Monday, May 26, 2014

Getting Aquinted with the Office and Community



          The past week and a half have been great here in Boyle County.  It did not take long at all for me to feel comfortable in the office and with all the people working with me.  I have been exposed to many opportunities and many people who make extension work; whether that is the agents, volunteers, district staff, or office staff.  I cannot wait for the next 11 weeks and what else I will experience in my internship this summer.
            I rolled up to the office around 8:30 on Wednesday the 14th to start my internship.  I had a tour of the building and then not long of that I got to tour the local Walmart.  I was sent on a mission to get all the food and supplies we needed for the first ever “Run through the Clover” motorcycle rally fundraiser.  I then was assigned with dropping off fliers at the middle schools and high schools for our babysitting clinic in the summer.  This allowed me to get familiar with the different schools in the area.  I learned that agents traveled a lot and it is important to keep up with mileage, so not long into the day I got a notebook to book the miles I was traveling.
            Throughout the week I did a lot with organizing KUIP paperwork, getting ready for the motorcycle rally, and getting to know the office.  Then Saturday came and it was time for the motorcycle rally.  I found out that safety is just as important as success when it comes to events put on by 4-H.  With so many situations that could arise an agent has to make sure that things are safe and if there is a chance of injury we have insurance or medical help nearby.  My agent was very worried throughout the day because she did not want anyone to wreck and get hurt during the rally.  The event went on without a hitch though and we got great reviews.  There were not as many people as we had hoped for, but the bikers said that is normal for a first time event.  Not to mention it was FREEZING COLD in the morning!
            Monday started my first full week of the internship.  My first job for the day was to return all the keys that we used for the motorcycle rally to the different extension offices.  That meant a road trip to Lincoln, Garrad, and Mercer counties.  When I got back to the office I headed to Richmond with my agent to have a 4-H camp planning meeting.  It was pretty cool to see all the work that goes into planning camp.  That night we had a marketing livestock class for kids to learn how to speak with others and learn to market their animal.  I got to help teach that class and meet a few of the young 4-H’ers.  On Wednesday I attended the District 4 staff meeting.  This was a good way for me to get to see how agents work with each other throughout the district.  It is a great opportunity to network and bounce ideas off each other.  On Thursday night I attended the CEC meeting and saw how the agents used that group of people as a way to advise them and help in getting feedback for what they are doing in the county.
Throughout the week I got to get a taste of professor popcorn in the 1st grade class at Jenny Rogers Elementary.  I figured out that when kids only have 2 weeks of school left they get wild.  I taught the lesson on Thursday about milk and had fun teaching the kids.  I even got a little sweaty when I did the physical activity part with them.  Also throughout the week I helped with our community service project at the different schools.  We had students write letters to soldiers on active duty for an organization called “Operation Gratitude.”  It was very neat to read some of the letters the students wrote.  It means so much to those soldiers to know that people are still thinking of them while they are away from home.  Definitely a special moment in the classroom for those students. Until next time... GO CATS!

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