A Hanover County Public Schools FFA chapter has qualified to participate in a national Future Farmers of America event.
The Mechanicsville High School (MHS) FFA Chapter recently qualified for the national organization’s career and leadership development event this fall in Indianapolis where they will compete for national honors in the nursery and landscaping category. This is the first time in MHS history that its FFA chapter has earned this opportunity, qualifying through a successful National Chapter Award Program application.
“For our chapter to qualify is a testament of the quality and perseverance of our students,” said Cindy Green, the agriculture teacher at MHS who also advises the chapter alongside fellow teacher Jessica Kreye. “Our student-leaders have worked very hard to make the organization meaningful to all student-members, and were very creative in dealing with all the ever-changing COVID-19 protocols.”
The students representing the chapter in Indianapolis will be Macie Banton, Meghan Coble, McKenzie Marker, and Tyler Rankin. The chapter is a student-run, teacher-advised group, with roughly 190 student members enrolled in pathways related to agriculture power, structural and technical systems, and plant systems.
“Our members come from a diverse background, and share a passion for solving the world's problem through agriculture and its related industries,” Green said.
Said MHS Principal Charles Stevens: “I am so proud of our students and our teachers for this outstanding accomplishment. They persevered through several challenges due to the COVID-mitigation strategies in place and figured out how to get the job done at a high level.”
A virtual component of the competition, which includes community service, leadership development, and commitment to agriculture, is scheduled for Wednesday, August 25, while the in-person portion is set for Thursday, October 28.