Josie Jennings, a junior, placed third in the nation in prepared speaking.
To be able to compete at the national level, a student has to start locally in their county and advance through several levels. They need to win in the state to advance to the national competition.
For example, Jennings had to write a six to eight-minute speech on an agriculture topic, memorize the speech and recite it at the Clark County contest. She had to qualify to advance to the district contest, where she had to win to advance to the state contest. She won that to advance to the national contest, where she had to compete against 49 other students.
Three GISA students placed at the National FFA Agriscience Fair, which is part of the annual convention. They include: Terra Choi, a freshman, placed 6th in the nation in Power Systems Division 1, Josie Henry, a freshman, placed 4th in the nation in Environmental Systems Division 1 and Kate Welsheimer, a senior, placed 7th in the nation in Power Systems Division 5.
The National FFA Agriscience Fair recognizes students who gain real-world, hands-on experiences in agricultural enterprises. Students use scientific principles and emerging technologies to solve complex problems related to agriculture, food and natural resources. The is for middle and high school students. Participation begins at the local level and progresses to state and national levels.
At the national convention, students that have earned the highest degree in the FFA (The American Degree) also received their degree and are recognized on the national stage. All chapters in the county had at least one student or more per chapter receive this degree. GISA had three students receive this degree, including Taylor Seery, Morghanne Reisinger and Kendall Spencer.
GISA is a 3-star gold rated national chapter, and had more than 100 students attend this year’s national convention.
The National Chapter Award Program is designed to recognize FFA chapters that actively implement the mission and strategies of the organization, they improve chapter operations using the National Quality Chapter Standards (NQCS) and a Program of Activities (POA) that emphasize growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture.
Chapters are rewarded for providing educational experiences for the entire membership, the chapters that receive a gold rating by their state FFA associations are eligible to compete for National FFA 3-star, 2-star or 1-star ratings. Each chapter that competes for these awards will receive a multi-year plaque and a spur designating their star rating.
There are about 70,000 to 80,000 FFA members from all over the U.S. who attend the convention each year, and every state has members attend. Students do not have to be an award winner to attend the convention.
In addition to the convention, there is also an expo that features companies and colleges from all over the country.
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