March of 2024
by Emma Strickler, Reporter
Next FFA Meeting
The next A-C FFA meeting will be held on Monday, March 18th at 7 p.m. in the Ag Center. Following the conclusion of the meeting, members will participate in the Ag Challenge, which is Tug of War. Each class will have a female team and a male team, with both teams consisting of five members. The freshmen will go against the sophomores and the juniors will go against the seniors. The winning teams will compete in the championship.
Upcoming Events
Ag Breakfast: The April Ag Breakfast will be held on Friday, April 5th at 6 a.m. at a location in Lancaster that will be determined at the March meeting. All members are encouraged to attend as it provides an opportunity for students to interact with their peers and eat good food.
Logan Elm Square Dance: The Logan Elm FFA Chapter is hosting a square dance on Friday, March 8th from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Pickaway County Fairgrounds in Heritage Hall. This invitation was extended to multiple other local FFA chapters. Members will meet new people and enjoy a fun night of dancing. The chapter will be stopping at Dairy Shed for ice cream before the dance. There will also be raffles that students can enter to win prizes.
Mulch Sale: The annual A-C FFA Chapter mulch sale is coming up! The sale will be starting sometime within the next month, so be on the lookout for more information to come.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Hog Raffle: A-C FFA is raffling off two half hogs and all proceeds will go to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Tickets are $2 a piece and a book of ten tickets is $20. The raffle will end on March 22nd. Contact an FFA member or Mr. Tilley and Mr. Sharp for questions.
Upcoming Contests
General Livestock CDE: This career development event (CDE) is based on members' abilities to judge the four main meat animals: beef cattle, swine, sheep and goats. At the contest, participants are split into groups to rank numerous classes of livestock from best to worst, with two classes per species. Members also must take an online test regarding animal diseases, history, gestation periods, carcass weight, breeding charts and much more. This year’s team includes: Braeleigh Blosser, Julia Cowdrey, Boston Fowler, Arianna Norris, Tanner Rose and Colton Westhoven. These members will compete in the state semi-finals on March 23rd at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. The chapter has also extended the opportunity to participate in this CDE to Mr. Sharp’s 8th grade students. Four students have taken advantage of this opportunity to participate in the invitational contests this year: Lucas Foster, Demi Lee, Reid Strickler and Raylee Westhoven. Congratulations to Demi for winning the middle school category at the Marysville Invitational. Best of luck!
Meats Evaluation CDE: By participating in the Meats Career Development Event, students will be better prepared for employment in the meat animal industry. This event requires contestants to evaluate livestock carcasses based on quality and yield grade, then rank these carcasses. Members will also have to identify different cuts of meat and take an onsite online examination regarding cookery, storage, meat selection, nutrition and safety. The team of Braeleigh Blosser, Catherine Buckley, Rylyn Foster, William Francis and Kara Johnson will travel to the state contest on April 27th. Good luck to all competing!
Nature Interpretation CDE: Along with all of our other CDE teams, the Nature Interpretation team has been preparing as well. For this contest, members must be able to identify different mammals, birds, non-woody plants, reptiles and equipment in the form of pictures, the actual item and a written test. Participants will also complete three practicums, including animal call identification, reading nature signs and understanding of nature interpretation. Our team this year is made up of Rylyn Foster, Morgan Smith, Jaycie Spires and Katelynn Workman. Good luck to participating members as they compete in the state competition on April 6th.
Outdoor Power CDE: In this CDE, students develop the skills necessary to recognize and repair malfunctions in outdoor power equipment. The members of this contest completed a 20-question online examination. Students will attend the upcoming district CDE on March 18th where they will complete practicums that demonstrate their knowledge of different pieces of equipment, parts, tools and hands-on activities. This year’s team consists of Mason Jones, Dylan Dyer, Chase Hanna and Travis Spence. Best of luck to these individuals!
Veterinary Science CDE: For students interested in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine after high school, this contest will help better prepare them. Participants in this competition must take an online test over many different aspects of veterinary science. This test will be taken on March 18th, and if the team does well, they will qualify for the state contest on April 11th. This year’s team includes: Leanna Getz, Emma Harris, Parker Hill, Savanna Holley, Maddie Matheny and Peter Smith. Good luck to all members taking the test!
