Fall of 2014
by Josie Montoney,
Reporter |
Next FFA Meeting |
Our
next monthly FFA meeting will be held on October 20th at 7:00 P.M.
in the Ag Center. The ag challenge for this meeting will be the Team Pizza
Eating contest! Each grade level will select one male and one female to
represent them, who will then go against the other grades and attempt to eat an
entire pizza first!
Upcoming Events |
Fall Fruit Sale: The fruit sale this year starts on
Thursday, October 17th and goes until Thursday, November 24th. This is by far
the chapter's biggest fundraiser and all funds go to help pay for chapter award
pins, hog roast, contest registrations, the banquet, and essentially everything
the chapter does. All members are encouraged to participate. Any members who
sell 25 or more boxes or baskets of fruit will be eligible to attend the
Louisville Trip this February. Mr. Tilley,
Mrs. Montoney and Mr. Sharp will give members more
information about these events in class.
National FFA Convention: This year,
National Convention will be held in Louisville, Kentucky from October 29th
until November 1st. Due to the amount of participation within our
chapter, members had to fill out an application to be eligible to attend.
Members who participated in the most chapter activities and received the
highest score will be able to attend this fall. Each year at convention, our
chapter attends multiple sessions of the conference, the Buckeye Bash, and
various educational tours that are set up by Mr. Tilley. There are nearly 55,000 FFA members and guests who
attend the convention each year. All members who received a paper from Mr. Tilley should have already turned in
their $75.00 deposit. Mr. Tilley
should have a tentative schedule out to all of these members very soon!
Past Happenings |
Ice Cream Social: On
September 3rd, the Amanda-Clearcreek FFA Chapter held its annual Ice
Cream Social. It began at 7 P.M. for all new 8th graders, freshmen,
and sophomores, and 7:30 P.M. for all returning members. In the first half
hour, all new members and their parents came to learn more about the FFA
program. Members attended seven sessions led by the officer team, where they
learned about the exciting opportunities they will have through the FFA, while
their parents met with Mr. Tilley, Mr. Sharp, and Mrs. Montoney to get more
information on the different activities their children may be participating in
as the year progresses. Returning members came later in the night and joined
the new members as they finish their sessions, and all members enjoyed a night
of socializing, making new friends, and of course, enjoying some ice cream!
Ag Breakfast: We have
already had two ag breakfastÕs this fall. Ag breakfast is an excellent
opportunity for members to socialize over great food. They are held on the first
Friday of each month at 6:15 A.M.
Farm Science Review: Each year,
our chapter sends students to the Farm Science Review, which is a large
three-day expo of agricultural equipment and products that provides attendees
with an opportunity to learn more about some of the agricultural practices that
occur around them. Our chapter attended the Farm Science Review on Wednesday,
September 17th. Students met at the school at 6:45 A.M., and will be
returnied at approximately 5:00 P.M.
Ohio Legislative Leadership
Conference: On September 24th, members from our
chapter went to the Ohio State House to participate in the Ohio Legislative
Leadership Conference (OLLC). In the morning, members from the Ohio Farm Bureau
led workshops where they discussed how the government system works, lobbying,
and how to inform elected government officials about out educational programs.
Following this workshop, FFA members and State Legislators attended a luncheon
and FFA members had a chance to put their new skills to the test. This was a
great opportunity for students to learn more about how to approach their
Legislators and to meet the officials who run their government. The members who
attended this year from our chapter were Mary
Schmelzer, Josie Montoney, Adrian Wymer, Devon Mullen, and Samantha Young.
Fall Trap Shoot: On Sunday,
September 28th, the chapter held the Fall Trap Shoot at the Green residence. Members and their
parents were encouraged to come and shoot or watch. This event was an excellent
opportunity for members to get to know each other better, and to learn firearm
safety. Our chapter would like to thank Barb and Lonnie Green for hosting this
event!
Big E Trip: On
September 11th through the 14th, four members from our
chapter (Kayla Luft, Adrian Wymer, Josh
Metzon, and Josie Montoney) traveled
to Massachusetts to compete in the Eastern Regional Environmental and Natural
Resources contest. The members got the chance to participate in this contest at
the regional level after placing second place in the state contest last spring.
Enviromental and Natural Resources, or ENR, is a contest based around knowledge
pertaining to water quality, soil, animals, waste management, GPS, and
environmental analysis. The team ended up placing 4th in the region.
Also while on this rip, the team had a chance to attend many exciting tours. Congratulations
to these members!
