May of 2014

by Josie Montoney, Reporter

Next FFA Meeting

The next monthly FFA meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 20^th in the Ag center. This will be our last meeting of this school year. The assistant officers will be running this meeting, instead of the regular officers. Following the meeting we will be having a cookout, which will be a great opportunity for members to eat good food and socialize.

Upcoming Events

A-C FFA Awards Banquet: Our chapter’s annual awards banquet will take place on Saturday, May 10^th at 4:00 P.M. This banquet is a fantastic opportunity for members to eat good food, and reflect on all the numerous achievements that our chapter has achieved over the past year, as awards will be announced and given out. Members are expected to attend! Official dress is also required if you own a jacket; if you don’t, please dress as close to official dress as you can. Parents, family members, FFA Alumni, and community members are all invited to come and share the night with the chapter. The chapter would also like to remind those attending that the banquet is a potluck dinner, so everyone is asked to bring a covered dish with them. Families of freshmen and sophomores are asked to bring a dinner item while families of juniors and seniors are asked to bring a dessert. The chapter will provide meat (chicken and ham), rolls and drinks. Table service will also be provided.

State FFA Convention: The State FFA Convention will be taking place at the Ohio Expo Center on May 1^st and 2^nd. Members who are attending have the option of going one day, both days, or evenings only. We have many people who will be getting recognized at the convention, or getting awards. Susan Householder will be receiving her State FFA Degree. Our two CDE teams which have earned first place in the state of Ohio this year, Agricultural Issues Forum and Nature Interpretation, will be recognized, along with the three individuals who also won at the state level. Samantha Young won state in Beginning Public Speaking, Devon Mullen won in the Junior division for the Job Interview CDE, and Kayla Luft was the first place individual at the Nature Interpretation contest. Our chapter also has four individuals who will be recognized for their Proficiency Awards: Devon Mullen (Nursery Operations), Kaylee Reed (Organic Agriculture), Dylan Wamsley (Organic Agriculture), and Katerina Sharp (Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production and Home and/or Community Development). Kaylee Reed, Susan Householder, and Katerina Sharp will be recognized for their officer books, and former A-C FFA member Nick Brumfield will be recognized as being Ohio FFA State Sentinel for the past year.

Top Spring Fundraiser’s Trip: The Top Spring Fundraiser’s Trip is geared as an educational reward trip for our chapter’s top sellers of mulch and flower bulbs. The top 2 flower bulb sellers and the top 15 mulch sellers will get to go on this trip. If selling mulch, members have to have sold a minimum of 150 bags to qualify for this trip. As our chapter only does a few fundraisers each year, it is of extreme importance that all of the members participate in them. These fundraisers help to lower the costs of and sometimes pay for all of the trips, activities, contests, and events that our chapter participates in each year. All members are highly encouraged to sell! This year, attending members will be going wild caving at Organ Cave and canoeing the Greenbrier River in West Virginia, from May 15^th to the 18^th. This will be an opportunity that is not only educational, but fun and challenging!

Ag Breakfast: The next monthly Ag breakfast will be held at Tee Jaye’s on May 9^th, at 6:15A.M. As always, Ag breakfast is an excellent way for members to socialize over good food.

Baby Animal Farm: On May 14^th, our chapter will be holding its annual baby animal farm. Chapter members will be allowed to bring in animals to the school for the day, and animals can include horses, pigs sheep, rabbits, and other typical farm animals. This is an excellent opportunity for young students to learn about animals they may not typically be exposed to.

Past Happenings

Ag Breakfast: In April, our monthly Ag breakfast was held at Tee Jaye’s on April 4th at 6:15 A.M. As always, it was a good opportunity for members to socialize over food.

Environmental and Natural Resources: On April 26^th, our Environmental and Natural Resources team consisting of Adrian Wymer, Kayla Luft, Josh Metzon, and Josie Montoney competed in the state contest held at Hocking College. In order for a chapter to participate, they must have a team place in the top 5 in the state in either Forestry, Rural Soils, Urban Soils, Nature Interpretation, or Wildlife Management. The contest consists of members being tested in knowledge of environmental factors and identification, water quality testing, soil analysis, and GPS functions. They also have to make and present a presentation over an environmental issue. This year, our ENR team placed 2nd in the state contest! This entitles the team to attend the Big E in September!

Aquarium Management: This contest tests student’s knowledge on the home aquaculture industry. Students are asked to identify various species of freshwater and saltwater fish, along with other invertebrates and equipment. They are also asked to demonstrate knowledge with the set-up and management of fish tanks. This year’s team consisted of Austin Stai, Johnny Lemaster, Haley Bigham and Shayla Morrison, and they placed 10^th place in the state, with Austin Stai leading the team in scores.

Animal Management: This CDE tests the students knowledge of animal species, such as dogs, cats, cavy, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, equipment used in the pet care industry, and participants must complete tasks related to the care of such animals. This year’s team consisted of Mallory Seitz, Kaylee Reed, Billy L’Huillier, Rachel Stoneburner, and Sarah Streets, and they for 14^th place in the state contest, with Mallory Seitz leading the team in scores. We would also like to thank A-C FFA Alumni member Laurie Travis for coaching the team!

Animal Health: The Animal Health CDE tests students in their knowledge of the animal health care industry. Participants must identify tools used in the veterinary field, small animal parasites, and demonstrate various skills needed in the area of small animal care. This year’s team consisted of Dylan Mullen, Susan Householder, Sydney Stinson, Katie Krile, and Ashley Pritchard, and they earned a 12^th place in the state ranking with Dylan Mullen leading the team in scores. We would also like to thank former member June Spires for assisting the team.

Cooperative Education: The Cooperative Education CDE tests student’s knowledge of cooperatives as a type of business. It is an online test, and this year’s team consisted of Katerina Sharp, Kaylee Reed, Samantha Young, Maddie Helser, Dylan Wamsley, Aubrey Meenach, and Sydney Stinson. They placed 17^th at the state contest, with Samantha Young leading the team in scores.