Success StoryVirtual International Conference



Virtual International Conference

Author: Patrice Thompson

Planning Unit: Jefferson County CES

Major Program: Staff Development

Plan of Work: Unrelated to a specified County Plan of Work

Outcome: Intermediate Outcome

During the 2019 4-H year, I was able to collaborate with my colleagues to implement the SPARKS curriculum during our Bred for Excellence Lesson Study. The SPARKS Curriculum was designed to identify youth strengths and develop them to thrive in their environments. Sparks encourage youth to set goals and achieve things.  A Spark is considering a particular talent, gift, or interest a youth may have, including acceleration in certain academic subjects. These sparks can be anything from a hobby like playing the trumpet or sewing, to career goals like becoming a teacher or pediatrician. I was able to incorporate this curriculum in our Leadership Club Meetings in 2019 at Western Middle School with 10 youth. The culmination of our lessons resulted in my 4-Her's attending the first annual Ignite Conference. In the 2020 4-H year, I was invited to co-facilitate a "huddle session" in The World Association of Lesson Studies (WALS) Virtual Conference.  The WALS Conference aims to promote and advance the research and practices focused on Lesson Studies in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning. My role was to co-facilitate an "huddle session" which consisted of me sharing information about 4-H and the Bred for Excellence lesson study process as it pertained to volunteers, curriculum, and participants.  The Bred for Excellence lesson study was conducted by the 4-H team and I was able to implement the  designated curriculum (SPARKS) at Western Middle School throughout the 2019 school year which resulted in the first annual 4-H Ignite Conference held in November 2019. The huddle sessions were pre-recorded and able to be viewed by not only conference participants in the States but in Africa, Europe, The Middle East, Central, South, East Asia, and Australia reaching over 800 people worldwide.






Stories by Jefferson County CES


Inc. Farm Program and Millers Lane

Inc. Farm Program and Millers Lane

about 8 months ago by Jennifer Palmer

The problem was lack of access to land and not having access to farming and business classes.The edu... Read More


Winter Cover Crop Giveaway for Community Gardens and Jefferson County Residents

Winter Cover Crop Giveaway for Community Gardens and Jefferson County Residents

about 8 months ago by Jennifer Palmer

The problem found within community gardens is soil erosion and poor soil quality due to over product... Read More