IRMO – Twelve members of the Lexington-Richland School District Five FFA (LR5 FFA) Chapter traveled to the 97th South Carolina State FFA Convention held at the Greenville Convention Center in Greenville, SC on June 18-20th. Over 1,200 FFA members and guests from around South Carolina attended the event to participate in the college and career expo, attend educational workshops, compete in Career and Leadership Development Events (CDEs/LDEs), and to be recognized for their many achievements throughout the school year.
The convention began with a bang on Tuesday, June 18th as Mary Ellen Morrison (Spring Hill High) and Callie Alcorn (Chapin High) represented the School District Five FFA Chapter in the state delegate session, where they practiced parliamentary procedure to vote on proposed by-law amendments to improve the state organization. At the same time, several members began their CDE competitions. CDEs and LDEs are industry-related competitive events that challenge FFA members to utilize critical thinking skills and effective decision-making skills, foster teamwork, and promote communication while recognizing the value of ethical competition and individual achievement. Brooke Alcorn (Chapin High), Sydney Brunson (Chapin High), and Josef Merillat (Spring Hill High) represented the Chapter in the Farm Business Management CDE and Kate Marsh (Spring Hill High) competed in the Employability Skills CDE. Meanwhile, remaining members networked with industry leaders and college representatives at the college and career expo. At the first general session later that afternoon, the Chapter was recognized with a certificate for their Superior National Chapter Award.
Chapter members returned to the Greenville Convention Center on Wednesday morning. Kate Marsh presented her Agriscience Fair project on canine nutrition to a panel of judges. Rachel Gentry (Chapin High) competed in the Prepared Public Speaking LDE and Brooke Alcorn competed in the Extemporaneous Public Speaking LDE. Additionally, other FFA members attended several educational workshops on topics ranging from careers in animal science to leadership development. That afternoon, during the second general session, the Envirothon team, including Bennett Boulware (Chapin High School), Addisyn Koestline (Spring Hill High), Paige Folger (Spring Hill High), Brooke Alcorn (Chapin High), and Mary Ellen Morrison were recognized for earning 2nd place in the state event in April. Additionally, six of our members were honored as they received their State FFA Degrees. These members included Jonah Bickley (Chapin High), Emily Darden (Spring Hill High), Rachel Gentry, Jefferson Harmon (Chapin High), Josef Merillat, and Makayla Jane Sweet (Spring Hill High). Lastly, Rachel Gentry introduced herself on stage as a state officer candidate. Later that evening, in the third general session, John “Sim” Asbill and Jessica Hidalgo, two of the FFA advisors, were presented with their Honorary State FFA Degrees.
The fourth and final session of the convention was held on Thursday morning and it ended up being one of the most exciting sessions for the chapter. First, the Lexington-Richland 5 FFA Chapter was recognized for having 100% chapter membership. Next, Kate Marsh was announced as the state winner in her Agriscience Fair division and as the state winner for the Employability Skills CDE. Additionally, Rachel Gentry (CHS) was recognized as the state winner for the Prepared Public Speaking LDE. As state winners, both Kate and Rachel will go on to compete at the National FFA Convention & Expo in October. The last and most anticipated part of the final session is always the installation of the new state officer team. Rachel Gentry was selected to serve in the executive position of Secretary for the SC FFA Association for the upcoming school year.
The National FFA Organization has a growing membership of over 850,000 active FFA members. FFA is an intracurricular student organization that helps students develop leadership, demonstrate personal growth, and achieve career success. Members have the opportunity to apply practical classroom knowledge to real-world experiences through local, state and national competitions. For more information about the National FFA Organization, visit https://www.ffa.org/.
“Future Farmers of America was founded by a group of young farmers in 1928. Their mission was to prepare future generations for the challenges of feeding a growing population.”
LR5 FFA Recognitions & Results from the 97th SC State FFA Convention & Expo
· Superior National Chapter Award
· 100% Chapter Membership Award
· 2 Honorary State FFA Degree Recipients
· 6 State FFA Degree Recipients
· State Officer Candidate Rachel Gentry Elected to Serve as 2024-2025 SC FFA Secretary
· Agriscience Fair – 1st Place Kate Marsh
· Employability Skills – 1st Place Kate Marsh
· Prepared Public Speaking LDE – 1st Place Rachel Gentry
· Envirothon Competition – 2nd Place Team
· Extemporaneous Public Speaking LDE – 6th Place Brooke Alcorn
· Farm Business Management CDE – 6th Place Team
