Pequea Valley FFA students earned high marks while representing their school district at the 97th Mid-Winter Convention held on Jan. 12 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex. During the event, new members received their blue corduroy FFA jackets, marking the beginning of their FFA journey, while senior students earned the FFA Keystone Degree, Pennsylvania's highest level of FFA achievement. Finally, a team of Pequea Valley students placed first in the Ag Issues Forum Contest.

Students who received their jackets were Hunter Russum, Myla Smucker, Shyann Metzler, Sophia Stoltzfus, Luke Smucker, Leah Eby, Nathan Walter, Mackenzie Whiteman, Kimberly Rynard, Jazlyn Quartey, Noah Matos, Erin McGinley and Olivia Zook.

FFA members can buy their own jackets, but many receive them through sponsored, gifted programs or scholarships. Lauren Coblentz, FFA reporter, recalled receiving her jacket. "My ninth-grade year I was chosen for a scholarship jacket. The people who provide the scholarships are from the community," she explained. "For me, it was really special. It was a huge welcome into FFA, and it was a great way to get a jacket."

The seniors who earned their Keystone Degrees were Grace Melson, Sierra Langston, Josie Gielenz and Bella Biddle. According to http://www.paffa.org, Keystone Degree recipients must demonstrate exceptional leadership and agriculture proficiency and complete an SAE (supervised agricultural experience) community service project.

Additionally, six FFA members - Grace Melson, Sierra Langston, Cole Faus, Kelsey Della Rova, Bella Biddle and Mia Nordhoff - represented the chapter in the Ag Issues Forum Contest, showcasing their teamwork and knowledge of current agricultural topics. The team placed first in the state contest and will travel to the National Convention to compete at nationals this fall.

"The purpose of the contest is for the team to come up with their own agricultural issue they want to share with others. They do their research, get their facts and data and share the pros and cons of that issue in a creative way in front of judges," explained club adviser Jasmine VanSant, agricultural science teacher. "The idea is to address relevant issues in the community."

She explained that each team has 15 minutes to do a presentation in front of the judges using props and technology. "They can do a presentation in whatever format they want. In this case, our team put together a skit. Their skit was about artificial intelligence and how it is used in agriculture," said VanSant. "Their skit was a classroom setting. There was a teacher and students, and the students shared their research of pros and cons of the use of AI in agriculture."

FFA is open to Pequea Valley Secondary School students who are taking an agriculture class. When a student enrolls in agricultural education, he or she becomes an FFA member, with no dues and no application required. FFA used to be an organization just for farmers but now aims to assist those who are interested in various agricultural careers.

"It has evolved. We are still battling some of that stigma that it is just for farmers," said VanSant. "Students are not necessarily from a farm. They are exposed to careers in agriculture in the classes. We (recently) did a career exploration on large animal science and discussed what are pathways they could take."

"The goal is to expose learners to opportunities and careers that meet their passions," she added. "If it is a passion of yours, how can you turn that into a career? We help them get internships, discuss which colleges offer degrees in agriculture, etc."

The group is currently preparing for FFA Week, to be held during the last week of February. "Here at school, we try to do different things," said Josie, FFA vice president. "One day we bring in livestock. Lauren brought her goats in. We also do teacher appreciation (activities) and Spirit Week. One of my favorites is jersey day, where you can wear a jersey from a sports team or dress as a Jersey cow. We also do community service. We have a taco bar, and (proceeds) get donated straight to the food bank at The Factory Ministries."

To learn more, visit https://pvs.pequeavalley.org/activities/ffa or follow the group on Instagram using the handle @pequeavalleyagsci.