February 2003Newsletter

by Mallory McMaster,Reporter

The next meeting of the Amanda-Clearcreek FFA Chapter will be held on February 24th 2003 at 7:00 PM in the Agricultural Education Building. Officer elections will be held at this time.
Ag Breakfast

The monthly Ag Breakfast will be held on February 6th at 7:00 AM at Frisches in Lancaster.
Officer Elections

Becoming an Amanda-Clearcreek FFA Officer is a privilege. Officers learn leadership skills that will carry them through their lives and assist with relationships and professional careers. The FFA has seven possible offices, President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Reporter, Student Advisor and Sentinel. To run for an office, a member must have received his/her Chapter FFA Degree. Applicants must fill out a 2 page computerized application, and participate in an interview to be considered. The interview involves past FFA officers who pose as a "nominating committee". This committee chooses who they feel would best represent the chapter at a particular office, and then submits their own ballot as a suggestion for the chapter. The applicants have an opportunity to speak to the chapter as a whole at the February meeting, prior to voting. The members will then mark ballots. After each office is elected, the new officers take their spots before the chapter. If you are interested in running for an office, please contact Mr. Tilley as soon as possible and fill out the computerized application. Applications are due on February 6th and interviews will be on February 12th.
Public Speaking Contests

There are four different areas of the Public Speaking CDE. They are Creed Speaking, Beginning Prepared, Senior Prepared and Extemporaneous.

Creed Speaking is available only to freshmen who recite the FFA Creed and answer questions about the Creed. Beginning Prepared is geared mostly for sophomores who present 5 to 7 minute speak on an agricultural topic. The Extemporaneous Speaking contest is open to all 4 grade levels. Extemporaneous speakers draw a agricultural topic and are given 30 minutes to develop a 4 to 6 minute speech from materials they have brought with them and their own personal knowledge. The Prepared Speaking contest, often referred to as 'Senior Prepared', is open to members in all 4 grade levels, but generally involves junior and senior members who present a 6 to 8 minute prepared speech. (from www.acffa.org)

The chapter usually does very well in Public Speaking contests. In the past, Angela Davis made it to the State Preliminaries in the Beginning Prepared division. This year, we hope to advance beyond that.

Participating in the Creed Speaking contest will be Debbie Picklesimer. June Spires will compete in the Beginning Prepared division, Mallory McMaster in the Senior Prepared contest, and Margo McMaster in Extemporaneous.
Chapter FFA Degrees Awarded

The chapter degree is the second step towards earning your American FFA Degree. It is awarded to sophomores, or second year FFA members, who have participated in at least 5 official chapter activities, are familiar with the chapter Program of Activities, have invested at least $150 in their SAE, who have demonstrated the ability to lead a group discussion effectively for at least 12 minutes, including a 10 minute prepared, who can demonstrate at least 5 Parliamentary procedure abilities, and who have demonstrated progress toward achievement of an agricultural proficiency award. This year's recipients are: Skyler Baldwin, Brad Bowers, April Campfield, Amanda Cassidy, Lindsey Carpenter, Bryan Hill, Heather Hines, Christian Hoffman, Sandy Larson, Leslie McAfee, Megan Miller, Hilary Noll, Joseph Penhorwood, Krystina Preece, Cassi Slone, June Spires, Wayne Strickler, Trent Strous, and Ryan Sturgeon.
Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent Teacher conferences will be held on February 20th and 27th. Parents of FFA members are encouraged to attend to meet the advisors and check their student's progress in class.
Paper Drive

Please bring your used newspapers to the Old Ag Shop through February 13th. The chapter will use the papers to raise money to donate to a charity. The charity will be chosen at the February FFA Meeting. The chapter has conducted a paper drive for the past 3 years, each year donating all proceeds to Children's Hospital.
Job Interview Contests

There are three Job Interview Contest divisions. They are: Ag Science, open to both Freshmen and Sophomores who are enrolled in Ag Science classes; Ag Business, open to Juniors and Seniors who are enrolled in Ag Business classes; and Ag Production, open to Juniors and Seniors who are enrolled in Ag Production Classes. The Job Interview Contest is a contest designed to test a student's ability to prepare a resume, write a follow-up letter and interview for a mock employment opportunity. A student must win the District contest to advance to the State level.

Louisville Trip

The group will depart from the school on Friday February 14th, they will tour Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville, Ky, then go to a mall to watch a movie in the evening. The group plans to attend the Power Show and Tractor Pulls on Saturday , and return on Sunday afternoon.

A-C FFA members going on the trip are: Maggie Bowman, Dani Sowers, Brad Bowers, Katie Bowman, Amie White, Brian Bussert, Crish Alvey, Travis Kiser, Samantha Wiggins, June Spires, Jace Spires, Christian Hoffman, Holly Edwards, Jamie Luck, Debbie Picklesimer, Michael Hedrick, Lindsay Lama, Amanda Campbell, Ryan Sturgeon and Chris Carroll. Chaperones will be Mr. Sharp, Mr. Tilley, Joel Spires, Dennis Picklesimer and Jeremy Falk. To be eligible to attend the trip members had to sell at least 25 boxes of fruit during the chapter's Fall Fruit Sale.
Ag Sales Career Development Event

The Agricultural Sales Career Development Event tests student knowledge and understanding in the area of Agricultural Sales. At present, this contest includes a multiple-choice general knowledge test, a sales demonstration, and four practicums: telephone skills, advertising and promotion, product display and customer relations. The top two teams in our district proceed to the state level.
Power Show Tickets

On January 25th, Mr. Sharp and several FFA members went to the Power Show at the Ohio Expo Center and sold raffle tickets for a John Deere Gator to benefit the Ohio FFA Foundation. The chapter sold over $2,010 in tickets in one day. This is a record for the Foundation in one day. Members who participated in this activity were: Amber Hedrick, Emilee Klamfoth, Amanda Cassidy, Lindsey Carpenter, Erika Hardman, and Megan Braden. Each year, the FFA Chapter selling the most raffle tickets for the Foundation wins a welder. Amanda-Clearcreek has won the last two years and got second place the first year. We have won three MIG welders.
National FFA Week

Monday: Bowling Party: Come and have fun with fellow FFA members.

Tuesday: Teacher Appreciation Day: Show your teachers how much you appreciate them.

Wednesday: Official Dress Day: Show your pride in FFA by wearing your blue corduroy.

Thursday: FFA T-Shirt Day: Show your pride in your FFA Chapter by wearing your A-C FFA t-shirt or sweat shirt.

Friday: Truck and Tractor Day: Show Amanda where FFA started over 75 years ago: Production Agriculture. Drive your favorite truck or tractor to school.

*This schedule is subject to change, the Chapter Development Committee is meeting soon to discuss any possible changes.

All FFA members are encouraged to participate in these activities. This year marks the 75th anniversary of FFA. FFA makes a positive impact on nearly a half million young people worldwide.