Wildlife Management CDE: This CDE is extremely similar to the Nature Interpretation contest; however, it contains a wider range of identification. Those competing in the contest will have to identify different mammals, birds, fish, food and cover plants, amphibians/reptiles and equipment. Along with an onsite online test, members will also be required to complete three practicums which includes reading topographical maps, determining age and sex of animals and controlling nuisance animals. The members of this year’s team are: Luke Anderson, Calum Duncan, Chase Hanna, Travis Spence and Maddix Tipple. Best of luck to these members who will compete in the state contest on April 6th.
Past Happenings
District 7 Agricultural Sales CDE: Our chapter had four members that made up the Ag Sales team this year: Olivia Chaffin, Emma Harris, Haley Robinson and Peter Smith. Contestants had to take an online examination prior to the district contest. At the in person competition, participants had to make an individual sales pitch and a team sales presentation. They used these two sales pitches to promote an agricultural product to the judges. At the district contest on February 13th, the team placed 4th overall, which is a very respectable placing.
February FFA Meeting - Officer Elections: The Amanda-Clearcreek FFA Chapter held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 21st at 7 p.m. in the school cafeteria. At this meeting, the new officer team was elected. There were ten candidates who applied, each of which had to submit an application, go through an interview process and make a brief speech to the chapter prior to the elections. The 2024-2025 officer team for the Amanda-Clearcreek FFA Chapter is:
President - Peter Smith
Vice-President - Haley Robinson
Secretary - Braeleigh Blosser
Treasurer - Rylyn Foster
Reporter - Emma Strickler
Sentinel - Mason Jones
Student Advisor - Catherine Buckley
The new officer team is eager to embark on this journey over the next year with the chapter. There was no Ag Challenge at this meeting due to the already extensive length of the meeting due to officer elections.
Ag Breakfast: The March Ag Breakfast took place on Friday, March 1st at 6 a.m. at Frisch’s in Lancaster. The event was open for all members to attend and it allowed students to socialize with other FFA members and eat lots of really good food before the school day.
National FFA Week: National FFA week started February 17th this year and lasted until February 24th. This week allows FFA members to draw recognition to the agricultural industry and display the achievements of the National FFA Organization. However, due to a shortened school week of three days, the A-C FFA Chapter celebrated National FFA Week from February 26th to March 1st. Members were able to participate in the theme days and additional activities of the week. The schedule for this year was:
Monday - “FFA T-Shirt Day”
Tuesday - “Dress for Success Day” (dress like Mr. Sharp or Mr. Tilley)
Wednesday - “FFA Swagger Day” (wear your FFA jacket or full Official Dress)
Thursday - “Country Strong Day” (wear camo or Carhart) and Teacher Appreciation Lunch
Friday - “Patriotic Day” (wear a U.S./patriotic shirt) and FFA Game Night
Public Speaking CDE: There are four public speaking categories that FFA members can choose from: FFA Creed, Beginning Prepared, Advanced Prepared and Extemporaneous. This year Alayna Leppert competed in the Creed Speaking Contest where she placed 4th at the Drop the Mic Invitational, 1st at the Wilmington Invitational, 1st in Fairfield County and 2nd in District 7, earning her way to the state contest. For this contest, she had to memorize the FFA Creed by E.M. Tiffany. Emma Strickler competed in the Beginning Prepared Speaking Contest where she placed 1st at the Drop the Mic Invitational, 1st in Fairfield County, 1st in District 7 and 1st in the state of Ohio. This contest required Emma to write a 5 to 7 minute long speech about any agricultural topic and memorize it, then present it at each contest followed up by questions from the judges. In the Advanced Prepared Speaking Contest, Amanda-Clearcreek had two representatives: Madison Cordle and Haley Robinson. Haley placed 3rd in Fairfield County and Madison placed 6th at the Drop the Mic Invitational, 1st at the Wilmington Invitational and 4th in Fairfield County. In this speaking CDE area, contestants had to write a 6 to 8 minute long speech pertaining to a topic in agriculture, then memorize it and present it at each contest followed up by questions from the judges. Additionally, Madelyn Anderson competed in the Extemporaneous Speaking Contest where she placed 1st at the Drop the Mic Invitational, 1st at the Wilmington Invitational, 1st in Fairfield County, 1st in District 7 and 2nd in the state of Ohio. For this contest, Madelyn had to draw a random topic relating to agriculture, then was given 30 minutes to prepare a 4 to 6 minute long speech and present it at each contest followed up by questions from the judges. Congratulations to these girls! Hard work pays off!
