Summer of 2014

by Josie Montoney, Reporter

Next FFA Meeting

Our next FFA meeting will be on August 25^th at 7:00 P.M in the ag center. This will be our first meeting of the 2014-2015 school year!

Upcoming Events

Ag Breakfast: The next monthly Ag Breakfast will be held at the Laurelville Diner on Friday, June 6^th at 8:00 A.M. For the month of July, it will be held on July 1st at 8:00 A.M. at Frisch’s in Lancaster, and in August, it will be held on the 8^th at 8:00 A.M. at Bob Evans in Lancaster. As always, ag breakfast is a good opportunity for members to come and socialize over good food.

Adopt-A-Highway: Our chapter will be holding two adopt-a-highway clean ups this summer. The first will be on June 6^th, and the second will be on August 8^th. Members who intend to help should meet at the school at 10:00 A.M. We will be cleaning up the roadsides along St. Rte. 159 between Oakland and Tommy Wayne’s.

Chapter Summer Trap Shoot: On June 6^th, our chapter will be holding its annual summer trap shoot at the Sharp Residence: 9480 Thomas Hill Road. The cost will be $5 to cover some of the cost for clay pigeons and food. You are required to bring your own ammunition and firearm. Drinks, chips, and hot dogs will be provided. Parents and A-C FFA Alumni are encouraged to attend! This event will start at 5:00 P.M.

A-C Alumni Association Banquet: On May 30^th, members from our chapter are encouraged to help set up for the A-C Alumni Banquet. Members are to meet in the cafeteria at 9:30 A.M. to help set up tables and chairs. On May 31^st, members who would like to help collect food and perform other serving duties can meet in the cafeteria at 5:00 P.M., and will be done by 7:00 P.M. Members who want to help clean up should meet in the cafeteria at 7:30 P.M., and they will be done by 9:30 P.M. FFA shirts are strongly recommended! The banquet itself is for alumni members to reunite and socialize, and for seniors and recent graduates who have applied for scholarships to be recognized. Our Alumni Association is one of the best in the state, and will be giving out over $80,000 in scholarships this year!!!

Amanda Litter Clean Up Day: In June, our chapter will be helping to pick up trash along the Amanda Bike Trail and other areas. Members will meet at the Ag Center at 5:00 P.M., and the event will conclude by 7:00 P.M., if not sooner. The date will be announced later.

Thad Davis Memorial 5K Run/Walk: Our chapter was asked to help with the Thad Davis Memorial 5K Run/Walk again this year, which is hosted by the A-C Alumni Association. This will take place on June 14^th at 6:45 A.M. and will conclude around 11:15 A.M. There are two different shifts that members can sign up for. We will be helping with registration, traffic control, finish line duties, etc.

Tarlton’s Firemen’s Fish Fry: The Tarlton’s Fire Department’s annual fish fry will be held June 26^th. Members who are helping need to arrive at the Tarlton Town Hall at 3:00 P.M. You must wear school appropriate clothing (FFA shirts are best). There will be no cost for students, and they will get a meal. This should conclude around 7:00 P.M. Members are reminded that this is a great way to get community service hours.

Ohio FFA Leadership Camp: OLC will take place again this summer at Ohio FFA Camp Muskingum from June 20^th to the 23^rd. This camp is run by the State FFA Officers, and FFA members from around Ohio are all encouraged to attend. Those attending will spend the time learning leadership skills and meeting new people.

Canoe Trip: We will be having the canoe trip at Paint Creek again this year. Members attending will need to meet at the school at 9:30 A.M. on July 1^st. This will take several hours and will count towards the required summer hours. Members will need to bring money for food, and for their canoe or kayak. Also, members are encouraged to bring a towel and a change of clothes.

5^th Session FFA Camp: Our chapter will be attending the 5^th session of FFA Camp again this year at FFA Camp Muskingum. At camp, members participate in countless leadership-building activities with other FFA members from across the state of Ohio. This is a fantastic opportunity for members to develop leadership skills, and develop life long friendships. We will be leaving the school at approximately 9 A.M. on July 7^th, and will be arriving back on the 11^th at approximately 3 P.M.

Washington Leadership Conference (WLC): The Washington Leadership Conference (WLC) is a week long national conference held in Washington, D.C. each summer. Chapters from around the country may send members to participate in the many leadership and community service activities that are held there, and the conference has continued to grow exceedingly larger each year. Attending members also get the chance to interact with FFA members from around the country and tour many of the monuments. This year, Katie Krile, Adrian Wymer, Susan Householder, and Dylan Mullen are attending WLC because they have earned the Memorial Award. This award is given out each year at our chapter banquet in memory of former members Rusty Bowers and Becky Strickler. Also attending WLC this year is Katerina Sharp and Kaylee Reed, who both received a scholarship from the state at the Ohio FFA Convention. Our six members attending will be gone from July 15^th to the 20^th.

