Arc Exposure
On January 23rd and 24th, three Sebastopol FFA members participated in the 2025 Arc Exposure event. They had the opportunity to work alongside students from the Butte College Welding program, gaining hands-on experience with SMAW, FCAW, and GTAW processes. In addition, they toured industry facilities hosted by Metal Works, PG&E, and Butte College. These students left with valuable knowledge, industry connections, and new friendships within the FFA program. They are eager to apply their skills as we kick off the Fabrication Contest Season.
Grapevine Pruning CDE Team
Congratulations to our Grapvine Pruning CDE Team for being the 2025 California FFA State Champions! This team went undefeated all season long, and we are so proud of the entire team for their hard work, dedication, and resilience. Thank you to Fresno State for hosting the state finals contest, and congratulations to St. Helena FFA for being the State Reserve Champions, North Coast Region Proud!
Here are some individual and team shoutouts:
Team Results: 1st High Team Overall, 1st Cordon Table, 1st Cordon Wine, 3rd Exam, and 3rd Cane Raisin. Lauren Brady: 3rd High Individual Overall, 2nd Cane Raisin, and 6th Cordon Wine. Jesus Martinez Diaz: 6th High Individual Overall, 2nd Exam, 5th Cordon Table, and 6th Cordon Wine. Shellie Hance: 8th High Individual Overall, 10th Exam, and 10th Cordon Wine. Iyla Kjaer: 3rd Cordon Wine, and 17th Individual Overall.
Pork Loin Drive-Thru Fundraiser
On March 14th, Sebastopol FFA held a drive-thru fundraiser dedicated to members going to State Conference. The outcome of this event was wonderful, many families were able to go home without having to cook a meal for their family or for themselves, in exchange for those going to State Conference to not have to pay their trip out of pocket. Thank you so much to all of those who donated food, helped prep meals, cooked meat, volunteered, and bought meals. Everything and anything helped us to have a wonderful event, and to put a wonderful meal on your plate. Special thank you’s to our BBQ Committee: Arnold King, Ben Campanile, Hannah Campanile, and Shannon Jurek, we couldn’t have done it without you!
2025 Cloverdale Citrus Fair
Congratulations to John Justus and Ryan Saldana Sweely for their numerous achievements at the 2025 Cloverdale Citrus Fair! We are so proud of you both for the time and dedication that you put into your SAE projects. Thank you for representing Sebastopol FFA amazingly. Here is some individual recognition: Ryan Saldana – 1st place in Goat Showmanship, 2nd place in Poultry Showmanship, and Round Robin Qualifier. John Justus – 1st place Poultry Showmanship, 2nd place Goat Showmanship, 2nd place Cavy Showmanship, and Round Robin Qualifier.
Golden State Field Day
On March 1st, a group of students competed in the Golden State Field Day LDEs, during this there was speaking competitions, job interviews, and lot’s of learning experiences. Here is our North Coast FFA Region finalists: Devin Gall – 1st place job interview. Bailey Cassady – 3rd place Extemporaneous. Ellie Sardoch – 5th place El Credo de la FFA. Harlyn Menendez – 5th place Creed. Sophie Marincick – Creed. Tyler Orlandi – Creed.
North Coast FFA Region 2025 Spring Experience
On March 4th, our chapter hosted the North Coast Region Officer Screening and Region LDE & Parliamentary Procedure Finals at our school campus, then on March 5th, hosted the Regional Awards, Luncheon, and Meetings at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Wednesday. Through this, we also had many members recognized for various awards that we’d like to highlight:
Bailey Cassady – Retired as the Regional Vice President at Large and newly elected Regional FFA President, 3rd place Extemporaneous Public Speaking, and State FFA Degree Recipient. Shellie Hance: 1st place Job Interview, Regional Winner, and State Finalist in Nursery Operations Proficiency. Owen Lessard – State FFA Degree Recipient. Sohpie Marincick – 2nd place Creed Speaking. Gracie Ascoop – Regional Winner Forage Production Proficiency. Marcos Ornealas -State FFA Degree Recipiant. Ellie Sardoc – 4th place El Credo de la FFA. Jesus Martinez Diaz – Regional Winner and State Finalist in Fruit Production Proficiency, and retired as the Regional FFA Secretary. Mr Mirassou – Regional Star Counselor. Mrs. Lokka – Section Golden Owl.
Thank you to all of our members and parents for helping make these events a smooth, big success, to all of the community members and staff who served as judges, and to the Sonoma County Fair Foundation for the facility grant!
Sacramento Leadership Conference
Each year, California FFA selects 75 senior members to participate in the Sacramento Leadership Conference at the state capitol. On February 25th, our very own Sheillie Hance was able to spend 4 days at SLE a couple of weeks ago, where she got to step into the role of a state legislator and learn about the role of government, agricultural policies, and advocacy. She met with legislative members and debated her own bill. We are very proud of Shellie for all that she’s accomplished in her FFA journey, and that she got to have this experience.
Sebastopol FFA Easter Egg Hunt
On Saturday, April 19th, our Sebastopol FFA chapter held a community Egg Hunt at the El Molino campus! We had a wonderful outcome with many kids having a blast, and many Sebastopol FFA volunteers – thank you to everyone who came out and participated, as well as helped set up/clean up! We hope you had a great time!
Day In the Life of a Sebastopol FFA Officer
Your Sebastopol FFA officers hosted a “Day In the Life of a Sebastopol FFA Officer” informational meeting on April 22nd, with the hope that they can help incoming freshmen, new runners, and anyone who is unsure about their decision when running for office. We understand this can be very intimidating and scary if it’s your first time running, or even second time! We want to create a safe and comfortable time in Sebastopol FFA.
Sebastopol FFA Apple Blossom Float
On April 26th, Sebastopol FFA made history! This was the very first year we could have our own float in the Apple Blossom Parade. It went amazingly! Many students volunteered to help decorate the float, organize the float, and actually be on the float throwing candy to people on the sidewalks. It was a wonderful way to represent our chapter and get more students involved. A special thank you to our parade committee chair, Hollie Hemphill, for getting this float organized and putting it all together. All of the members involved had a blast!
