achievement Days is also one of the things I like about 4-H. 4-H has taught me many good things, and I encourage people to get involved and to join or try it.
Evan Ohlrogge

Dear Editor:
I have been in the Town-N-Kountry Kids 4-H Club in Sanborn County for two years. An experience that meant something to me was showing my cat. It was really nice to be able to do that. Showing my cat was harder than I thought, and I was nervous about the questions, too.
My club has helped me by telling what to do when I didn’t know what to do, so that was nice. On cat showing day, my first cat show, I didn’t know really how to show it, so my club helped me a little. I really like 4-H because it helps me be more confident and I can make more friends and memories.
Braxton Gentles,
Seventh grade

In response to last week’s WordsWorth article about Amendment V, I would like to offer a counterargument. Hamiel stated that, should the amendment pass, “voters would know less, not more, about candidates.” My question is this: why must voters need a label in order to decide on which candidate to vote for? Isn’t it a person’s duty as a responsible voter to know exactly where each candidate stands on the issues? Sure, a political label can provide a guesstimate on where a candidate’s views lie, but it is not exact.
On top of this, for current primary elections, every name on the Republican ballot is, as you guessed, Republican. Oh dear. How do those voters ever decide between them all when none of them are labeled Democrat? The answer is, of course, that they’ve done research on each candidate, and choose the one who best aligns with their own views.
You could still argue that it would affect general elections, but again, if someone has to rely on a label in order to decide which candidate to vote for, is that person being an informed, responsible voter? No. Frankly, if someone isn’t informed on where a candidate stands on the issue, they shouldn’t be voting at all.
Amendment V may also help Independent candidates. As people research those up for election, they may learn about the Independent candidates running, and find that their own views align more with an Independent than with a candidate of the political party they originally would have voted for. You could argue that Amendment V would hurt Independent candidates’ chances because they won’t automatically be added to the ballot for the general election, but they would have little chance to be elected anyway if a voter stubbornly chooses to remain with their party without considering alternatives.
It boils down to this: unless you’re afraid of voters going to the polls informed versus checking off the box next to a candidate’s name just because that name happens to have “Democrat” or “Republican” next to it, you shouldn’t have any objection with Amendment V passing.
Parker Senska
Forestburg

This is 4-H Week. Have you ever wondered why so many kids in Sanborn County are involved in 4-H?

In 4-H you can make projects in anything you are interested in. You learn about responsibility in many ways. You learn to share ideas, make decisions and do work that will benefit other people than just you.
If you went to the State Fair this year and you saw the new 4-H Exhibit Hall, you saw what can happen when a lot of people work together. We’ve done fundraisers to help pay for the new building, and we are proud to walk in and know we were part of making it happen. 4-H builds community, teaches responsibility, and you can even have some fun along the way.
Shaun and Nick
Snedeker

Dear Hillary:
This was my first year in 4-H, and I had a lot of fun. One of my favorite things was showing animals, and I learned a lot of cool stuff about them. It was nice when we got to give goodie trays to the volunteer firefighters. 4-H is for learning and fun!
Sutton Senska

Dear Hillary:
4-H has had a huge impact on my life. From building leadership skills in Public Speaking to learning responsibility with show cattle, 4-H has played a key role into making me the person I am today. I learned leadership skills from learning to talk comfortably in front of an audience. I learned how to control a meeting room from being a 4-H club officer. I learned how to dedicate myself to a purpose with getting show cattle ready for show day, and the hard work it takes to be successful. I learned all this and more in 4-H, and you can too if you join 4-H. It has had a positive impact on my life and the lives of many others across the state, across the nation, and even across the world – and I hope that it will or already has had an impact on your life.
Nathan Linke

Dear Hillary:
My 4-H year was great, but challenging. I learned things with my sheep that I can do better next year. I learned from tips from people and also learned from personal experience. I showed three sheep at Achievement Days and State Fair. I had many other fun projects too, such as photography, sewing projects and baked goods. I encourage you to join 4-H!
Megan Linke

Dear Hillary:
This week we celebrate National 4-H Week. My favorite parts about 4-H are showing cattle and competing in shooting sports. This year, I showed two Angus heifers. I got grand champion breeding heifer at Achievement Days with my April heifer. I also showed them at the State Fair. I competed in shooting sports this year, qualifying for the State shoot, and then qualifying for the National Shoot in .22 rifle. I competed at the National Shoot in Grand Island, Neb., this summer. I encourage kids to join 4-H because there is something for everyone, and it gives you a lot of opportunities.
Aaron Linke