Two young people from the Cottonwood Extension District have earned some of the highest recognition Kansas 4-H bestows. Samantha Negaard and Russell Kern were named Kansas 4-H State Project Award Winners this spring, representing the district at the Emerald Circle Banquet in Manhattan on June 4, where their accomplishments were celebrated alongside winners from across the state. Both now have the opportunity to travel to the National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia, this November as Kansas delegates.
At the end of each 4-H year, members may complete a project record book in a chosen area, documenting their work and growth. Strong books advance from county to regional to state review, with winners ultimately announced at the Emerald Circle — though this year’s honorees had to keep their achievement under wraps for two months before the banquet made it official.
“They announced the project winners at the end of March, and then we had to keep it a secret until the beginning of June,” Negaard said.
A Stage of Her Own
Samantha Negaard entered a project reflecting her passion – Performing Arts. The project area is intentionally broad, covering anything from orchestra and musicals to public speaking, theatre and dance.
“It’s the all-encompassing thing, and that’s why it worked well for me,” she said. “I could put all of my different activities in.”
A winning state project record book isn’t just a list of performances — it documents leadership, community service, and meaningful engagement tied directly to the project area.
Among her service and leadership activities, Negaard helped the Great Bend High School drama club with setup for the Haunted High in October, and she led theater games for fellow students through Educators Rising, a GBHS organization for students interested in teaching careers.
She also led her 4-H club in skits at County Days, and held the office of club president.
“They look for major involvement in the activities you’re putting on your records,” she said.
Science in the Kitchen
Russell Kern, a student at Ellinwood High School, earned his state award in the Foods and Nutrition project — and his approach to the subject went well beyond baking cookies.
Last year, he taught four cooking classes, open to all 4-H members, at the Extension Office Kitchen. Participants ranged from young children to high schoolers, and each class centered on a different skill or recipe.
“I would teach them the science of what they were doing so they would understand what’s actually happening,” he said. For the class on yeast breads, he demonstrated how warm water and sugar help activate yeast. In one memorable class built around apple fritters, his students experimented with ways to keep apples from turning brown – and found lemon juice works best.
He chose dishes that are easy for young people to make but also ones they might want to enter in the county fair. In the past, Kern has earned grand champion honors at the county fair for his buttery croissants.
His largest community project involved organizing a full-day baking session where a group of 4-Hers came together to bake cookies for local first responders — a fitting use of both his skills and the spirit of 4-H service.
That interest has already taken him further than Kansas. He was recognized by the Home Baking Association with the 2025 Bake to Give: Maddie Kruse Youth Award, which brought him to a three-day conference in Fort Collins, Colorado. There, he toured a vanilla factory and visited Colorado State University’s milling science facilities.
For both Samantha Negaard and Russell Kern, the next stop is Atlanta in November, where they’ll join state award winners from across the country at the National 4-H Congress.
