4-H Ambassador candidates named for upcoming Adams County Fair

PRESS RELEASE

The following 4-H members have been selected to compete for the title of the 2025 Adams County 4-H Royal and Distinguished Ambassador. The Royal and Distinguished Ambassadors will be named on Tuesday, July 22^nd at the Adams County 4-H Fairgrounds in Monroe.

L-R Front Row: Paige Selimovic, Jenna Martin, Alyssa Fruechte, Addelyne Jordan, Addison Gilbert
L-R Back Row: Elise Rumschlag, Luella Bluhm, Xavior Palacios, Allie Simon, Veronica Franz

Luella Bluhm is the daughter of Jim and Amanda Bluhm. This fall, Luella will begin her senior year at Adams Central. She attends First Mennonite Church in Berne and is active in its youth group. She has been a member of the Adams Central FFA chapter for the past seven years and served as chapter secretary last year. In FFA, she has competed at the area, district, and state levels in forestry, parliamentary procedure, and leadership events.

Luella has been a member of Business Professionals of America (BPA) for three years, competing at the district, state, and national levels each year. She is also a member of 4-H Junior Leaders and Sunshine Society.

Outside of her many organizations, Luella participates in cross-country, swimming, and tennis. Her favorite 4-H project is Do Your Own Thing because it allows her to use her creativity. After high school, Luella plans to attend college and earn a degree in agriculture.

Veronica Franz is the daughter of Darin and Amber Franz. She will be a junior at Bellmont High School this fall. Veronica is an eight-year member of the Preble Pathfinders 4-H Club and has participated in Junior Leaders for the past four years. She has earned many awards in projects such as cake decorating, arts and crafts, and gift wrapping. Her current projects include photography, collections, consumer clothing, and floriculture.

Outside of 4-H, Veronica is an active student at Bellmont High School, having been on the honor roll every semester. She is a member of Student Council and uses her creativity to help decorate for events such as the Hunger Games, school dances, and hallway decorating competitions—where her class won last year. She also participates in girls tennis and basketball. Veronica is a member of St. Peter Fuelling Church, where she volunteers for various fundraising activities. In her free time, she enjoys shopping, watching movies, and driving and maintaining her 1999 Honda Accord, which she has named Lorraine.

Alyssa Fruechte is the daughter of Brandon and Elizabeth Fruechte. She will be a senior at Adams Central this fall. Alyssa is a nine-year 4-H member who serves as a recreational leader of the Junior Leaders, joy-giver of the Goat Club, and is actively involved in the French Peppy Peppers 4-H Club. She has participated in county and state projects including goats, starter calves, foods, floriculture, Junior Leaders, swine, and garden tractor.

Outside of 4-H, Alyssa runs on the Adams Central cross-country and track teams, where she also competes in shot put. She is a member of National Honor Society, Sunshine Society, the musical, and FFA, where she serves as chapter vice president. This year was Alyssa’s third year in BPA, competing on the parliamentary procedure team that placed sixth at nationals in Orlando, Florida. She attends First Mennonite Church in Berne and serves on the youth leadership team. Her future plans include attending college to pursue a career in healthcare.

Addison Gilbert is the daughter of Doug and Amanda Gilbert and Katrina Gilbert. A recent graduate of Adams Central, she will attend Purdue University this fall to major in animal sciences. Addison is a 10-year member of the French Peppy Peppers 4-H Club and a six-year member of Junior Leaders, where she currently serves as president. She has participated in beef, swine, photography, and scrapbooking projects, competing at the county, state, and national levels. She served as a 4-H camp counselor for three years.

Outside of 4-H, Addison was involved in cross-country and swimming at school. She also participated in National Honor Society, Sunshine Society, and FFA, serving as chapter vice president this past year. This was Addison’s third year in BPA; her parliamentary procedure team placed sixth overall at the national conference in Orlando.

