April of 2024

by Emma Strickler, Reporter

Next FFA Meeting

The next A-C FFA meeting will be held on Monday, April 15th at 7 p.m. in the Ag Center. Following the conclusion of the meeting, members will participate in the Ag Challenge, which is a volleyball tournament. The freshmen will compete against the sophomores and the juniors will play against the seniors. There will be a championship game and a conciliation round.

Upcoming Events

Ag Breakfast: The April Ag Breakfast will take place on Friday, April 5th at 6 a.m. at IHop in Lancaster. All members are encouraged to attend as it will provide an opportunity for students to interact with their peers before school and eat a good breakfast.

A-C FFA Educational Outreach Day: The agricultural industry continues to grow everyday, so it is the goal of the Amanda-Clearcreek FFA Chapter to grow as well. Therefore, during the school day on March 27th, three current A-C FFA Officers (Catherine Buckley, Peter Smith and Emma Strickler) and one Assistant Officer (Ariana Norris) will visit all of the 8th grade classrooms to inform these students about agricultural education and the FFA. By hosting this Educational Outreach Day, the chapter hopes to discuss and highlight all of the possibilities offered in the FFA and the agricultural industry as a whole. We also hope to increase interest among 8th grade students to enroll in the Agricultural Science I course being offered for the upcoming school year.

Pickaway County Ag Breakfast: The Amanda-Clearcreek FFA Officers and Assistants were invited to attend the Pickaway County Ag Breakfast that will be held at the Pickaway County Fairgrounds in Heritage Hall on April 10th at 6 a.m. The invitation to this event was extended to other local FFA chapters and businesses. Members will be given the opportunity to eat breakfast and interact with fellow members of the agricultural industry in our area.

Mulch and Flower Bulb Sale: The annual A-C FFA mulch sale is under way. The chapter is selling five different types of mulch this year, all in 2 cubic foot bags. The top 15 sellers will be eligible to attend the Top Spring Fundraiser’s Camping Trip this year. Students will also be selling flower bulbs that will go to pay for the students future trips with the FFA. For more details, please contact any current FFA member, Mr. Sharp or Mr. Tilley.

Upcoming Contests

Agricultural Issues Forum CDE: On April 27th, the team consisting of Julia Cowdrey, Hayden Dunn, Alayna Leppert, Ariana Norris and Haley Robinson will compete in the State Agricultural Issues Forum competition at the Ohio FFA Center. The team has to choose a current topic in agriculture, then complete a ten page portfolio that displays their research and knowledge of the topic. They also had to develop a 15 minute long presentation. This contest is unique because it requires participants to present their Ag Issue to multiple different relevant groups of people for their forums. For many years, the A-C FFA Ag Issues team has met with Senator Tim Schaffer and House Representative Kevin Miller, as well as representatives from Ohio Farm Bureau, Ohio Corn and Wheat Association and many others. Best of luck to these members!

General Livestock CDE: Members of this Career Development Event have completed the first portion of this contest, which was an online examination, along with the state semi-final round on March 23rd. This year’s team includes: Braeleigh Blosser, Julia Cowdrey, Boston Fowler, Arianna Norris, Tanner Rose and Colton Westhoven. Results from the state semifinals will determine if the team competes at the state finals on April 26th. Best of luck to these members!

Meats Evaluation CDE: In this CDE, members will evaluate livestock carcasses to analyze the quality of the meat. The team of Braeleigh Blosser, Catherine Buckley, Rylyn Foster, William Francis and Kara Johnson has been meeting twice a week with a meat science graduate from the Ohio State University to practice. Good luck to these members as they will compete in the state competition on April 27th!

Nature Interpretation CDE: The Nature Interpretation team consisting of Rylyn Foster, Morgan Smith, Jaycie Spires and Katelynn Workman have been practicing for the state contest that will take place on April 6th. At the competition, participants will complete three practicums that demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of nature. Good luck to these members!

