FFA chapters from across the state once again gathered in person for the annual state convention in Gatlinburg. Weakley County was well-represented with each high school in attendance.
Dresden FFA at State Convention – (top row, left to right) Miller Moore, Austin Peevyhouse, Cayden Lowry, Tanner Floyd, Sam Laws, Wylie Ogg, Spencer Davis, Creed Melton, Hayden Schlicht; (bottom row, left to right) Jon Holden, Jessica Browning, Nate Tarver, Emma Harrison, Adrianne Todd, Amanda Perry, Merissa Harrison, Annika Jolley, Rebecca Frazier, Morgan Richards, Jason Kemp.
Dresden FFA had five State Degree recipients this year. The state FFA Degree is the highest honor the state association can bestow upon its members. This degree required 300 hours of work in their supervised agriculture experience and five activities above the chapter level. Seen here are (top row, left to right) Sam Laws and Spencer Davis; (bottom row, left to right) Austin Peevyhouse, Annika Jolley, and Morgan Richards.
This year the Dresden FFA was honored to have one of its members serve on the state Officer Nominating Committee. The nominating committee consists of six adult members and six student members. This committee evaluates the credentials and capabilities of the candidates based upon a number of elements including: an application submitted by each candidate; a knowledge exam; a letter writing exercise; a Leadership and FFA Interview; an Agriculture and Knowledge of State and Federal Issues Interview; and a Group Interview.
Laws share from his experience, “It was a privilege to have been selected to serve on this committee. Only two members were selected from West TN and I had the honor to be one of those. I saw firsthand the state officer selection process and worked alongside industry leaders to achieve one common goal: nominating the best slate of officers to serve our association.”
Also at this year’s leadership convention the Dresden Chapter was awarded three chapter awards for accomplishments throughout the year: State Superior Award, 10% Increase in membership, and the Platinum PLOW (Passing Literacy OnWard).
Greenfield FFA members attending the 94th Annual FFA State Convention in Gatlinburg were (back row, left to right) Garrett Garner, Tyler Ricketts, Johnathan Cantrell, Hunter Birdwell, Franklin Pruitt, Ean Radford, Front Abby Floyd, Kelsey Greer, Matt Humphrey, Tanner Birdwell, and Ryan Brueur.
Gleason FFA members attending the 94th Annual FFA State Convention in Gatlinburg were Elaine Covington, Tallon Legens, Sam Bridgeman, and Dalton Wade. Not pictured is Advisor Archie Rich.
Westview FFA at State Convention – (front, left to right) Kyle Rogers, Brayden Wagster, Remy Roberts, Brent Pearce, Easton Stricklin, Dylan Brundige, Weston Rowlett, Carson Dinning, Camron Gingras, David Hochreiter; (back, left to right) Abigail Colarullo, Gabby McKnight, Rebecca Powers, Baylah Pettit, Abigail Collie, Destiny Bray.
During the First Session of the 94th Annual Tennessee FFA State Convention, Westview received the Platinum PLOW Award which is given to chapters that excel in Passing Literacy OnWard throughout the past year. Their Facebook post noted, “Our students worked hard to educate the public through various means about FFA, agriculture, and simply where our food comes from. We would like to thank Martin Primary School and Sharon Schools for helping us achieve this award by allowing us to visit your kiddos throughout the year. We would also like to thank Weakley County Playhouse for contributing to our achievement by letting us help with your current play production. We couldn’t be more proud of our students and the community we live in!” Abigail Colarullo and Rebecca Powers are shown with the PLOW recognitions.
Later, five members who earned their State Degree this year received their awards. This degree is the highest award one can receive at the state level. Recipients are (from left to right) Camron Gingras, Rebecca Powers, Gabby Mcknight, Abigail Colarullo, and Weston Rowlett.
The Farm Business Management team of Brent Pearce, Brayden Wagster, Easton Stricklin and Remy Roberts competed and came at 7th place.