Kansas CWF 2017

The last day of our trip started off very bittersweet with many last day pictures being taken in front of the bus. Our coach host, Mo, shared a quote by Bradley Cooper "You have to do everything you can. You have to work your hardest and if you stay positive you have a shot at a silver lining." Marietta then shared this quote by Dr. Suess, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Then we were on the road again having our usual fun on the bus. We stopped for our morning break in St. Charles, Missouri to stretch our legs. After watching the movie Up we stopped for lunch in Boonville, Missouri and said our goodbyes to Bailey. To pass time more time after lunch we watched the Lego Movie. At the Topeka stop many tears were shed and hugs were shared as the group split, before the rest made their final stop in Salina. Hopefully everyone will be able to make it to our reunion at the state fair! Blogger and Photographer: Kinsey Harlan

Following a great breakfast, as well as saying goodbye to the friends we created throughout the week from other delegations, we departed from the National 4-H Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland. From there, we traveled an hour and a half to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where a tour guide hopped on the coach and showed us around the battlefields while educating us about the battle that took place there 154 years prior. Upon completion of our tour, we split up into groups and had the opportunity to grab lunch and explore the town. A few hours later, we loaded the coach and headed for Somerset, Pennsylvania. There we ate dinner then checked into the hotel where we played cards and went swimming. Soon after, we hit the hay as a long day of traveling was ahead of us.   Blogger: Megan Newlon Photographer: Emily Glenn

As we rose bright and early on this rather warm morning, we set out to the U.S. Capital. When we arrived at the Capital we got the opportunity to do an audio tour of the Rotunda and the National Statuary Hall. In Statuary Hall we saw the two statues representing Kansas. The two people representing were Dwight D. Eisenhower and John James Ingalls.  After our tour we met and talked with Representative Yoder and then divided into our districts. We had three districts represented. District One met with Rodger Marshall, District Two met with Lynn Jenkins, and finally District Four met with Ron Estes.  District One: First, they met with Representative Marshall. After they had discussion for a while, he then took them to the balcony of the House of Representatives. While watching they were inducting a new Congressman into office. They all got to witness Paul Ryan speak. Later, they moved on to meet Pat Roberts. Unfortunately, when they went to meet Senator Jerry Moran he was unavailabl

After breakfast we began the day by breaking into our districts and finishing our action plans. After finishing the plans we took a trip to the National Cathedral. There we saw the only president to be buried in D.C., President Wilson. In the Cathedral, there are over 200 stain glass windows, one of which had a four leaf clover and another had life size pane of Jesus. We also learned that it is the sixth largest cathedral in the in the world and the second largest in the U.S. After touring the cathedral, we returned back to The National 4-H Center and ate lunch. Following lunch we had the Congressional Session. In the session four bills were presented to the delegates to vote on. Of the four bills, the two that passed were about Cyberbullying and Young Farmers Incentives and the two that failed were about Congressional Term Limits and Media Conglomerates. For each bill there was a sponsor who would answer clarifying statements or questions asked by individuals. Following the question

Scenes from the Kansas 4-H CWF Capitol Hill visits. Photographer: Scott Fisher

This morning we left bright and early and were off to visit the FDR and Thomas Jefferson memorials before we toured Arlington National Cemetery. FDR's memorial features four rooms that represent each of his four terms in office. Some favorite parts were the quotes from each of the rooms and some of the statues representing scenes from the Great Depression such as a bread line and a fireside chat. We had very little time at the Thomas Jefferson memorial and will be going back there  tomorrow  night so that we are able to have some more time to wander around and observe.  From there we went to Arlington where we visited JFK's burial site, saw the tomb of the unknown soldier, and watched the changing of the guard ceremony. We were all impressed with the precision of the ceremony, the sheer number and organization of the graves, and the different memorials.  After we got back the center and had lunch we broke into our committees and worked on our designated tasks. From the

Monday  Blog Post -  Today was an amazing day, filled with just about everything. We started the day out right with breakfast from the Clover Café, then headed to the bus. En route to Mt. Vernon, the home of George Washington, Xavier paired us in groups to play games.  The first was a Riff off where we had different song categories, and had to think of as many songs as possible. Then, when our group was called, everyone had to sing one of the songs. Then we worked on our Citizenship page in our CWF workbooks. This included listing qualities and responsibilities of citizens and leaders alike. There each group was given a scenario to discuss. When we made it to Mt. Vernon we walked around the gardens and visited the sixteen sided barn. We then had a walk through of the house, in which we got to take pictures, as part of a new experiment they're trying. We were able to touch a handrail that was original to the house when it was built by George Washington's father

This morning we left Charlottesville, Virginia and went back on the road for a much shorter trip. As we got on the bus Jade led us in "The Tarzan Song," then Marietta gave us some morning advice and also reminded us to make sure we called or texted our dads since it was Fathers Day!     We were all very excited, because after we toured Montpelier, the home of James Madison, later in the day, we finally arrived in Washington D.C.     While we toured Montpelier we learned that James Madison is the "Father of the Constitution," the 4th President of the U.S., and is actually the smallest President, in height, we've had! He was about 5 foot 4 inches tall and only weighed about 100 pounds.     When we finally arrived in D.C. we got checked into the National 4-H Center and met our PA, Xavier. (All of us Kansas kids agree he's the best one!) Following that, we ate at the Clover Café. Then went to opening assembly where we got to show off our awesome chants! W

In the words of Thomas Jefferson, "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." This quote is only fitting as our main event of the day was found in the previous home of our beloved third president of the United States. Starting off the day bright and early at  8:00 , we departed from Charleston, West Virgina with a final destination of Charlottesville, Virginia for the night. Before we left Charleston, our Coach Host for the day, KelsiJo Crouch gave us an inspiring quote by Dr. Suess, "Sometimes you never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory," encouraging us to take in every moment of this incredible trip and realize how lucky we are to experience and see all that this trip entails. Around  10:00 , we stopped in Lewisburg, West Virginia at a Walmart, where kids bought a wide range of items from donuts to Hawaiian shirts. On the way, we watched

...Leaving Fairview Heights, Illinois.... As we slowly trickled onto the bus Bailey prepared her song for us. When we all finally arrived on the bus Bailey led us in the song "Big Fish, Little Fish." Then Marietta gave us her thought for the day, "A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over." Marietta drew her inspiration from Benjamin Franklin. Marietta then gave us some trivia and we were awarded candy if we got an answer right! We then came up with three different chants! - the first chant: Leader: box turtle Rest of us: Kansas L: buffalo RU: Kansas L: Cottonwood RU: Kansas L: meadowlark RU: Kansas L: crazy weather RU: Kansas  -the second chant: To the K, to the A, to the N, to the SAS (Say 3 times) What's that spell? Kansas!  (Say 2 times) -the third chant: (to the Addams family tune) Kansas Missouri 4-H We're not in Kansas no more  The wicked witch is folk

This trip started out by picking up the Western Kansas kids in Salina and then heading to Topeka to pick up the eastern kids. Next we drove to Boonville Missouri where we picked up another delegate and took a much needed break. Then we finished off our drive by viewing the  Saint Louis arch and driving over the Mississippi River to Heights Illinois where we will rest till our adventure begins  tomorrow  at  7:30  sharp! Things That Happened today: "We called a guy to get his cards, and we tipped him $.50" -Kloey Brown "I had bacon on my ice cream and it was cold and chewy." Tessa Beeman "We got the number system right on the first try." Jaylie Weseloh Blogger: Elizabeth Hall Photo: Emily Glenn

Hello from Kansas CWF 2017.  Our trip begins in less than a week, Thursday, June 15.