On the 18th of April, five FFA members competed in the Sonoma Section Project Competition. The focus of this contest was for the students with the top supervised agriculture experiences to compete with others in the section. The students must complete their record books, participate in an interview by local industry men and women, and complete an application. Analy’s five participating students were Maria Bartlett, Dyllan Knechtle, Taylor Mills, Missy Pendleton, and Ariel Scholten. Awards were given on May 22nd, at a dinner hosted by American Ag Credit.

Last month, twelve students, Mr. Guerrero, Mrs. Mickelson, and Teresa Bartlett traveled to the State FFA Conference in Fresno, CA. On the way to Fresno, Analy’s FFA students participated in industry tours at Hilmar Cheese company and Gen X Farms in El Nino, where students had the opportunity to walk through each of the barns, seeing pigs from newly-born to breeding stock. Ariel Scholten represented the chapter well by competing in the State Extemporaneous Speaking Contest. She ended up in the top 24 within the state and also led a group of voting delegates as a Sub-Committee Chair. Attending members (Maria Bartlett, Sophia Bianchi, Samantha Caughie, Maddie Collier, Kylee Davis, Trevor Decker, James Glaser, Emily Marcussen, Shirley Melnikoff, Ariel Scholten and Kassidy Watkins) participated in long days and late nights of general sessions, a college and career fair, and educational workshops.

Emily Marcussen, a junior member, stated, “My favorite part of the conference was the State Officer Retiring Addresses. They were motivational, and helped me realize the time I have in FFA can not only impact my own life, but those around me as well. It is my job to decide how I will spend my time in the program, and my opportunities are limitless!”

Missy Pendleton and Trevor Decker spoke on behalf of the chapter as voting delegates. They helped choose the next six State FFA Officers and make major decisions regarding the future of the FFA association.

Analy’s principal, Mr. Guerrero, participated in the first Administrative Conference while down there. This gave him an opportunity to network with other North Coast Administrators and Counselors, as well as hear from State Staff and young adults who graduated from agriculture programs.

The time in Fresno felt short, but Analy’s FFA had a great time and came back motivated to lead their chapter in the future. They are all eager to participate next year in the state conference in Anaheim.

Upon returning from Fresno, Analy’s FFA helped the Ag Boosters host their annual Tri-Tip Drive-Thru Dinner. The FFA club thanks everyone who purchased a dinner or tri-tip and those who volunteered on the 27th. They ended up barbecuing 120 total tri-tips, and would not have been able to do so without everyone’s continued support!