Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Lincoln FFA Teams Compete Nationally
Members of Lincoln High FFA recently participated in events at the 88th National FFA Convention & Expo in Louisville, Ky., and two teams of girls came away with awards for their efforts.
Lincoln’s Food Science team and Floriculture team were named state champions after competing at the state convention earlier this year. This honor earned them the right to compete on the national level Oct. 25-31.
“All eight of those girls, you could not ask for better representatives of our state and our chapter,” said Kevin Barenberg, FFA advisor and agriculture teacher. “They are great ambassadors for our chapter and agriculture education.”
Lincoln’s Food Science team competed in the Food Science and Technology career development event and was awarded a gold emblem. The team, led by Barenberg, was one of 36 groups participating in the event. This is the 10th year that a Lincoln Food Science team has competed at the national conference.
“To be in the gold category means you are one of the best teams in this,” Barenberg said.
Members also competed for individual awards and Lincoln students brought home individual honors. Devan Ramsey received a gold emblem, Shaina Denton a gold emblem, Ashlyn Jackson a silver emblem, and Lexington Dobbs received a silver emblem.
The Food Science and Technology event is designed to test a student’s basic knowledge of food science as well as the student’s ability to apply this knowledge to practical situations.
Barenberg was especially proud of the Floriculture team because this is the first year Lincoln has been able to compete nationally in the Floriculture career development event. The girls finished seventh overall, out of 43 teams, but had the top score in one of the sections of the competition.
“These girls had to perform tasks they had never done before,” Barenberg said.
They spent nine hours making floral arrangements, working on team activities and interviewing for jobs.
“It was as though they were running a floral operation,” Barenberg said, adding, “To get that kind of experience was amazing. They didn’t get that at the state level.”
The Floriculture team was awarded a bronze emblem. Members also competed for individual awards with 168 other participants. Kelby Biswell received a silver emblem, Kait- lyn Kelly received a silver emblem, Jennifer Avellaneda received a silver emblem, and McKenna Cunningham received a gold emblem.
In the Floriculture event, FFA members test their knowledge and skills in the production and retailing of flowers, plants and foliage. Participants must complete a general knowledge exam on the floriculture industry, identify plant materials, demonstrate problem solving and decision-making skills, employment and customer service skills, technical floral skills and the ability to work as a team.
Another three FFA students received an America FFA degree at the national convention: Jesse Jo Claybrook, Bailey Dobb and Brock Haegele.
Teams competed at the local and state levels to earn the privilege of representing their home state at the National FFA Convention & Expo. The top ten individuals and the national winning team for each event received cash awards to recognize their success in the competition.