Summer 2005 Newsletter

Summer Activities

Every summer, each Ag student is required to have at least 8 summer hours. This can be accomplished by participating in the various summer activities that the chapter offers. The FFA is an intracurricular program and all Ag Ed courses are worth 1.25 credits, with the extra .25 being derived from FFA activities such as these and the student’s SAE projects. This will be the first grade of the grading period for the 2005-2006 school year.

*General clean-up and repair at the Cross Mound Park near Tarlton on Sixteenth Road on June 16th. We will be doing fence repair, trail repair, etc. You will need to meet there at 10:00 A.M. Those that have signed up in advance will be able to partake in a cookout after all work is done. This should be around 3-5 hours. The following have signed up: Dustin Baxter, Jeremy Gozy, Alisha Kougher, Amanda Campbell, Nic White, Ethan Johnson, Kruize Reid, Adam Foster, Erika Hardman, Jennifer Fletcher, Lindsay Lama, Debbie Picklesimer, Matt Nestor, Ashley Lamb, Jessica Caisse, Stacey Sams, Brittany Miller, Emiley Bolin, Cortney Collins, Cody Thomson, O’neal Blackburn, Natalie Palmer, Kelsey Goodman, Jordan Collins, Christine Bussert, April Senften, Andrew Gobel, Jessie Berisford, Jamie Luck, and T.J. Miller.

*Tarlton Firemen’s Fish Fry. You will meet on June 23rd at the Tarlton Town Hall at 3:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. You need to wear school appropriate dress. -6 hours. The following have signed up: Jodi Roush, Megan Underhill, Tiffany Brown, Bobbi Edwards, Lacey Price, Alisha Kougher, Amanda Campbell, Heather Cox, Jimmie Gordon, Ethan Johnson, Kruize Reid, Jordan Collins, Ashley Bevard, Erika Hardman, Andrea Brumfield, and Matt Nestor. Alternates are: Dustin Baxter, Josh Ayers, Jessica Mason, Alisha Sowers, and Cody Thomson.

*Ag Breakfast. If you attend all three Ag Breakfasts you will earn 2 summer hours.

*FFA Camp 5th Session. Camp will be held July 11th- 15th at FFA Camp Muskingum near Carrollton, Ohio. You will receive all the summer hours you need plus a bonus hour. Camp is a great way to socialize and meet a lot of new people from other FFA chapters around the state. This year we have 21 members attending the fifth session of FFA Camp. Those members are: Lars Abel, Adam Baldwin, Jessie Berisford, Greg Bowers, Christine Bussert, Jessica Caisse, Jordan Collins, Crystal Covell, Billy Davis, Bobbi Edwards, Judd Ellinger, Adam Foster, Jeremy Gozy, Alisha Kougher, Ashley Lamb, Lacey Price, Samantha Reid, Stacey Sams, Cody Thomson, and Nic White. We also have two members attending the 1st session of FFA Camp. They are Ryan Byrd, and Brandon Johnston. These are some items that you should bring: Outdoor clothes, at least 2 pairs of shoes that can be worn for outdoor activities, clothes for the 2 dances, swim wear and towels, toiletries, sleeping bag and a pillow, alarm clock, baseball/softball glove, bow and arrows if you have them in a case, waterproof jacket, and a pen or pencil. Two or three smaller bags are recommended so that you are able to fit them under the bus seat on the trip down and back up.

*Canoe Trip- July 30th. We will be canoeing on the Hocking River, leaving at 9:00 A.M. and returning around 4:00 P.M. The cost will be approximately $15-$20. - 3 hours. The following have signed up: Greg Bowers, Megan Underhill, Tiffany Brown, Bobbi Edwards, Jeremy Gozy, Lacey Price, Billy Davis, Jordan Collins, Erika Hardman, Debbie Picklesimer, Matt Nestor, Ashley Lamb, Jessica Caisse, Dustin Baxter, Joe Smith, Terry Browning, Josh Ayers, Kayla Hill, Alisha Sowers, Jessica Mason, Kyle Kennedy, Stacey Sams, Adam Baldwin, T.J. Hines, Emiley Bolin, Brittany Manson, Shaelyn Iles, Laurie Segovia, Dan Westhoven, Kelsey Goodman, Cody Thomson, T.J. Miller, Andrew Gobel, Jessie Berisford, Judd Ellinger, J.R. Rogers, Christine Boso, Christine Bussert, Samantha Reid, April Senften and Madison Fausnaugh.

