FFA Baquet held; Degrees awarded, Che Balcom welcomed as new advisor

By Emily Lenhart

PC FFA Chapter Reporter

The Perkins County FFA Chapter ended the year with its annual banquet on May 9. The banquet consisted of awards and recognition, a recap of the year, a meal provided by the PCYCD, and photographs taken by EC Photography.

Members received a variety of awards, including degrees, fundraising awards, and district and state recognition. The Greenhand Degree, the first degree awarded to members, was given to eighteen members, that include: Grayson Baumgartner, Alex Cole, Ethan Gonzalez, Grant Gloy, Jaymee Harger, Lila Hill, Ryleigh Johnson, Koltyn Kuper, Alyssa Laber, Wyatt McCloskey, Mason Minster, Levi Nolt, Aaron Ornelas-Stryker, Kinley Richmond, Tyson Schwanebeck, Jentry Wallin, Olyvia Williams, and Marisa Wykert. 

The Chapter Degree is the next degree awarded within the chapter, and six members applied for and received the degree, which includes: Morgan Day, Mya Deaver, Olivia Gengenbach, Jesus Marquez, Karina Morales, and Emily Wilson. 

The highest FFA degree that the state recognizes is the Nebraska State FFA degree. Two members from our chapter applied, interviewed, and received it. Recipients are Emily Lenhart and Jordin Lenhart. 

Another important award given was the Honorary Chapter Degree, which is awarded to community members who have gone above and beyond in supporting our chapter. The recipients include Mike “Woody” Woodhead and Miles and Janis Imel.

Following, our chapter celebrated the legacy, accomplishments, and retirement of our advisor, Mr. Doug Babbitt. Mr. Babbitt was an advisor and teacher at Perkins County for 18 years. We then welcomed our new advisor, Mrs. Che Balcom. 

At the conclusion of the banquet, seniors retired their jackets and the 2025-2026 officer team handed their offices off to the 2026-2027 officer team that include: Jordin Lenhart (President), Olivia Gengenbach (Vice President), Anley Sauder (Secretary), Tanner Paintin (Treasurer), Emily Lenhart (Reporter), Grant Gloy (Sentinel), Emily Wilson (Historian), and Jesus Marquez (Junior Advisor).

On May 2nd, the chapter had their annual high points trip, which awards the top one-third FFA point earners within the chapter. Points are earned through participating in activities within our POA (Program of Activities). This year’s high points trip involved traveling to Denver, Colorado, to participate in activities such as hiking at Barr Lake State Park, eating lunch at Texas Roadhouse, and finishing the day at Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park. On May 25th-26th, the new officer team will head to Aurora, NE, to engage in leadership activities and learn office roles at the state officer-led COLT Conference.