Recently, the Cloverdale FFA Chapter has been rather busy in events like Parliamentary Procedure, State Forestry, and an FFA Degree Ceremony. The teams have done very well in their events and are excited to see what will come next.
The Cloverdale FFA participated in both the middle and high school division of the district Parliamentary Procedure contest on December 9, 2021. Both teams used this contest as a growing and learning experience. The Middle School team consisted of Mackenzie Farmer, Ella Dicken, Makayla Johnson, Trinity Tingle, Chloe Inman, Haley Lehr, and Kaidence Salsbury. Unfortunately, our original middle school chair, Kaidence, became ill the week of the contest and left the team struggling to fill her role and to find a last-minute replacement. Mackenzie stepped into the role of chair and led the team to a 4th place finish. The girls learned a lot and look forward to competing again next year at the high school level.
The High School team was yet another young team as well. Only the chair, Andrea Nees, was a returning member of the team. Joining her to make up the team were Emily Mann, Abby Nees, Chloe Couch, Nathan Mann, Daphanie Geiger, and Kaitlen Kerr. While the team may not have placed where they would have liked, 4th in the district, the invaluable experience that comes with having the courage to stand in front of a group of judges was their reward. Though the team lacks any seniors, they look forward to next year’s competition.
On December 11, 2021, the chapter traveled to Purdue to participate in the State FFA Forestry Contest. Audrie Fulkerson did a marvelous job and placed 2nd in the state as an individual out of 191 participants. On the Team Oaks, Max Kaufman placed 108th, Bronson Burk placed 168th, Sierra Kelley placed 21st, and Colin Sturgeon placed 57th. Team Maples consisted of Audrie Fulkerson who placed 2nd, Andrea Nees who placed 147th, Emily Mann who placed 139th, and Savannah Hubble who placed 90th. The two teams placed 18th and 20th respectively out of 54 total teams in their division.
On December 15th, the Chapter held their Degree Ceremony where members could earn their Discovery, Greenhand, or Chapter Degree award. 114 members and guests arrived to watch the ceremony. The Discovery FFA Degree is for 8th graders enrolled in agricultural education; 25 students received this degree. The Greenhand FFA Degree is for 1st-year high school members and 14 members received this degree. The Chapter FFA Degree is for 2nd-year members who have met the qualifications of each degree. Nine members received this degree and earned their silver pins. Congratulations to the recipients of their degrees!