FFA program ends year with success

REARDAN - The school's FFA members attended the Washington FFA Convention May 11-1, at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick to determine how they stack up against other Ag students.

In the inaugural FFA Barbeque competition, the team of Rysen Soliday, Bryson Flaa and Aiden Chilson brought home the state championship with pork spareribs.

The team of Emma Flaa, Logan Flaa, Vaea LaMoureaux and Lydia Wicks defeated 15 other teams to place second with their Agricultural Issues presentation on predator management in Washington state.

"I am super proud of this team," FFA advisor Rick Perleberg said. "They were thrown a curveball days before the event, but the kids responded with incredible resilience and positive energy."

In Prepared Public Speaking, Tyler Clouse, Andrew Schulz and Ashley Landt placed third, fifth and eighth, respectively.

"Their performance was totally awesome," Perleberg said. "It is unheard of that three kids from the same school make the finals."

Case Brown garnered a gold medal in the Ag Skills Career Development event.

Both of the advanced Parliamentary Procedures teams earned their way to the finals, placing fifth and seventh.

The Conduct of Chapter Meeting team also made the finals and placed fifth. This team was made up primarily of eighth-grade girls. Chairperson Emerson Sprecher and Kelsey Koch anchored the squad.

"It is hard to place in an FFA contest, but 23 made it to state, and they all made the finals and brought home hardware," Perleberg said. "Their competitive spirit bodes well for the trajectory of our program. With Andrew (Schulz's) election to the state office, there is a lot of excitement about our future."