*Hosting at the FFA Center during the Ohio State Fair; August 3rd. We will have 12 members max and they will need to wear official dress part of the day. This also includes some time to visit the fair. You need to be ready to go at the school by 8:00 A.M. - 5 hours. The following have signed up: Erika Hardman, Ashley Lamb, Jessica Caisse, Jessica Mason, Cortney Collins, Crystal Covell, Emiley Bolin, Brittany Miller Stacey Sams, T.J. Miller, and J.R. Rogers. Alternates are: Laurie Segovia, Christine Boso, and Christine Bussert.

*Adopt-a-Highway clean-up; August 4th. You’ll need to meet in the Ag Shop at 11:00 A.M. The following have signed up: Ashley Bevard, Andrea Brumfield, Ashley Lamb, Jessica Caisse, Josh Ayers, Stacey Sams, Kyle Kennedy, Kelsey Goodman, O’neal Blackburn, Natalie Palmer, Kayla Notestone, T.J. Miller, Andrew Gobel, Jessie Berisford, Amie Schwalbauch, Chelsey Rutter, Ryan Hartley, Jamie Luck, Samantha Reid, April Senften, and Bobbi Edwards. All members are welcome.

*Ohio Cattleman Association’s food booth at the Ohio State Fair; August 9th. You’ll need to meet at the school at 9:00 A.M. and you will be returning by 8:30 P.M. Your lunch will be provided. Each student must work a shift and enjoy the fair the rest of the time. - All hours. The following have signed up: Alex Reid, Brent Poston, Alicia Owen, Ashley Hunter, Daniel Wampler, Dan Flowers, Courtney Cox, Alex Ogan, Kelsey Johnston, Erika Hardman, Alisha Kougher, Amanda Campbell, Heather Cox, Zac Saum, Cerene Kilbarger, and Chelsea Polt. Alternates are: Jordan Collins and Jessica Mason.

*Industry Tour; July 29th. This year we will be going to take a tour at the Dickinson Cattle Company. We will be riding a bus viewing Texas Longhorns, Watusi, and Bue Lingo beef cattle. We will also be taking a walking tour of Dawes Arboretum after a lunch stop. During the trip we will also stop at Buckeye Outdoors. You need to be at the school by 8:00 A.M. and return by 3:30 P.M. The cost of this tour will be $10. - 5 hours. The following have signed up: Lacey Price, Nic White, Jordan Collins, Erika Hardman, Jennifer Fletcher, Lindsay Lama, Andrea Brumfield, Debbie Picklesimer, T.J. Hines, Adam Baldwin, Brittany Manson, Shaelyn Iles, Laurie Segovia, Kyle Kennedy, Kayla Notestone, Cody Thomson, T.J. Miller, Jessie Berisford, J.R. Rogers, Ryan Hartley, Jodi Roush, Samantha Reid, April Senften, and Madison Fausnaugh. All members are welcome.

*School Work Days; These will be scheduled with Mr. Tilley. You will be cleaning, organizing the shop and doing greenhouse construction between 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. The following have signed up: Nic White, Ashley Lamb, Jessica Caisse, Stacey Sams, T.J. Miller, Jessie Berisford, J.R. Rogers, Chelsey Rutter, Amie Schwalbauch, Jamie Luck, and April Senften. If any other member wants to help, call Mr. Tilley at 969-7381.

Each hour will be worth 50 points to the FFA part of your grade for the 1st grading period, totaling 400 points. A maximum of 500 points can be earned for extra activities in the summer, giving you a great way to start off the next school year with a good grade For those returning students, don’t count on activities once school has started; summer hours are just that, summer hours.

