Mountain Crest HS Students Shine in National FFA Competition
Mountain Crest FFA Members Reagan Watrin, Rhett Summers, James Curdy, Baylee Summers and Wells Thompson
The Future Farmers of America Organization (FFA) is building leaders across the nation, state, and right here in our district. As Reagan Watrin, Mountain Crest junior and FFA member, puts it: “Agriculture is feeding the world today and FFA is feeding agriculture.” FFA helps prepare young people to become leaders in the agricultural industry so that there will be people who are ready and able to feed the growing world. After several rounds of competitions locally and statewide, thirteen Mountain Crest students qualified for the National Competition in Indianapolis which took place in late October.
Wells Thompson, sophomore, placed third in the nation for his event. His task was to memorize and recite the FFA Creed, which describes the core beliefs and values of FFA and its aims for the future. He memorized and presented all five paragraphs of the creed to the judges and then answered questions about Ag-related topics. Reagan describes the moment when she and her teammates told Wells that he had made it to the final round as one of her favorite moments from Nationals. “It’s a really big deal,” Regan explained. “Everyone was so happy with how well he did.” Wells was not the only one to be recognized on the National level -- Mountain Crest’s Natural Resources team received a bronze ranking and both the Parliamentary team and Agriscience team received silver rankings.
Mountain Crest’s FFA Organization has a total of 105 members. Students involved in FFA believe that what they are learning is applicable to them regardless of their future field of study. “FFA provides leadership skills and leadership development programs,” Wells explained. FFA teaches accountability, working in a team setting, public speaking, presentation skills, and research skills. “We learn to be self-reliant,” Baylee Summers, junior, added. “A great thing about my event (Parliamentary Procedure) is that it includes public speaking. You will use that skill no matter what job you go to; it is important to learn to speak clearly and learn how to get your point across.”
FFA has three main parts: an Agriculture class, FFA Club, and a personal Agricultural project outside of the classroom. The out-of-school projects ensure application of principles learned in the classroom. Rhett Summers, who competed in the agriscience event, was approached by a John Deere representative about the project he invented. “He is an entrepreneur,” FFA advisor Tyrell Stevens said of Rhett. “On a local level, his project has been shared and he has offers from people in the Valley willing to sell his product.” FFA encourages students to expand on the principles they learn in class and apply it to their community. Projects such as Rhett’s go to show that the principles learned in FFA translates directly to genuine career opportunities.
This hands-on learning principle extends to other CTE classes. CTE classes provide a way for students to learn and acquire important skills that will help them in career opportunities in the future. FFA club members expressed that preparing and participating in this competition not only helped them learn new things about farming and agriculture but about leadership and communication skills. “FFA brings belonging,” says James Curdy, senior.
Congratulations, Mountain Crest FFA Organization! Thank you for representing our district and state so well!
Wells Thompson with his third place award for the Creed Event at the FFA National Competition
Rhett and Treven Summers in front of the project they presented at the FFA National Competition