You don’t have to have won a lot of awards to be an Honor Club member… just be an active participant in your local 4-H club. You don’t win membership in the Honor Club, you earn it. You’ll score points for Honor Club membership for everything you’ve don as a 4-H member. Participation is the name of the game when it comes to 4-H Honor Club!
Honor Club is for junior high (6th, 7th and 8th graders) and senior (9th, 10th, 11th and 12th graders) 4-H’ers who have been active members of their local clubs. Membership is based on an application form. Anyone who can score a minimum number of points on the Tennessee 4-H Honor Club application can become a member. It’s not hard. You get points for everything you do… completing your projects, participating in events and activities, making presentations, helping other 4-H’ers, volunteering in your community… you even get points just for joining 4-H!
After you complete your Honor Club application form, give it to your 4-H agent. If you can score enough points, then you can join the more than 2,400 Tennessee 4-H members who already enjoy the benefits of being an Honor Club member. It’s as simple as that!
And… Honor Club is only the first step in Tennessee’s recognition program for outstanding 4-H members. Senior members can earn a spot in All Stars through their citizenship and community service work. All Stars is the second step leading to the final step of recognition. Vol State is the highest recognition a Tennessee 4-H member can earn, and it all starts with the Honor Club.
Get Started! (Honor Club Application link) If you need help with your 4-H Honor Club Application, please contact the UT Extension-Marshall County office at
(931) 359-1929 or e-mail, Terri Orr.
Honor Cub & All Star Application
4-H All Stars
What is 4-H All Stars?
Tennessee 4-H All Stars is the second level in the Tennessee 4-H recognition program for outstanding 4-H members. Through active participation in their 4-H clubs, 4-H’ers in 7th-12th grades can earn points to become members of the 4-H Honor Club. Once they complete the 8th grade, Honor Club members may apply for membership in 4-H All Stars. Membership in All Stars is based on SERVICE, which is the All Star motto.
4-H All Stars have many opportunities for service, leadership, and FUN! Whether participating in county service learning projects, attending regional conferences, or serving as a regional or state officer, members learn about themselves as they serve others. The opportunities are limitless. As a speaker at the 1965 All Star Conference said, “All Stars have a golden opportunity to serve. It’s a matter of how you want to serve and where you want to serve.”
History
The 4-H All Stars program was started in West Virginia in 1920 by Mr. William “Teepi” Kendrick, the State 4-H Club Leader. The organization then spread to other states. According to “The Torch,” a 1956 publication by the West Virginia 4-H All Stars, “During the summer of 1948, Tennessee 4-H Club members organized two All Star Chapters. The Western District consecrated 23 members and the Middle District 42. This came about through the interest and work of Paul Rose, Virginia All Star and Club Specialist of Tennessee. [Two] Virginia All Stars went to Tennessee to help with organizing the first chapter. Tennesseee now has five districts set up with officers in each district.”
Emblem
The emblem of the 4-H All Stars is a 4-H clover with a red, five-pointed star and a diamond chip. The red star stands for courage, which is needed to meet our daily problems. The five points of the star symbolize knowledge, strength, truth, beauty, and love. The diamond is made of our most precious stone and sheds its light in the dark.
Tennessee held its first State All Star Conference on August 20, 1949. Following this conference, the All Stars completed a formal constitution, which stated that the organization would be known as the District Chapter of the 4-H All Stars and would be associated with the 4-H development program of the Agricultural Extension Service. At this time, not every district had an All Stars chapter, so the group decided not to elect state officers. However, in the 1950s the district Big Chiefs formed a State All Star Council. In 1955, District Scribes were added to the State Council and the first state officers were elected. The state officers included Big Chief, Lesser Chief, Scribe, Newsletter Editor, Scout, and Medicine Person.
The organization has changed and adapted over the years to best represent the young people of Tennessee. However, the core values have remained the same. From the very beginning of the organization, 4-H All Stars have sought to be of service to their community. An early All Stars leader in Maryland said, “No greater attainment can be achieved by the 4-H Club member than to so conduct his life that he will enter into All Star activities. The desire to get ahead of the other fellow will get a candidate nowhere. Club members will not try to down others, but will try to raise themselves. Our great 4-H Club motto, ‘To Make the Best Better,’ is in its greatest degree exemplified by the 4-H development of one who has been selected for membership in the All Stars.”
Click to download a few of the documents that illustrate the history of 4-H All Stars:
- Minutes from the 1941 National All Star Conference in Washington, D.C.
- Minutes from the first State All Star Conference in Tennessee (August 1949)
- A Summary of the 4-H All Star Program (1973 publication)
How Do I Join 4-H All Stars?
Are you interested in becoming a 4-H All Star? The first step is to be a member of the 4-H Honor Club. Visit the Honor Club to find out more.
The All Star application is the last page of the Honor Club application (the pages should stay attached).
According to the Constitution and By-laws, the following qualifications apply for selection of nominees for All Star initiation:
- Active 4-H Club member*
- Must have completed the 8th grade*
- Must be a member of the Tennessee 4-H Honor Club*
- Outstanding leadership ability
- Commendable character
- Above average project work
- Willingness to serve
* The first three qualifications are required.
Contact your county Extension agent for more information on becoming a 4-H All Star.
Service
The 4-H All Star motto is “SERVICE.” 4-H All Stars exhibit this motto through county, regional, and state service projects to benefit their neighbors at home and around the world. Although some things in Tennessee 4-H are changing, the All Stars’ commitment to service isn’t one of them.
County All Stars groups can submit their projects for the Don Bowman Award and the Peggy Davis Award, which are presented annually at Roundup. Service is included in local, regional and state All Star conferences and meetings. For the July 2015 Roundup and State All Star Conference, 4-H members are collecting school supplies for Knoxville’s Pond Gap Elementary School.
You can strengthen your service experience by turning it into a service learning project. How? It’s simple! Look at your community, decide what the needs are, and plan a project to meet the needs. Then, to make it true service learning, think about the skills and knowledge you can gain through the project and make those things your learning objectives. Conduct your project and reflect on what you’ve done. Then, evaluate and celebrate your accomplishments!