Officer Retreat

The annual officer retreat will be held from June 8th to June 10th. The officers and their assistants will be attending where they will be camping at Old Man's Cave, and backpacking in Zaleski State Forest. Officers and assistants attending are: Bobbi Edwards, Ashley Lamb, Adam Baldwin, Erika Hardman, Christine Bussert, Kyle Kennedy, Judd Ellinger, and Stacey Sams.

Washington Leadership Conference

The Washington Leadership Conference will be held July 19th-24th in Washington D.C. This year our chapter has three members going: Bobbi Edwards, Crystal Covell, and Ashley Lamb.

State and County Fair Entries

Anyone who is interested in entering a project in the Ohio State Fair needs to see Mr. Sharp ASAP. All entries must be made before June 20th. Anyone wanting to enter an animal project in the County Fair also needs to see Mr. Sharp ASAP. All of the small wood projects and sawhorses are great items to enter at the Ohio State Fair.

Mulch Trip

Every spring the Amanda-Clearcreek FFA Chapter holds a mulch sale to raise money for their chapter to fund activities throughout the year. Each year, the top fifteen mulch sellers who sell 150 bags or more are eligible to go on an educational and fun trip to reward to them for their hard work and effort.
Nine A-C FFA members participated in the Top Mulch Sellers Trip on May 26th through 29th this year. Those individuals were: Brad Bowers, Greg Bowers, T.J. Hines, Adam Baldwin, Cody Thomson, Crystal Covell, Madison Fausnaugh, Stacey Sams, April Senften, Jon Singleton chaperone an A-C FFA Alumni member, and Mr. Tilley. This year, these FFA members went to Kentucky’s Carter Cave State Park, Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Red River Gorge Geological Area, and the Kentucky Reptile Zoo.

Carter Caves is located near Olive Hill, Kentucky, which is home to more than 20 caverns, and has the highest concentration of caves to be found in any area of Kentucky. Carter Caves became a state park in 1946, after having been operated as a private tourist attraction since the 1880’s. The park is named in honor of the county in which it is located. Here, the A-C FFA found five caves to go wild caving in. These caves ranged from just walking up right in a stream to ducking in knee high water to even swimming in chest deep water.

Natural Bridge State Resort Park is home to the great sandstone arch that stands like a sentinel over this mountain hideaway and located in the midst of the Daniel Boone National Forest, near the Red River Gorge Geological Area. The Natural Bridge Sky Lift is also located at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. The Natural Bridge Sky Lift is a 22 minute round trip ride that carried the FFA members up 600 feet to the top of the Natural Bridge. The Sky Lift also allowed us to view some of Kentucky’s most spectacular mountain scenery.

The FFA Chapter also went to the Kentucky Reptile Zoo. This facility is home to more than 70 species of reptiles, which include black mambas, king cobras, alligators, pythons, anacondas, turtles, lizards and a whole lot more. The Kentucky Reptile Zoo houses the largest collection of venomous snakes in the United States and possibly the world. The primary purpose of the facility is to produce the anti venom for snake bites and ship it throughout the United States. While there, the FFA members were able to experience Mojave Rattlesnakes being milked for their venom to produce the anti-venom.

The last thing the FFA Chapter did on their trip was to go backpacking through the Red River Gorge Area located near Lexington, Kentucky. The FFA members learned through experience what backpacking was all about, carrying everything they needed on their back, including all essentials and anything else you wanted to pack-up. The FFA members hiked about 3.5 miles on Saturday to the campsite and 1.5 miles on Sunday back to the bus to head home.
Crystal Covell said, “ This mulch trip was an awesome experience; I had a blast. I was able to face my fear of heights and claustrophobia.” The Amanda-Clearcreek FFA Chapter had a fun and educational time on their trip and would like to thank all the buyers who have purchased mulch, flower bulbs and fruit from the FFA this year because, without you, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

Ag Challenge

This years winner of the Ag Challenge Points is the Senior class with 102pts. Our second place team was the Sophomore class with 81pts. In third place were the Freshmen class with 68pts, and the Junior class in fourth place with 23pts. It was anybody’s game and in the end our Senior class was the winner. Congratulations Seniors!!