District 7 Forestry CDE: Members
competing in the Forestry Career Development Event have the chance to learn how
to identify different kinds of trees, forestry tools, how many board feet of
lumber can be cut and used from a tree, how to use a compass and how to
identify the type of wood used in everyday products. This CDE also consists of
bark and leaf ID and an online test. Members who choose to sign up for this
contest must also complete two practicums. The practicums for this year are
chain saw parts ID, map reading and forest diseases/pest. Mr. Tilley is coached the Forestry CDE team again this year.
District 7 Soils CDEs: There are
two different soil contests: Urban Soils and Rural Soils. The Urban Soils CDE teaches
participants how to judge soil for urban usages, such as installing a driveway,
basement or septic system. The Rural Soils CDE judges at the same site as the
Urban team but for agricultural purposes. Contestants determine what needs to
be done to the site so that it can be used to grow crops successfully or if it
can be used for agricultural purposes at all. Both CDE teams must complete a
test and judge four soil pits. At the district contest, the Urban Soils team
place 9th and the Rural team placed 15th.
Taste of Fairfield County: On
September 4th, members from our chapter attended the Taste of
Fairfield County event, held at JD Equipment. At this event, which is sponsored
by the Lancaster/Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, Fairfield County Farm
Bureau, Fairfield Soil and Water Conservation District, and OSU Extension,
there was a cooking competition between three local chefs, farm machinery
demonstrations, and plenty of opportunities to sample local foods.
Summer Happenings |
Summer Ag Breakfasts: The summer
Ag BreakfastÕs were held at the Laurelville Diner on Friday, June 6th
at 8:00 A.M. For the month of July, it was held on July 1st at 8:00 A.M. at
FrischÕs, and in August, it was held on the 8th at 8:00 A.M. at Bob
Evans in Lancaster. As always, ag breakfast was a good opportunity for members
to come and socialize over good food, as well as see friends over summer break.
Adopt-A-Highway: Our
chapter held two adopt-a-highway clean upÕs this summer. The first was on June
5th, and the second was August 8th. Members who participated cleaned
up the roadsides along St. Rte. 159 between Oakland and Tommy Waynes. Our
chapter has been participating in this community service activity for over 15
years.
Summer Trap Shoot: On June 6th,
our chapter held its annual summer trap shoot at the Sharp Residence. It was a
great opportunity for members and their families to get to know each other
better, and for many it was also a chance to learn firearm safety.
A-C Alumni Association Banquet: On May 30th,
members from our chapter helped set up for the A-C Alumni Banquet. Members met
in the cafeteria at 9:30 A.M. to help set up tables and chairs. On May 31st,
helped collect food and perform other serving duties. 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 nation, and gave out over $80,000 in scholarships this
year alone.
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. It took place on June 14th
at 6:45 A.M. We helped with registration, traffic control, finish line duties,
etc.
Tarlton FiremenÕs Fish Fry: The
Tarlton Fire DepartmentÕs annual Fish Fry was held on June 26th this
year. Members who attended assisted with serving and other duties. Our chapter
as been assisting with this event for over 15 years. It was a great chance for
members to get community service hours and eat great food!
Ohio FFA Leadership Camp: OLC will
took place again this summer at Ohio FFA Camp Muskingum from June 20th
to the 23rd. This camp is run by the State FFA Officers, and FFA
members from around Ohio were all encouraged to attend. Those who attended
spent the week learning leadership skills and meeting new people.
Annual Chapter Canoe Trip: We had the
canoe trip at paint Creek again this year. Members who attended had a great day
of socializing with friends, while getting summer hours at the same time.
5th Session FFA Camp: Our
chapter attended the 5th session of FFA Camp again this year at FFA
Camp Muskingum. At camp, members participated in countless leadership-building
activities with other FFA members from across the state of Ohio. This was a
fantastic opportunity for members to develop leadership skills, and develop
life long friendships.
Washington Leadership Conference: 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
attended WLC because they earned the Memorial Award. This award is given out
each year at our chapter banquet in memory of Rusty Bowers and Becky
Strickler. Also attending WLC this year were Katerina Sharp and Kaylee
Reed, who both received a scholarship from the state at the Ohio FFA
Convention.
Cross Mound Park Clean Up: Our
chapter has been helping to clean up Cross Mound Park for almost 20 years. This
years clean up was held on August 8th, and members helped with trail
and fence repair, along with other general cleaning duties.
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 was asked by
the organization in charge to help with preparation for the race. On August 8th,
participating members helped set up tables, as well as tear down tables,
chairs, and assisted with other general clean up duties. It was an excellent
chance for members to help out with a worthy cause.