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Mercer County 4-H Members Excel at National Level
Several of our Mercer County 4-H members furthered their development by participating in National 4-H programs this year. We are so proud of them and congratulate each for making the most of their 4-H experience!
Allison, a local 4-H STEM Ambassador, was one of five teens selected from throughout New Jersey to participate in the inaugural National 4-H Leadership Academy. As part of the 18-month leadership development program, Allison planned, delivered, and evaluated two weeks of STEM camp for Trenton ESL students this past summer at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County office in Ewing. She also presented her work through a poster session this past October in Washington, D.C.
Watch this short video to learn directly from Allison about the impact of the program on her and the youth she reached. She presented this brief overview of the program during our annual Achievement Night celebration in November.
More information about the National 4-H Leadership Academy and its closing showcase in Washington, D.C. is available in this article. Congratulations, Allison, and thank you for your contributions to our program!
Abby, a member of the Clever Clovers 4-H Club, has been very busy this year! In addition to serving as the 2024-2025 Mercer County 4-H Ambassador, Abby participated in two National 4-H conferences – Citizenship Washington Focus in Washington, D.C. and National 4-H Congress in Atlanta. Both programs focused on leadership and personal development along with civic engagement. National 4-H trips are a great way to meet 4-H youth from across the country, engage in exciting workshops, hear from dynamic speakers, and tour key historic sites.
Due to Abby’s extensive involvement and many contributions to her club, community, and our countywide program, she was just recognized with the Dr. A. Robert Koch 4-H Leadership Award from the Princeton Agricultural Association – congratulations, Abby!
4-H Programs Spark and Nurture STEM Interests for Trenton Area Youth
Tomorrow’s Innovators Science Saturday Program (est. 2013)
Youth in the Trenton area often begin their STEM journey in 4th grade as part of the Tomorrow’s Innovators Science Saturday program, a joint initiative between 4-H and Bristol Myers Squibb established in 2013. Each year, approximately 50 4-7th graders commit to hands-on science exploration one Saturday a month from October through March. The sessions are led by 4-H faculty and staff along with a dedicated and caring group of BMS employees and Rutgers 4-H STEM Ambassadors. Each spring, at the program’s closing showcase, teams of youth participants present their science and engineering projects to the broader community, including their families, and are recognized for their efforts. Many youth join us year after year, completing four years of Science Saturdays before moving on to our intensive middle school STEM summer offering, STEM Pathfinders.
STEM Pathfinders Summer Academy (est. 2021)
For the past five summers, Mercer County 4-H has provided a five to six-week intensive summer STEM academy for Trenton middle school students. This past summer, 18 students joined us Monday through Thursday, 6.5 hours each day, for five consecutive weeks to explore their STEM interests through hands-on activities, visits to a variety of labs, and interactions with several scientists and engineers. Topics included physics, engineering, coding, robotics, digital media, and more. They also visited Rutgers-New Brunswick, Princeton University, the Public Health and Environmental Laboratories of the NJ Department of Health, and the Watershed Institute. They explored a variety of career paths and met additional STEM professionals during a career day. We are very thankful for our long-term collaborators, as we work together to support the development of STEM identity.
STEM Pathfinders has become a wonderful bridge between Tomorrow’s Innovators and STEM Ambassadors and allows our youth participants to stay involved with us for STEM exploration and skill development from 4th grade through high school and beyond.
Rutgers 4-H STEM Ambassadors (est. 2009)
After youth complete the Tomorrow’s Innovators and STEM Pathfinders programs, they are ready to transition to our Rutgers 4-H STEM Ambassadors program, the longest-running of the three initiatives. Mercer County 4-H supports the ongoing development of teens interested in STEM by training and supporting them as they become leaders in their community. As ambassadors, they assist in our educational outreach focused on science, technology, and engineering – often returning to several Science Saturdays, this time as mentors!
Before they become STEM Ambassadors here in Mercer County, the teens are trained during an intensive week of STEM exploration at Rutgers-New Brunswick, where they live on campus, meet and work alongside numerous scientists and engineers, visit a variety of labs, and see how their state university is addressing pressing societal issues through STEM. In addition to strengthening their awareness of and interest in STEM, the program also supports their college readiness and assists them on their path to life after high school.
Many of our 4-H alumni credit their participation in these three programs for sparking their involvement in STEM – leading to their university majors and subsequent careers.
Mercer County 4-H Fair Hosts 5,700 at Howell Farm
4-H members from throughout the county showcased their talents and projects to over 5,700 members of the public at the 106th annual Mercer County 4-H Fair this past July at Howell Living History Farm. 4-H members from community-based clubs led by local volunteers demonstrated the skills and knowledge they gained over the past project year in areas such as agriculture, animal science, coding, technology, engineering, sustainability, and more! They also exhibited their art, photography, gardening, baking, and sewing projects throughout the weekend in the large red Fish Barn where members of the general public are also able to enter their work.
In addition to the 4-H shows and exhibits, Howell Farm provided a wheat threshing demonstration, wagon rides, and tours of the historic barnyard. Fairgoers of all ages also enjoyed great food, local string bands, magic shows, an archery range, and homemade ice cream.
Mark your calendars – the Mercer County 4-H Fair will return to Howell Farm on Saturday and Sunday, July 25 & 26, 2026! For details, please visit our 4-H fair site.
4-H Teaches Thousands through School Enrichment Programs
This school year, Mercer County 4-H staff are collaborating with 141 teachers at 21 schools throughout the county to facilitate 274 enrichment programs for thousands of students during the course of the school day. Mercer County 4-H has a longstanding tradition of collaborating with teachers throughout the county to provide these engaging and enriching programs; it’s the largest school-based 4-H program in the state!
The 4-H programs feature hands-on activities in the areas of climate and sustainability, coding, engineering design, nutrition, cultural awareness, mindfulness, teamwork, and communication skills. These programs are delivered by Mercer County 4-H program associates, Sharon Gore, Altaira Bejgrowicz, and Yaa Owusu-Mensah.
If you are interested in learning more about Mercer County 4-H, including our school enrichment programs, visit our site by clicking here or email us at mercer@njaes.rutgers.edu.
Rich Collaborations Strengthen
4-H Summer Camps for Local Youth
In addition to its five-week summer STEM Pathfinders program, Mercer County 4-H has a long history of providing summer day camps for youth through a variety of Trenton non-profits. This past summer, 4-H provided five weeks of camps at its facility at 1440 Parkside Avenue, Ewing for youth from two family success centers operated by Children’s Home Society (Heritage North and Heritage South), CYO’s East State Street Center, and for those completing our Tomorrow’s Innovators program.
The camps included a variety of activities provided by 4-H, Family and Community Health Sciences (FCHS), SNAP-Ed, Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR), and the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County. The campers worked together each morning in our teaching kitchen to prepare their own lunches, exploring a variety of new recipes. They also engaged in several activities led by our SNAP-Ed staff about nutrition, fruits and vegetables, and the benefits of physical activity – in addition to a session provided by our FCHS Educator where campers used a blender bicycle to make healthy and delicious smoothies. Our campers also explored gardening and composting with the assistance of our ANR staff and our onsite Parkside Educational Gardens. They also visited the gardens at the Trent House on Market Street in Trenton – where they were guided through the property by our Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County. There was also time for arts and crafts, STEM, and sewing activities, including a quilt making project led by volunteers from Princeton Sankofa Stitchers, a group focused on the legacy of African American quilting. 4-H appreciates all of the collaborators who make these programs possible!
