Cover Story

Boulder City 4-H Club
Learn by Doing
by Grace Zielinski, 4-H Reporter & 4-H Leaders




The Boulder City 4-H Club has a rich history in the community. Starting over twenty years ago, the organization was originally a horse and small animal club. Today, 4-H has grown into a larger community club with various projects for youths ages five to nineteen years old. The Boulder City 4-H Club is led by Bill and Mayra Zielinski, with the help of volunteer and teen leaders.

The original club was named the Faded Hoofprints and was led by Cynthia Hatch with ten to seventeen members. They focused on animal science projects in goats, chickens and horses. They also competed in county and state events. Later, when Bill and Mayra joined the club as leaders, they added activities for ages five to eight-year-old children called Cloverbuds. To meet this age group’s interest, new projects were added to the project list with Cynthia still leading the small animal projects. Over time, the club name changed from Faded Hoofprints to Boulder City 4-H Club.

4-H is an organization that helps to develop the young people of our community so they can be prepared for their future careers. Across the country, 4-H has helped six million young people through their various projects. With a network of 110 public universities and more than 3,000 local clubs, they are making a difference for the youths of America. Additionally, they have reached out to over a million young people in fifty countries. According to their research, the “4-H experience grows young people who are four times more likely to contribute to their communities; two times more likely to make healthier choices; two-time more likely to be civically active, and two times more likely to participate in STEM programs.” (STEM is a four point education system: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.)

The goal of 4-H is to provide the young people in our community the opportunity to develop pride through service. Beyond that, members of 4-H are an extraordinary group. They are young people willing to spend their free time bettering their community through service. Their pledge sums up their loyalty: My Head to Clearer Thinking, My Heart to Greater Loyalty, My Hands to Larger Service, and My Health to Better Living for My Club, My Community, My Country, and My World.

The Boulder City 4-H projects have been successful in teaching life-long skills in creative thinking, handiwork, independence, leadership, and the importance of citizenship. Each project develops new goals and opportunities for members. The projects are chosen based on the interest of 4-H members, the availability of volunteer leaders, and availability of space needed to host meetings of various types.



Some of the more popular projects include Arts & Crafts: votive painting, paper crafts, gingerbread houses, holiday wreath making, scrapbooking, melted crayon art, nail, and string art. Cloverbuds: Paper crafts, string art, community exploration, STEM activities with robots. Cooking: Baking, stove-top recipes, including vegan and vegetarian-friendly recipes.

Digital Photography: Adobe Photoshop, Smart Photo Editor, Green Screen, Night Photography. Gardening: Recycled gardening containers, making rich homemade soil with horse manure. Sewing: Basic sewing machine operation, pattern fitting. Small Animals (Rabbits & Goats): raising new litters of kits and bunnies, showmanship and handling, feeding and penning goats. Robotics: Using Lego Mindstorms, studying animal science, and developing an Android app for pet owners.



The 4-H robotics group called the Boulder City SuperBots was added as two members wanted to form a First Lego League team. Currently led by Bill and Mayra, the team has grown over the years to an enthusiastic ten member robotic team. SuperBots has won several awards and competitions, such as the Robot Performance Award, Southern Nevada’s First Lego League 1st Place Project Award and 2nd Place Champion’s Award. They most recently just returned from the North American Legoland FLL Open, an international competition which is by invitation only. Out of thousands of teams from around the world, our SuperBots members did very well!

First Lego League is an exciting program for young people. According to their website, “Guided by adult coaches, First Lego League teams research a real-world problem such as food safety, recycling, energy, etc., and are challenged to develop a solution. They also must design, build, and program a robot using Lego Mindstorms® technology, then compete on a table-top playing field.”

Last fall, the Boulder City 4-H Club held their first open house where they added six new project leaders and volunteers and over thirty new members of various ages. Since then the group still continues to grow.

With new growth brings new challenges. It can be difficult to find meeting locations for a group of this size. Thankfully, the Club has been fortunate to have the support of BC Horseman’s Association, the BC Library, Hope Baptist Church, The Women’s Club, and Christian Center Church, as they have provided much-needed space which allows the Club to continue to work on projects.

This year, Boulder City 4-H members have received numerous blue ribbons and trophies at the Clark County Fair and the Clark County 4-H Goat and Rabbit Showmanship 2017 Competition. The club is in the process of adding new leaders and projects in chickens, community service, shooting sports, sign language, and bringing back horses to their list of activities. Some of the Boulder City 4-H members are active in both the local 4-H Club Council and the Clark County 4-H Teen Council.



The Boulder City 4-H Club is thankful for sponsorship from local businesses and private donors and accepts donations to help cover the costs of materials, supplies, and fees for facility rental’s storage needed to house supplies at meeting facilities.

For more information on how you can become a part of this diversified club or support these efforts, please contact Mayra Zielinski at zielinskibmg@embarqmail.com or 702- 294-1689.




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