A-C FFA members learn much at National Convention

On October 19^th through the 22^nd, the Amanda-Clearcreek FFA chapter had the opportunity to send members to attend the 86^th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. There were 29 members, 1 chaperone, and the 2 advisors, Mr. Tilley and Mr. Sharp, who attended the trip. The members attending were:

· Freshmen:

o Cheyenne Gallant, Susan Householder, Kayla Luft, Nicole Parrish, Kaylee Reed, Autumn Spencer, Morgan Thompson, Alek Doss, Cole Genders, Josh Kempton, Johnny Lemaster, Josh Metzon, Austin Stai, and Adrian Wymer

· Sophomores

o Katerina Sharp, Rachel Stoneburner, and Devan Boyer

· Juniors

o Mikaila Drake and Carrie Stoneburner

· Seniors

o Caitlin Robinson, Sierra Jepsen, Cody Brewer, John Miller and Seth Sayre.

· Graduate Members

o Kelsie Sharp, Hannah Chenetski, Aaron Miller, David Sams and Tyler Van Horn

The group stayed at the Ruth Lily Outdoor Center, which is part of the Flat Rock YMCA. The chapter attended many sessions, met other FFA members from across the nation, went on various educational tours, and even attend the Buckeye Bash, a large dance for Ohio FFA members where students had the opportunity to meet other Ohio FFA members attending the convention. The members toured at the Cincinnati Zoo’s endangered species research center, and Homestead Primitives where members learned about value-added agriculture. They also toured the Ozark Fisheries Indiana Hatchery, learning about the raising of various aquacultural species, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and Track, and finally toured the Indiana State Museum, which was featuring a special exhibit about corn.

The members also were able to see two graduate members receive their American FFA Degrees. The chapter had three recipients earn the degree; they were Brittany Stevens, David Sams and Tyler Van Horn. David and Tyler were able to make time in their busy schedules to attend the convention to receive their degrees. The American FFA Degree is the highest degree a member can achieve within the FFA. Members must be graduated from high school, have earned their State FFA Degree and must continue their Supervised Agricultural Experience program. It is a great accomplishment for these members as they are all now in college but have managed to find the time to complete their FFA experiences. Congratulations to Brittany, David and Tyler!!!

Also, the Amanda-Clearcreek FFA had a team participate in a contest at the National level for the 5^th straight year. The National Ag Issues Forum CDE team represented Ohio as they were the state winning team from the previous school year. The members participating were: Hannah Chenetski, Caitlin Robinson, Kelsie Sharp, and Sierra Jepsen. This is the first year that Ohio has competed in this national contest, so it was a learning experience for all. The team received a Bronze rating and learned much about how the contest is run at the national level, bringing that knowledge back to the state so that next year’s Ohio team can better represent the Buckeye state.

The chapter also had two members, Aaron Miller and Sierra Jepsen, who attended the convention serving as official delegates for Ohio due to their status as State FFA Officers. Aaron is currently serving as State FFA Treasurer and Sierra is serving as District 7 President.

Overall, the members who attended had many opportunities to learn much about the FFA, about agriculture and the world around them. It was a great trip for the students and they would like to especially thank Mr. Mike Miller for helping Mr. Tilley and Mr. Sharp chaperone the trip. We look forward to having members attend the 2012 National FFA Convention, which will be the last year the convention is held in Indianapolis before it returns to Louisville, Kentucky in 2013.