Perkins County FFA attends Nebraska State Convention
By Emmalee Parsley Stevens
Grant Tribune-Sentinel
On April 2nd the Plainsmen bus headed to Lincoln so that several Perkins County FFA Students could attend the 97th Nebraska FFA Convention. 57 Students in total are apart of the FFA chapter. 36 high school members and 4 junior high members competed in Leadership Development Events (LDE) and Career Development Events (CDE) as well as went to workshops and participated in group activities during state convention.
They are also able to walk through an Expo hall during their free time to visit several agriculture related businesses and colleges, to help them explore different opportunities for their futures. The chapter is led by two advisors, Seth Burge and Doug Babbitt. Babbitt has been an agriculture teacher and advisor of the FFA for seventeen years. Burge is wrapping up his ninth year as an agriculture teacher and a FFA teacher.
Wyatt Adams, Morgan Day, Olivia Gengenbach, Cade Kroeker, Jesus Marquez, Luke Minster, and Jared Mireles competed in the Conduct of Chapter Meetings LDE. They received a bronze emblem.
Hannah Bishop, Emily Cornelius, Jacqueline Gloy, Cooper Kroeker, Jordin Lenhart, and Anley Sauder competed in the Parliamentary Procedure LDE. They earned a silver emblem.
Lauren Bishop competed in the Junior Public Speaking LDE. There she earned a gold medal.
Savannah Miller competed in the Natural Resources Speaking LDE and earned a Bronze Medal. Eric Gonzalez, Trevor Laber, Preston Schwanebeck, and Aaron Stryker competed in the Ag. Tech. and Mechanics CDE. Mya Deaver, Cade Kroeker, Olivia Gengenbach and Wyatt Adams competed in the Agriscience CDE.
Jacqueline Gloy, Preston Schwanebeck, Tanner Paitin, and Rylee Schrotberger competed in the Farm and Agribusiness Management CDE.
Emily Wilson, Madison Potts, Lexi Fisher, and Emily Lenhart competed in the Food Science and Technology CDE.
Ryan Long, Preston Schwanebeck, Trevor Laber, and Lexie Fisher competed in the Environmental and Natural Resources CDE. Ryan Long earned 9th place individual.
Cooper Kroeker, Anley Sauder, Rylee Schrotberger and Colson Uehling competed in the Agronomy CDE. Haylea McGreer, Paige Franklin, Hannah Bishop, and Karina Morales participated in the Nursery and Landscape CDE. Eric Gonzalez, Preston Schwanebeck, Landon Noyes, and Tanner Paintin participated in the Welding CDE.
Grant Gloy, Ethan Gonzalez, Jaymee Harger, and Carmi Regier participated in the Junior High Quiz Bowl.
Ethan Gonzalez participated in Junior High Discovery Speaking. He earned a gold medal. Mason McGreer participated in the State FFA choir where he sang several songs during each speaking session.
Shyne Hickey gave a performance of the American Sign Language Interpretation of the National Anthem during one of the speaking sessions.
Three FFA members earned their state degrees this year. The state degree recognizes the students ability to be a leader, participate in their community, and further their education in agriculture. Jacqueline Gloy, Cooper Kroeker, and Colton Kroeker applied and interviewed to earn their state degrees. Gloy is proud of her accomplishment and it means a lot to her that she is the third generation in her family to earn her degree, among her father Brent Gloy who earned his degree in 1990 and her Grandfather Donald Gloy who earned his degree in 1964. The FFA organization also recognizes the adults who are a huge part of the students’ success. This year Valerie Foster was nominated by the Perkins County FFA Chapter for the “Honorary State Degree Award.” This is the highest honorary award, given to individuals who strive to make contributions to help the agricultural education for students. Foster was recognized and awarded the Honorary State Degree award on stage at convention. Foster is a member of the school board and supports the growth of the agriculture program. She has judged district contests and also chaperoned several FFA events. “I think the first time I attended State FFA as a chaperone was Lila’s (Foster’s daughter) junior year, which would have been about 2014. I haven’t gone every year since then but I think probably 6 of the past 10,” said Foster. She loves being able to see the kids have so much fun at State and is always there to support them in happy times and hard times.
“I just really love to see the kids having so much fun, even when they’re tired, hungry, and crabby. I have always enjoyed sitting in the lobby of the hotel at the end of each day, listening to them talk about their contests, the people they met, what they want to do next year, celebrate their successes with them and listen when things don’t quite turn out the way they had hoped,” said Foster.
Receiving this award is important to her because she sees how much work the chapter puts in year round. She’s devoted to helping the chapter succeed. “Honestly, I took a picture of the award letter and sent it to Doug and Seth because I assumed it was a mistake. It’s really meaningful to me because the nomination came from the kids. I don’t know that everyone realizes how much time and effort these kids and advisors put into FFA all year long. Spring is especially crazy, but they do this literally year-round, including throughout the summer. The amount of time I’ve put into this chapter throughout the years is a fraction of what they all put in. If I can provide any amount of time, expertise, or support to help them do all the things they do in FFA, I’m thrilled to play a part in helping them be successful. Whether it’s holding cell phones, driving a van, or having a stash of band-aids at the ready for blisters - I’m happy to help,” she said.
The FFA chapter applied for the NIFA grant this year which they were awarded during convention. This grant is also known as the Governors Agriculture Excellence Award. It is sponsored by the NAtional Institute of Food and Agriculture, which is where the term “NIFA” comes from. This grant is given to chapters that have projects or activities to further develop agriculture education. With the grant money and the proceeds from past “Hired Hand Auctions,” Perkins County has recently built an “Animal Learning Lab.” There they can temporarily house livestock on the school grounds. Each agriculture class, and science class can get hands-on experience to learn many new things. Currently, they are housing chickens.
Alongside the NIFA Grant, they applied for the National Chapter Award. “FFA members put varying amounts of time into preparing for their competitions throughout the year and by April many of them reap the rewards of the extra time and preparation devoted to their events. Overall I was pleased with how our chapter members competed this year. This year was also our first time applying for the National Chapter Award. This award recognizes chapters that actively implement the mission and strategies of the organization through each of the 15 quality standards. As the chapter vice-president, Cooper Kroeker was the workhorse behind the application, illustrating the dedication of our entire membership throughout the year. As a result of our efforts, we were recognized by the Nebraska FFA Association as a “Premier Chapter” and our application will advance to the National level,” says Advisor Burge.
The FFA chapter will now prepare degree application deadlines, officer interviews, and the end of year awards banquet. They will also prepare for their annual plant sale. As of now, the scheduled dates for the plant sale are April 26, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., May 3, 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m., May 9, 1 to 4 p.m., and May 17, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. In May some members will attend the high points trip. This is a trip with fun activities planned for the most active members throughout the year. Then the new officers will attend Chapter Officer Leadership Training in Aurora, NE.