January of 2015

by Josie Montoney, Reporter

Next FFA Meeting

The next monthly FFA meeting will be on Tuesday, January 20^th at 7:00 P.M. This meeting will be held in the cafeteria, and we will be holding both the Greenhand Degree and Chapter Degree ceremonies. Parents of members obtaining these degrees and school staff are invited to attend this meeting, and to stay after to enjoy refreshments after the meeting is over.

Upcoming Events

Ag Breakfast: The next monthly Ag Breakfast will be held on Friday, January 9^th at IHOP. It will begin at 6:15 A.M., and all members are highly encouraged to attend.

Proficiency Awards: Some of our chapter’s members are currently beginning to fill out their proficiency award applications. To be eligible, their SAE project must be ag related. They must then fill out a strenuous application and turn in their completed project book(s) and general record book. These will be judged in the district and the top 4 in each category will continue on to the state. Members who make it to the state will then have to complete a project board and an interview at the Ohio State FFA Convention in the spring. This takes a lot of extra time and effort and it is a very impressive accomplishment for a member’s proficiency award to be in the top 4 in the state. Good luck to these members!

Officer Books: Three of our chapter officers are currently preparing their officer books to be judged in early February. Susan Householder is completing the Secretary’s book, which consists off all the chapter correspondence, meeting notes, members’ attendance, etc. Sydney Stinson is completing the Treasurer’s book, which contains all of receipts and disbursements that our chapter completes throughout the year. Josie Montoney is completing the Reporter’s book, which has pictures from the chapters various activities, newsletters, news releases, etc. All of these books require a tremendous amount of effort, and we are looking forward to seeing how the officers do at their evaluations.

State Degrees and American Degrees: All of the applications for State and American FFA degrees are due Friday, January 31^st. To qualify for either of these two degrees is a huge accomplishment, for they require a lot of effort on the member’s part. Devon Mullen, Sydney Stinson and Adrian Wymer are applying for the State FFA Degree while Katerina Sharp, Rachel Stoneburner and Nick Brumfield will apply for their American FFA Degree.

Past Happenings

State Job Interview: On December 6^th, our Chapter had the honor of sending two members to compete in the State Job Interview contest at The Ohio State University. Emma Dearth represented District 7 in the Freshmen Division, and Josie Montoney represented District 7 in the Junior Division. They earned this opportunity to compete after placing first at Districts in November. After filling out an application, writing a cover letter and resume, interviewing for a fictitious job with a panel of judges, and finally writing a follow up letter, Emma placed 6^th in her division, and Josie placed 1^st. After the semifinals, the winners of each division are brought back to repeat the process in the state finals. Josie went on to place first overall in the state, and consequently, will be representing Ohio at the National level next fall! This is only the second time in our chapter’s history that we have had a member go on to compete at the National level in an individual contest. Congratulations to both Emma and Josie for their excellent placings!

Columbus Zoo Trip: On December 12^th, our chapter took 43 members on a trip to the Columbus Zoo to attend the Zoo Lights. The members who went on this trip earned the opportunity after selling at least 10 boxes or baskets of fruit during the Fall Fruit Sale. Members attending this trip were: Dallas Sowers, Billy Colburn, Jacob Green, Jeremiah West, Riley McClure, Tre King, Sarah Doner, Cole Kleinline, Lydie Lafferty, Cassie Brewer, Mattie Grace Hamilton, Dominick Zuck, Kylie Friesner, Sarah Streets, Mallory Seitz, Shalyn Brown, Rachel Hizey, Madelynn Hizey, Makinzie Garee, Lane Powers, Carlie Krile, Austin J. Smith, Shalyn Stai, Ashley Eveland, Nelson Craycraft, Sonny Drake, Jonathan Hackworth, Cody Roark, Austin Shannon, Mary Schmelzer, Adrian Wymer, Austin Stai, Susan Householder, Kaylee Reed, Devon Mullen, Dylan Mullen, Samantha Foster, Shelby Humphreys, Hannah Robinson, Josh Metzon, and Johnny Lemaster.