Imperial FFA receives top honors at State

By Alan Carman
The Imperial Republican
    The Imperial FFA traveled to Lincoln for the annual State FFA Convention and competitions, March 24-27. A total of 49 members competed in 12 different competitions and placed five teams and three individuals in the top five.
    The Junior High Ag Quiz Bowl team of Hayden Fowler, Clayson Thayer, John Adle and Jackson Sauder won the State Championship in this competition.
    Imperial fielded a second Junior High Ag Quiz Bowl Team that placed fourth overall. Team members included Bennett Richmond, Emalyn Olsen, Anna McNair and Maura May.
    Students go head-to-head with eight other teams per round to answer a variety of questions relating to agriculture. There are over 100 teams involved in the State Quiz Bowl competition.
    Imperial’s Parliamentary Procedure Team earned State Runner-up Champion Honors. Team members include Beau Weiss, Navy Havel, Aidan Tomky, Damon Spady, Dominic Harris, and Alayna Smith.
    Each member must take a written test over parliamentary procedure, the team conducts a demonstration based on items of business and motions provided.
    Teams making the finals conduct another demonstration and complete a team practicum problem relating to parliamentary rules. There are 36 teams in the state competition.
    The Ag Sales Team of Tessa Smith, Anna Aragon, Jayme Gittlein, and Tate Teply placed third out of 36 teams. Individually, Smith placed third. Team members must each take a written test over sales procedures and then conduct a sales call to a judge based on a scenario provided to them.
    They have five minutes to consider the scenario and then make the call. The team also conducts a team meeting to make a plan on how to approach a sales scenario that is presented to them.
    Imperial’s Agriscience Team placed fourth out of 136 teams. Team members are, Sawyer Sauder, Hayden Worth, Tatum May, and Truman Olsen. Individually, Sauder placed sixth. Students take a test over various aspects of Agriscience and as a team, dissect a fetal pig and a fish and correctly identify the internal organs.
    Imperial had two Conduct of Chapter Meetings (CCM) Teams that qualified for State. CCM team #1 received a gold rating and placed ninth overall. Team members are
Sawyer Sauder, Bennett Kuenning, Taya Stromberger, Dietrich Pursley, Chantal Vlasin, Tatum May, and Edisyn Teply. Levy Jurado was an alternate.
    Team #2 received a Bronze rating and placed 21st overall. Team members are Clayson Thayer, Hayden Fowler, Rebecca Reeves, Bennett Smith, Emerson Beemer, Jackson Sauder, and Asher Weiss. Alternate was Lily Kuenning.
    In CCM, students must demonstrate four assigned motions related to an item of business, plus take a test over parliamentary knowledge. There were 36 teams in the competition.
    Imperial had five individuals competing in speaking events. Luke Kuenning presented in the Cooperative Speaking Event and received a Bronze. Hayden Fowler presented in the Discovery Speaking Event and received a Gold.
    Jason Fortkamp received a Bronze for his Ag Literacy speech. Maura May and Josie Wilson also competed in the People in Ag Poster contest that depicts an agricultural career of their choice, plus they give a presentation and answer questions about the display. Both received a Gold rating.
    Imperial had two other teams that placed in the top 20 which included Livestock selection and Nursery and Landscape.
    In the Livestock Selection competition, the team of Jayme Gittlein, Conner Stromberger, Violet Sparrow, and Grady Wilson placed 14th out of 60 teams.
    Individually, Gittlein placed fourth. Students judge 10 classes of livestock and give oral reasons justifying their placing on three of those classes.
    Imperial’s Nursery and Landscape team placed 17th out of 48 teams. Team members include, Jaxsen Villarreal, Charlie Johnson, Aidan Vlasin, and Avery Beemer. Students must take a test over plant identification and landscaping principles. As a team, they compete a practicum related to a landscape design.
    Imperial also fielded an Agronomy team of Carter Kuenning, Lukas Fries, Tate Teply, and Luke Kuenning. The team placed 51st out of 60 teams. Team members identify crops, weeds, insects, disease disorders and machinery related agronomy. Teams also are presented a practicum related to agronomy to solve.
    Imperial had seven students receive the State FFA Degree, which is the highest degree a member can receive on the State level. Those members are, Jayme Gittlein, Beau Weiss, Tessa Smith, Carter Kuenning, Navy Havel, Odessa Zadina, and Harrison Foote.
    “Overall, we had a good week. We had five teams in the top four with one being a State Champion and another a runner-up Champion, one team in the top 10 and three more in the top 20 teams. Of course, you always evaluate what we could have done better, but overall, I was pleased with the students’ performance,” said Randy Vlasin, FFA Advisor.
    “I would like to thank all of our sponsors who traveled with us. Taking 49 students to state is an undertaking and I couldn’t do it without the support of those parents who made sure students were at the events when they needed to be.
    A special thanks to Arlys Cupp, Kim Bubak and Kayla Sauder for working with the Junior High program and our speakers. Without them the quiz bowl program and junior high speaking events would not happen. Also, a big thank you to Preston Smith who helps organize meals for us while in Lincoln plus transports students where needed. This type of support is essential to the success of our student,” stated Vlasin.