In November, members of Manor FFA traveled to Indianapolis for the FFA National Convention and Expo to compete with students from across the country. From Nov. 1 to 4, three teams of Penn Manor students were tested on their knowledge of the agricultural industry through various activities and challenges, coming away from the annual competition with gold and silver medals.

The poultry evaluation team comprised Rachel Sensenich, Emily Railing, Jenna Railing and Ava Crill. The students individually completed a set of multiple-choice questions on industry techniques, as well as a team challenge that included a written test. The team's members also participated in activities at multiple stations such as grading chicken carcasses and ranking live chicken classes. While grading the carcasses, the poultry evaluators methodically checked for exposed flesh, missing meat and the state of the bird's bones to produce a grade for each one. As the students graded live poultry, they inspected each bird's skin pigmentation; the less pigmentation on a hen, the fewer eggs it will lay. The team presented its final rankings to a panel of judges to earn a gold medal. "It was very exciting to be able to go to nationals," said Sensenich. "We all worked well together; we met once a week after school to prepare for the convention."

The technology and mechanical systems team members, which included Layne Perry, Keith French, Chase Vinson and Collin Harnish, completed challenges both as a team and individually. The contestants participated in activities that tested their knowledge of welding and farm equipment, such as a test on general industry knowledge. The students were also presented with a dysfunctional skid loader and the materials necessary to fix the machine and resolve the issue with its motor. Another challenge tasked the team members with writing the definitions of various symbols that appear on hydraulics schematics. The team finished the competition with a silver medal.

"The contest was very broad, we have a lot to cover to prepare for it," Perry said. "We met for two hours every week after the state competition, and we were very committed to our after-school practices."

Forestry team members Derek Thomas, Kenzi Nafziger, Weston Shertzer and Brady Breneman competed in challenges that included identifying multiple tree species and using a compass for navigation. The students received a silver medal at the end of the competition, and this year marked the first time a Manor FFA forestry team has progressed to the national level. The team also included Delvin Kneisley, who did not compete. "We learned a lot in our normal biology and agriculture classes, but we also did a lot of repetition of tree identifying practice to be able to differentiate species," said Nafziger. Prior to the state competition in June, the students started to prepare themselves by meeting weekly as well as individually studying and making flash cards. The forestry team also met with local foresters and members of the local game commission to learn about their fields.

"(The convention) helps the kids understand that what they're learning is something beneficial," said Neil Fellenbaum, adviser of Manor FFA. "The competition at the national level is designed on very specific career skills that will be valuable for students in the future, and the kids did a bang-up job."