A Jill of all trades

Bryce Alderton, Independent

Finding a break in Kiera Hornby’s schedule is a difficult task, but

she wouldn’t have it any other way.

A sample of the bubbly 16-year-old’s activities includes: teaching

four students how to play the piano while taking her own lessons for two

hours a day, assistant teaching dance classes at a dance studio,

designing shirts and dolls for two children’s charities, writing novels,

taking classes at home and being an active member of 4-H.

More than 6.8-million youth are involved in 4-H, a national

organization dedicated to helping youth and adults learn, grow and work

together for positive change. The group partners with the Cooperative

Extension System, communities and other organizations to promote youth

development, create model programs and develop curriculum.

“What’s life if you have nothing to do,” Hornby said.

Hornby has plenty to do. She aspires to double-major in veterinary

medicine and music at UC Davis, get married and have a family and teach

music.

But for the time being she is setting her sights on later this month

when she will spend three days in Washington, D.C., representing District

45 and the county 4-H program at the National Conversation.

The conference will bring some 1,600 youth delegates from around the

country to discuss ways to get teenagers involved in different programs

and enhance their leadership skills.

Hornby submitted an application and a letter to the national 4-H

program and found out in January that she had been selected to make the

trip east.

The trip will consist of community service activities, viewing 100

years of 4-H history at a picture gallery, eating dinner and sharing

ideas with congressmen and senators, touring Washington and attending a

dance on the final night, Hornby said.

“I was ecstatic and terrified,” Hornby said. “This is completely new.

I’m afraid I’m going to forget ideas I have.”

She has plenty of ideas she wants to discuss in Washington. Some of

those include helping the media present youth in a positive light,

bringing different organizations together such as 4-H, Girl Scouts and

Boy Scouts and informing teenagers of the freedoms they have to choose

what they want to do with their lives.

“Girl Scouts and 4-H have an unspoken feud,” Hornby said. “They’re

supposed to be enemies. But there’s wonderful things about both programs

that we all need to learn.”

The conversation is hosted by 4-H but other youth representatives will

also be attending and will collaborate on a letter that will be sent to

President Bush in mid-March, Hornby said.

“My goal is to make a difference, have my voice and the voice of

others heard and to have fun,” Hornby said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

The trip to Washington will give Hornby a break from her home

schooling, which she has done since fourth grade.

She is in 10th grade at Pacific Coast High School in Tustin,

participating in an accredited independent study program.

Most of her work is done at home, but she is required to go to the

school five or six days a month to take standardized tests.

A collective decision by her and her family following third grade

determined that home schooling was the better choice for Hornby.

“The regular public school system didn’t match my style of learning,”

Hornby said. “It was slowing me down.”

Hornby shows no signs of slowing down. The rest of her Thursday was

filled with teaching her dance class and attending choir practice and

dance rehearsal before coming home to do schoolwork.

“Life is insane,” Hornby said. “It’s crazy tonight.”

* BRYCE ALDERTON is the news assistant. He can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at bryce.alderton@latimes.com