Only one Eunice school with a 4-H club and members

The number of 4-H clubs in Eunice schools has dwindled in recent years to one club with only 10 members this school year.
Lisa Benoit, St. Landry Parish 4-H associate extension agent, said, “Our 4-H enrollment at Glendale Elementary is 10 youth. (At) Eunice High, we have a 4-H leader but no one signed up for 4-H there this year. All the other schools, we don’t have a 4-H leader/sponsor for a club.”
She continued, “A lot of the other schools, the person that was in charge of 4-H is either no longer at the school or they are having difficulties finding a teacher or parent to replace them. We are kind of in a dire situation in Eunice at the moment.”
4-H was first established in Louisiana in 1908. The organization, a youth development program of the Cooperative Extension System, is the nation’s largest youth development organization. The organization has more than 6 million youth members. About 900 of those members are in St. Landry Parish, and the parish has one of the Top 15 4-H enrollments in the state. There are 30 4-H clubs in the parish. There are also about 100 adult 4-H volunteers in the parish.
Beniot said there were once 4-H clubs at St. Edmund, East Elementary and Central Middle School, but job duties and responsibilities have caused a lack of teachers available to lead the club at their individual schools.
“The teachers have a lot of demand on them lately with testing and changes with education going on, too, so to take on an additional activity, we can’t blame them, but we do hate to lose those clubs in the Eunice area,” Benoit said. “We would love to have someone at more of the schools there, but we need someone who would be willing to step up and be the leader.”
Parents or volunteers can lead a school’s 4-H club, and those interested may call the extension office at 337-948-0561.
Students who wish to join 4-H even though there is no club at their school may visit the 4-H office in Opelousas to join the club as an at-large member.
Benoit sad the East Elementary and Central Middle clubs were quite large when there were members.
“Eunice High’s FFA teacher is the 4-H leader there, but the enrollment there has not been high,” Benoit said. “The high school has many other things the kids can get involved in.”
St. Landry Parish students who do get involved in 4-H have many club programs to chose to participate in. Benoit said 4-H Summer Camp, Louisiana Outdoor Science and Technology, LOST for short, summer camp, the shooting sports project and livestock and horse programs are popular in St. Landry Parish.
Enrollment for camps and 4-H university are going on right now. The next 4-H event in the parish is Achievement Day, which will be held April 30 at Opelousas High School.
Benoit said the 4-H organization in Louisiana dodged the state budget cut bullet for this fiscal year, but she is uncertain of what may happen next year.
“I’m not sure what will happen there and how that will effect us because we are part of higher education and the LSU system,” Benoit said. “If cuts are handed down to higher education, that then in turn affects us and the LSU Ag Center.
“They could be looking at positions possibly being lost in the parish. There have been talks of closing some parish offices, and that would be the worst case scenario, for parishes to lose their local extension office and programs they have in their parishes.”
Megan Robnett, St. Landry Parish associate extension agent, weighed in on some of the benefits of being a 4-H member.
“The experiences that the kids get out of being in 4-H, where they learn responsibility, independence, citizenship and have the opportunity to gain mastery experience in those different project areas they are involved in, they are able to give back and take part in their community, she said.
“They can take on leadership roles in 4-H, be an officer in a club, serve as a counselor at camp when they are older, becoming junior leader and volunteer.”