FFA Award

Rossville FFA going to Canada

By Jackie Trier

Rossville Future Farmers of America or FFA will be going to the national Envirothon competition this July after winning first place at state.

FFA members Mary Crail, Micah Koeler-Marsh, Angela Meador, Quinton Hufford, and Joe Murphy competed.

The competition tested the team's knowledge of soils and land use, aquatics, forestry, wildlife, and current environmental issues.

This year's issue had to do with the reduction and change in resources for farming.

First, members went to the regional contest and took written tests to see who would go to state.

At state, on April 20, the team was tested on their knowledge of natural resources, and they made a presentation to three state judges on how to solve an environmental problem.

The team won the presentation and the knowledge testing.

The nationals will be held at the International Canon Envirothon Workshop and Competition at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick Canada.

This will be Hufford's first time at nationals this summer.

"I was pretty excited," Hufford said.

The Rossville FFA has been to nationals 12 times out of the past 20 years.

"Mr. Griffin spent a lot of time as a group and individually with us," Hufford said. "That was a huge help. We probably would not have made it without him."

Junior Koehler-Marsh specializes in forestry and horticulture. She is even considering being a forest ranger when she grows up. Koehler-Marsh and Meador bounce ideas off of one another and were study partners for the contest.

"I will get to meet new people when I go to Canada," Koehler-Marsh said. "That is an opportunity and probably will not happen again. It is an honor to have won. We have worked hard. I feel we deserve it, but it is still unbelievable."

There is a travelling plaque that has the new school winner engraved on it for every state contest. Rossville is on there many times. If fact, Rossville has been in the top three schools at state almost every year.

The Rossville FFA tests five streams and rivers once a year to stay in shape for the contest and as a regular project of FFA.

Having studied wildlife and soils, Junior Joe Murphy, was a bit out of his specialty.

"Most of us study and specialize in forestry," Murphy said.

The only senior on the team, Crail, had been to national freshman year.

"The hours we put into this were incredible," Murphy said.

The team had practiced their presentation many times before they took it to state, but they say when they gave it at state was when they were more nervous.

"That is when the nerves kicked in," Murphy said.

He does not think the team could have gone as far as they have without the commitment of every person on the team.

"It was a group effort," Murphy said.