Eleven Amanda-Clearcreek FFA Members Represent Ohio at National FFA Convention
A-C FFA Sends Ten National Competitors and First-Ever National Officer Candidate
The Amanda-Clearcreek FFA chapter is proud to have sent 10 members to compete in national Career Development Event (CDE) contests at this year’s National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. In addition to 10 contest competitors, 2021 A-C Graduate Morgan Anderson is the first-ever A-C FFA member to serve as Ohio’s candidate for one of six coveted National FFA Officer positions.
“The entire staff and administration team at Amanda-Clearcreek is incredibly proud of students – past and present – for their continued hard work and success,” said Timothy Edwards, Ed.D, superintendent of Amanda-Clearcreek Local Schools. “We wish the best for our students competing in contests and national officer elections as they depart for the National FFA Convention.”
A-C Class of 2023 Graduate Jillian Bennett will compete in the national Employment Skills CDE at the national convention. She advanced to the national competition after becoming the state of Ohio Job Interview CDE (the contest name is slightly different at the state level in Ohio) winner in the spring.
A-C Class of 2023 Graduates Hannah Saum, Emily Buckley, Riley McKeska and A-C Senior Rachel Weaver competed in the national Agricultural Communications CDE during the convention. Last winter, Hannah, Emily, Riley and Jillian Bennett comprised the state-winning Agricultural Communications CDE team. This win allowed them to advance to this year’s national competition with Rachel Weaver, current A-C senior who is filling in for Jillian, since official rules prohibit individuals competing in more than one national competition.
“Preparing for this national contest has required extreme dedication and ingenuity,” said Scott Sharp, Amanda-Clearcreek FFA advisor. “With team members across the country, virtual meetings were critical for ongoing practice and participation. These were coordinated between Rachel and the three college students (Emily at Cornell University, Hannah at Texas A&M University and Riley at Wilmington College). Their passion for success in the national competition is inspiring!”
A-C Senior Madelyn Anderson, Juniors Caidyn Garee and Maddison Cordle, and Sophomores Cate Buckley and Emma Strickler participated in the national Agricultural Issues Forum CDE. This team won the state contest in the spring to pave the way for national competition.
“When it comes to CDE contests, our past members have set a strong precedence for excellence,” Sharp said. “Each year, our chapter members embrace this tradition of excellence and continue to amaze us with their abilities and passion for representing our chapter and state at the national level.”
All 10 of these students have invested countless hours of practice and preparation to win their state contests and to prepare for the elite national-level contests. There are over 28,000 FFA members in Ohio and students from schools of all sizes can compete in these CDE contests.
A-C FFA members have won state contests in multiple CDE areas over 60 times in the last 20-plus years, and our teams and individuals have earned top-five state placements almost 90 times over the last 20 years. This unrivaled success means that hundreds of A-C FFA members have performed at the highest levels consistently year in and year out to earn this sort of success.
A-C Graduate Morgan Anderson is the first A-C FFA member to ever represent the chapter as Ohio’s national FFA officer candidate. Morgan is one of 35 running for the six coveted national FFA officer positions that lead the FFA’s 900,000+ members into the future. Along with 20 others, Morgan has advanced to Phase 2 of the national officer selection process.
Learn more about Amanda-Clearcreek Local Schools or follow Amanda-Clearcreek Local Schools on Facebook.
The Amanda-Clearcreek Local School District believes all students can learn, have the right to a quality education, and should be treated with respect and dignity. The district is focused on preparing graduates to become productive community members and life-long learners while being transparent and good stewards of taxpayer dollars. More than 1,500 students in our community are taught and supported by 180 educational professionals. The district office is located at 328 E. Main St. in Amanda, Ohio.
