What a better way to boost confidence, build character, learn a new skill or two and make new friends than a weekend of snow skiing with friends? On February 25th, the Logan County 4-H Teen Council embarked on a journey to Paoli Peaks in Indiana for a weekend of fun on the slopes and teambuilding back at the lodge.

The group hit the road right after school Thursday afternoon and travelled with the Todd County 4-H Teens. Upon arriving at the lodge, the evening was spent enjoying hot pizza and playing all sorts of getting to know you games. It was a great chance to meet some new people and make new friends from other schools and another county. After the teens got to know each other better, they participated in some fun, interactive teambuilding activities to learn even more about each other and themselves. There was a nice fireplace in the lodge as well and many teens chose to sit around the fire to chat and munch on cookies.

Friday morning the group had breakfast and hit the road for the short drive up to the ski slopes. After a brief orientation and getting suited up with boots and skis, the slopes welcomed us with fresh powder, no lift lines and sunny skies. We spent the day skiing the slopes and munching in the lodge. The weather was outstanding, and the snow was fresh and powdery, perfect conditions for some really great runs.

After a day on the slopes, the group headed back to the lodge for some real crime scene investigation activities. The CSI curriculum is part of the new Science, Engineering and Technology component of Kentucky 4-H. The activities include fingerprinting, photography, time of death using maggots, and chromatography. By learning and utilizing these methods of crime scene processing, the students gained an understanding of how real detectives and police officers help solve a homicide case.

Saturday morning we loaded the vans and made the journey back to Logan County. The teens definitely came away with some good times, great memories, new information and lifelong friends. The 4-H Leadership Ski Retreat is an annual event for 4-H teens. It’s one of the favorite retreats for teenagers. Teen programs offer many more exciting opportunities to develop character, leadership, teamwork and self-esteem. From the Kentucky 4-H Teen Conference to the area 4-H Teen Retreat, the teens get to know others from all over the state of Kentucky and begin to discover their full leadership potential.

Join in on the fun and learning by attending the next 4-H Teen Council monthly meeting on April 12th held in Russellville at the Extension Office from 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. Logan County Teen Council meetings are always held the second Monday of each month. Any teen between grades 8 through 12 is invited to attend and take part in the teen activities.