Cross Mound Park Clean Up: Our chapter has been helping to clean up Cross Mound Park for almost 20 years. The next date we have set for our members to participate in the activity is August 8^th. Members who intend to help should meet there at 10:00 A.M. We will be performing general clean up duties such as fence repair, trail repair, etc.

Pelotonia Bike Tour: The Pelotonia Bike Tour is a bike tour that starts in Columbus each year. The point of this tour is to raise money for cancer research. Our chapter has been asked by the organization in charge to help with preparation for the race. On August 8^th, members wishing to assist with this event will meet at the school at approximately 6 P.M. Members will need to wear an FFA Pelotonia shirt (there will be ones available to be borrowed), and bring money to eat.

School and Greenhouse Work Days: This summer, Mr. Sharp and Mr. Tilley are organizing days to clean up the shop and the Ag center. This serves to help the Ag. Department in preparing for the upcoming year. We are also planning on taking several days this summer to work on the Ag. Department’s greenhouse. If interested, contact either Mr. Sharp at (740) 503-2961 or Mr. Tilley at (740) 974-9692. They will contact you on days they need assistance.

Past Happenings

May Meeting: Our last monthly Ag meeting of the year was on May 20^th in the Ag center. As per chapter tradition, the assistant officers ran this meeting, and it was followed by a cookout. Also, the junior class was announced as the winners of the Ag Challenge!

Ag Breakfast: The monthly ag breakfast was held at Tee Jaye’s on May 9^th. As always, it was a good way for members to socialize over good food.

State FFA Convention: This year’s State FFA Convention was held at the Ohio Expo Center on May 1^st and 2^nd. Members who attended had the chance to tour the OSU Dairy Farm, and the Ohio Historical Center in addition to attending the sessions. Also, our members who were in the top four in the proficiency areas had interviews, followed by a luncheon. Our chapter would like to thank High School Principal Ms. Miller for attending this luncheon with our members, and for staying to attend a session with us! Members who were recognized at state convention from our chapter were:

· State FFA Degree – Susan Householder

· Proficiency Awards – Katerina Sharp (2^nd, Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production; 2^nd, Home and/or Community Development), Kaylee Reed (3^rd, Organic Agriculture), Dylan Wamsley (4^th, Organic Agriculture), Devon Mullen (2^nd, Nursery Operations)

· Washington Leadership Conference Scholarship – Kaylee Reed

· Gold Rated Officer Books – Susan Householder (Secretary), Kaylee Reed (Treasurer), Katerina Sharp (Reporter)

· Individuals who placed first in a CDE – Samantha Young (Beginning Prepared Public Speaking), Devon Mullen (Job Interview - Junior division), Kayla Luft (Nature Interpretation)

· First Place CDE teams – Nature Interpretation and Agricultural Issues Forum

Charlie Worsham performed at a concert on Thursday night. In all, we had a total of 44 members in attendance!

A-C FFA Awards Banquet: This year’s annual awards banquet took place on Saturday, May 10^th at 4:00 P.M. We had over 400 people on attendance! At the banquet, we recognized 22 CDE teams. Five of the 22 placed top 5, three individuals placed first in the state, and eight individuals placed in the top 10. We recognized 32 individuals for selling 25+ boxes or baskets of fruit, 17 members for selling 150+ bags of mulch, and 3 individuals for being top flower bulb sellers. Our overall top fund raiser was Susan Householder. Sixteen of our chapter’s seniors were recognized for being enrolled in FFA for all four years of high school. We also had 9 members who were recognized for their district proficiency awards, four of which placed top 4 in the state. The following members received chapter awards:

· Star Greenhand – Austin J. Smith, Ellie Tipple, and Carlie Krile

· Outstanding Sophomore – Josie Montoney

· Outstanding Junior – Susan Householder

· Outstanding Senior – Katerina Sharp

· Star Chapter Award – Katie Krile

· Leadership Camp Award – Josie Montoney and Devon Mullen

· Leadership Conference Award – Austin J. Smith, Layla Renner, Sarah Streets, Aubrey Meenach and Kayla Luft

· DeKalb Leadership – Katerina Sharp

· Memorial Award – Susan Householder and Dylan Mullen

Also at the banquet, we recognized 44 people as being Friends of the FFA. 41 members were recognized for earning their Greenhand FFA Degrees, 19 for their Chapter FFA Degree, one for their State FFA Degree, and 2 for their American FFA Degree.

Top Spring Fundraiser’s Trip: The chapter’s Top Spring Fundraiser’s Trip was held on May 15^th to the 18^th. In order to qualify for this trip, members had to either be one of the top two flower bulb sellers, or one of the top 15 mulch sellers with at least 150 bags sold. Those who attended this trip had the opportunity to go wild caving at Organ Caves in West Virginia, tour the North House, the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery, where students learned about rainbow trout and freshwater mussels, and the Beckley Coal Mine Exhibition. It was a not only a fun trip, but an educational one as well.