Rome High’s FFA Chapter had plenty of reasons to celebrate at the Georgia FFA State Convention held at the Macon Centreplex this past weekend.
The chapter was recognized for its success and received a Gold Emblem ranking on its National Chapter Award Application. This award is based on chapter activities for strengthening agriculture, growing leaders, and building communities. Rome will be judged against other chapters in the nation for a National FFA Star chapter award.
Two Rome High seniors, Ca’Lia Scott and Camille Turner, received their State FFA degrees. This is the highest degree that a student can achieve at the state level. The requirements for a state degree include completing 300 hours in their supervised agriculture experience project, competing in five different events above the chapter level, completing 25 hours of community service, completing 360 hours in an agriculture education program, satisfactory scholastic record, demonstrating leadership skills through chapter activity planning, and giving a six-minute speech.
Two Rome students finished first in the Agriscience Fair competition. Michael Rios-Campos placed first in the Food Products and Processing in Division 5 and Madlyne Cruz Hernandez placed first in Social Systems in Division 3. Other students receiving awards for their projects included Ca’ Lia Scott, who placed fifth in Environmental Systems and Natural Resource Systems in Division 5, and Marjorie Alfaro, who placed third in Social Systems in Division 5.
Rios-Campos and Cruz each received a plaque, a $100 cash award, and $500 travel money to compete in the National Agriscience Fair at the National FFA Convention.
The National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, changed its third-largest Association in the nation. The FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success, through agricultural education.