Wildlife Management CDE: Along with all of our other CDE teams, the Wildlife Management team has also been preparing for the state competition on April 6th. This year’s team includes: Luke Anderson, Calum Duncan, Chase Hanna, Travis Spence and Maddix Tipple. Just like Nature Interpretation, the team will complete three practicums that will demonstrate their knowledge of different wildlife species. Best of luck to all competing!

Past Happenings

Ag Breakfast: The March Ag Breakfast took place on Friday, March 1st at 6 a.m. at Frisch’s in Lancaster. All who attended enjoyed socializing with other FFA members and a good meal before school.

A-C PTO Carnival: As a volunteer project, numerous A-C FFA members signed up to work one or more shifts at the A-C PTO Carnival on March 15th. Those who signed up had to work a game station or they helped with setup/cleanup. This event was a great opportunity for members to socialize with younger students at Amanda-Clearcreek and give back to the community.

March FFA Meeting: The March meeting for our chapter was held on March 18th in the 3-12 Cafeteria. At this meeting, the Assistant Officers for 2024-2025 were announced. This year’s Assistant Officer team is as follows:

Assistant Vice-President - Alayna Leppert

Assistant Secretary - Ariana Norris

Assistant Treasurer - Julia Cowdrey

Assistant Reporter - Abbie Leist

Assistant Sentinel - Sophia Dossman

Assistant Student Advisor - Olivia Chaffin

The chapter is excited for what the newly elected Officers and Assistants have to offer for the upcoming year. After the meeting, the Ag Challenge was Tug of War. In the male category, the sophomore boys placed 1st and in the female category the freshmen girls placed 1st.

National Policy Seminar: The National Policy Seminar is an event held in Washington D.C. where Career Tech Educators and supporters from all over the country meet to advocate for workforce development, career technical education, agricultural education and the National FFA Organization. Mr. Sharp was chosen to represent all of Ohio’s Ag-Ed teachers on the federal level at this seminar, and he invited Jillian Bennet, Riley McKeska and Hannah Saum to attend the event with him. The trip lasted from March 17th to the 20th. During this trip, they got to meet with elected officials; Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and JD Vance and Ohio House of Representative Members Troy Balderson, Jim Jordan, Max Miller and Warren Davidson. By connecting with these federal officials, the agricultural industry and career technical education will continue to gain more support. While in D.C., they also attended a lecture hosted by an Ohio State University Food Science Professor. This trip was a great opportunity to advocate for agriculture and to learn more about this rapidly growing industry!

District 7 Outdoor Power Equipment CDE: On March 18th, our chapter sent the members of our Outdoor Power Equipment team to the District 7 contest. The team consists of: Dylan Dyer, Chase Hanna, Mason Jones and Travis Spence. This contest required members to demonstrate their knowledge of different pieces of equipment, parts, tools and hands-on activities. The team placed 3rd in the district contest, narrowly missing the opportunity to compete at the state competition. Congratulations to these members!

Logan Elm Square Dance: Our FFA chapter was invited to attend the Logan Elm Square Dance at the Pickaway County Fairgrounds on March 8th. We had 21 members take advantage of this opportunity. Attendees learned multiple new square dances and line dances, all while forming deeper connections with their peers. Not only did members have a fun night of dancing, but the chapter also stopped for ice cream at Dairy Shed before the dance. The chapter had a great time!

Senior Welding Certification: For an FFA member’s senior year of highschool, they can sign up to take Mr. Sharp’s Senior Capstone Welding class. In this class, students choose between two different welding processes to become certified in. Drew Dossman, Dominic Hammon, Tyler Philiopoulos, Kaylee Roberts, Morgan Smith and Luke Speakman all became certified in the 7018 Stick Weld D1.1 Structure Welding Test. The other welding process was the Gas Mig D9.1 Sheet Metal Test; those who became certified for this welding process were Blayne Barker, Carley Claypool and Colton Tooil. These students have been practicing their welding skills since mid-October and have put many hours into earning their certification. Additionally, the Amanda-Clearcreek FFA Chapter would like to extend a huge thank you to Columbus State for making this certification process possible, as well as donating 16 welders to our FFA Chapter. This would not have been possible without the generosity from those at Columbus State. Congratulations to these students and thank you once again Columbus State!

Smile!