Addelyne Jordan is the daughter of Brian Jordan and Amanda Jordan. She will be a junior at Adams Central this fall. Addelyne is an eight-year 4-H member, part of the Washington Sequoias 4-H Club, and a four-year member of Junior Leaders. She currently serves as a youth representative on the Adams County 4-H Council. She competes in swine, arts and crafts, Do Your Own Thing, floriculture, and foods, having received premium and champion honors at county and state levels. She also enjoys attending national-level shows.

Outside of 4-H, Addelyne participates in Sunshine Society and plays on the softball team at Adams Central. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends.

Jenna Martin is the daughter of Brad and Jill Martin. She will attend the University of Northwestern Ohio this fall and major in agribusiness management. Jenna is a 10-year 4-H member, part of the Jefferson Go Getters 4-H Club, a member of Adams County 4-H Junior Leaders, and a former youth member of the 4-H Council. Her project areas include dairy beef, starter calf, barbecue, and photography.

Outside of 4-H, Jenna is active in FFA, where she served as junior advisor and competed in various career and leadership development events. She was a three-year member of the yearbook staff at South Adams and was also a member of National Honor Society. Jenna attends West Missionary Church, where she helps with the children’s church and nursery and participates in the youth group’s fundraising events and mission trips. Her hobbies include reading, being outdoors, and spending time with family.

Xavior Palacios is the son of Troy and Kathy Palacios. He will be a senior at Bellmont High School. Xavior is a nine-year 4-H member and is active in the rabbit, goat, and poultry clubs. His project areas include poultry, rabbit, collections, construction set, home environment, barbecue, animal education, and meat goats. He has won Grand Champion Commercial Meat Birds eight times and has served as a 4-H camp counselor for two years.

At school, Xavior is involved in Student Council and the Student Athlete Leadership Team. He is a varsity athlete in soccer, wrestling, track, and volleyball. Last year, he placed eighth at the state wrestling tournament. He is a member of St. John Bingen Church and participates in the youth group.

Elise Rumschlag is the daughter of Shaun and Amy Rumschlag and Angela and George Mihaylov. She will be a senior at Bellmont High School this fall. Elise is an active member of the Adams County 4-H Junior Leaders and currently serves as vice president. She has enjoyed serving as a 4-H camp counselor for the past three years. Her project areas include foods, microwave cooking, archery, pistol, rabbits, sheep, starter calf, and swine, with numerous premium and champion honors.

Outside of 4-H, Elise is on the rifle team and is active in Bellmont FFA, where she also serves as vice president. She competes in crops and career development events in FFA. Elise attends Decatur Church of God. After graduation, she plans to attend college, though her major is undecided.

Paige Selimovic is the daughter of Migdad and Rachel Selimovic. Paige will be a freshman at Ball State University, where she plans to study physical therapy. She is a six-year 4-H member and participates in the rabbit club, Junior Leaders, and St. Mary’s Happy Hustlers. She currently serves as president of both St. Mary’s Happy Hustlers and the rabbit club. Her project areas include rabbits, dairy beef steers, starter calves, cats, small animals, photography, arts and crafts, and construction. She has won Grand Champion in photography for two consecutive years and earned Reserved Best of Show in rabbits. Paige has also served as a 4-H camp counselor for four years.

At South Adams High School, Paige participated in soccer and cheerleading. She has also been involved in BPA, STEM, and FFA, competing at the regional, state, and national levels. She enjoys marching band and choir. In her free time, she likes painting, crocheting, performing with her rock band, and spending time with friends.

Allie Simon is the daughter of Matthew and Stephanie Simon. Allie recently graduated from Adams Central. She is a 10-year 4-H member, part of the Preble Pathfinders 4-H Club and Adams County 4-H Junior Leaders, where she currently serves on the officer team. She is also a youth representative on the Adams County 4-H Council, where she advocates for younger members. Her main projects are starter calf and beef.

At school, Allie was involved in FFA and BPA. She recently completed her term as Adams Central FFA president and has competed at district, section, and state levels. Most recently, she placed fourth in the state of Indiana for her Beef Production–Entrepreneurship Proficiency. Her BPA parliamentary procedure team placed sixth at the national conference. This fall, Allie will attend Purdue University to major in agronomy.