The Greenup County Extension Council and the 4-H Council have identified enriching leadership skills as a priority in our community development.Whether for youth or adults, having good leadership attributes and abilities is an asset to being successful.After discussing this topic with our councils, the Greenup County Extension Service has decided that focusing on the development of more 4-H school clubs would be a good way to develop leaders with our county youth.  After contacting our local elementary schools, we have worked together with seven teachers to develop school clubs within their classroom.

After last year’s school club success we are very pleased to announce that we have picked up three more schools; making our school club number increase to nine school clubs!  Each class room school club plans to elect officers in November of this year, and the teacher and 4-H agent are working together to plan excellent lessons for the students enrolled.  Each month the students will conduct a business meeting followed by a fun educational hands-on lesson led by the 4-H agent or 4-H Teen Council members.  Each school club is required to do some form of community service around the school to help out the teachers and staff. 

This continues to be a great success with the classrooms involved.Each classroom is a separate 4-H school club.  This gives the students more opportunities to take on leadership roles.  It is the hope of the teachers and Extension staff that over the course of the school year the students will not only receive “hands-on” learning opportunities that assist them in their studies, but will develop vital leadership skills in the process.  Long term goals of the school club program is for each club to enter a scrap book in the Greenup County Fair, to have 4-H school club members enter projects in the state and county fairs, and to have at least one school club in the Russel school district making each school district having at least one club.