Greenhand Quiz CDE: The Greenhand Quiz CDE is an online examination held at the state level that is open to all freshmen FFA members. This quiz questions participants on parliamentary procedure and the history and values of the FFA organization. This is the biggest contest in the state of Ohio, with over 3,500 FFA members participating. Results from this contest will be posted in the next newsletter.
State Agricultural Communications CDE: On February 17th, four A-C FFA members competed in the Agricultural Communications Career Development Event at The Ohio State University. These four members were Madelyn Anderson, Catherine Buckley, Madison Cordle and Emma Strickler. This contest requires team members to play the role of communications consultants to promote a client with a limited budget. The first step of this contest required members to take an online examination quizzing their knowledge of Associated Press editing style. Team members then had to write a 15 page media plan discussing their evaluation, promotion, timeline and budget for the client they were advertising. In addition, the team gave a 15 minute long presentation explaining their media plan. Finally, each team member had to complete an individual practicum consisting of making a website, creating a promotional video, writing an opinion-editorial piece and writing a news story. The team placed 1st overall in the state of Ohio. Emma Strickler placed 2nd overall individually and Catherine Buckley placed 5th overall individually. This will be the 11th time A-C FFA has won this particular CDE at the state level. This team will represent Ohio at the National Convention this upcoming fall in Indianapolis. Congratulations for all of your hard work!
Top Fall Fundraiser’s Trip: To be eligible for the Top Fall Fundraiser’s Trip to Louisville, Kentucky, members had to sell 25 boxes or more in the chapter’s annual Fall Fruit and Snack Sale. The trip lasted from February 16th to February 18th. We had 18 members attend the trip: Mara Anderson, Braeleigh Blosser, Olivia Chaffin, Carley Claypool, Rylyn Foster, Greta Helser, Savanna Holley, Kara Johnson, Alayna Leppert, Ariana Norris, Kaylee Roberts, Haley Robinson, Brooklyn Woodgeard, Brandt Blosser, Dylan Dyer, Cody McCormick, Peter Smith, and Layton Sterling, along with Mr. Tilley and five adult chaperones; Sierra Bickel, Ben Blosser, Kendall Foster, Megan Francis and John McCormick. While the highlight of the trip is attending the National Farm Machinery Show and the National Truck and Tractor Pulls, attendees also got to visit many different places and went on the Mega-Caverns Tour, all while building stronger relationships with fellow members. On the way back from the trip, the chapter stopped at Jungle Jim’s International Food Market in Cincinnati where they could walk up and down the aisles of the store that contained foods from all over the world. Attendees of the trip had a great time and are grateful for the memorable experience. Thank you to the chaperones and advisor for making this trip possible!
Young Leaders Conference: For the second year in a row, A-C FFA members have traveled to The Ohio State University to attend the Young Leaders Conference hosted by the ag sororities and fraternities at The Ohio State University. On February 7th, current FFA members who are interested in pursuing an education after high school got to attend multiple workshops that taught students how to build a resume, effective money management practices and the importance of making good decisions. Students also heard from a keynote speaker and were fed City Barbeque for lunch. This event was a great opportunity for members to meet new people and strengthen their leadership skills.
State FFA Degree Recipients: The State FFA Degree is the highest degree that a state can bestow upon its FFA members. These individuals who earn this degree must meet all of the requirements listed in the Official FFA Manual and they must have satisfactory scholastic records of agricultural involvement. Recipients of this degree represent the top FFA members in the state. This year our FFA chapter has three members who have been approved for their state degree and will receive it at the State FFA Convention in May: Braeleigh Blosser, Carley Claypool and Peter Smith. Congratulations to these members for all of their hard work!
American FFA Degree Recipients: The American FFA Degree is the highest degree that an FFA member can earn beyond the state level. Those who have earned their degree have shown commitment and investment into their supervised agricultural experiences (SAEs). This year, two A-C FFA members, Riley McKeska and Hannah Saum, have been approved by the state of Ohio to receive their American degree. Their applications have been forwarded for state certification and then national review. If they earn their American FFA Degree, they will receive their degree at the National FFA Convention this fall. Congratulations to our two graduate members for representing the top members in our organization!
Smile!
Young Leaders Conference 2024-2025 Officer Team
State Ag Comm Team State Public Speaking
Ag Sales Team Members of the Louisville Trip
