Fall 2016
Volume 5, Issue 2
Inside this issue:
West Jackson Middle FFA
Newsletter
West Jackson Middle FFA is named in the Top Five of the Nation’s Middle School FFA Chapters The West Jackson Middle FFA Chapter traveled to Indianapolis, IN for the 89th National FFA Convention and Expo on October 1722. West Jackson Middle FFA members traveled with East Jackson Middle FFA members to this annual event, and the WJMS FFA members attending the National FFA Convention included Madyson McDaniel, Jesse Cronic, Kate Dutton, Morgan McDaniel, Savannah Page, Michael Howard, Joseph Ledford, and Emmalee Holder. The West Jackson Middle FFA chapter of Jefferson, Georgia, was named a 2016 National Chapter Outstanding Middle School award finalist from the National FFA Organization. This year marked the third year in a row that the West Jackson Middle FFA Chapter received this great honor. Five chapters from the 7,757 chapters across the U.S. are selected for this prestigious honor each year. The program recognizes outstanding FFA chapters from throughout the country that successfully complete an annual set of required activities that encourage members to grow as individuals, work as a team and serve others in their communities. One of the presenters for West Jackson Middle FFA was current President, Madyson McDaniel. Madyson had this to say about go-
ing to the National FFA Convention, “It meant so much to me because I got to represent my chapter at a national level. I got to go and make my advisor and my chapter proud.” She went on to share, “I have never competed on a national level before, and it made me feel so confident in myself!” West Jackson Middle FFA Reporter, Savannah Page, was the other presenter. Savannah shared, “Representing West Jackson Middle FFA was a great opportunity for me! I was able to learn more about public speaking skills and better understand our chapter and how it works!” (Continued on page 2)
National Convention
2
Cattle Shows
3-4
Officer Message
4,11,13
Region Rally
5-6
Livestock Judging
6,11
Area II CDEs
7
FFA Day at the Fair
8-9
Holiday Social
12
Discovery Conference
13
Page 2
West Jackson Middle FFA
National Convention continued Middle school chapters that received threestar ratings during judging July 24-29 in the competition are eligible to compete for the Outstanding Middle School award, the highest honor awarded to a middle school FFA chapter by the National FFA Organization. Five FFA chapters competed in a presentation and interview process for the top honor at the 2016 National FFA Convention & Expo, Oct. 19-22 in Indianapolis. The FFA chapter selected to receive the Outstanding Middle School award was announced on stage during convention. All winning FFA chapters receive honors made possible by corporate sponsor John Deere as a special project of the National FFA Foundation. While at the National FFA Convention, WJMS and EJMS FFA members were able to tour the extensive Career Show and Expo in Indianapolis. They also toured Hunter Honey Bee Farm in Martinsville, Indiana on the way to convention. This was a great learning experience for everyone involved! The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 649,355 student members who belong to one of 7,859 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Page 3
WJMS FFA Members Travel to Tennessee for Regional Show By: Savannah Page – West Jackson Middle FFA Reporter Junior Simmental enthusiasts from across the southeast traveled to Cookeville, Tenn. for the American Junior Simmental Association Eastern Regional Classic at the Tennessee Tech University Hyder-Burks Ag Pavilion June 15-18, 2016. Among these enthusiasts included West Jackson Middle FFA members Morgan McDaniel and Madyson McDaniel, and Jackson County High School FFA member and recent graduate Cindy Cooper. More than two hundred head of Simmental and Simmental based cattle were exhibited at this annual event. In addition to exhibiting cattle in the showring, participants had the opportunity to participate in showmanship, livestock judging contest, sales talk competition and the public speaking contest. In the Percentage Heifer show, Morgan McDaniel took home top place honors by exhibiting the Grand Champion Percentage Heifer. Morgan’s heifer, Miss CCF Jestress B79, first won her class, was named Division 5 Champion and then was later selected as the Grand Champion Percentage Heifer. Also in the Percentage Heifer Show, Morgan’s heifer Miss CCF Sazerac C87, placed second and went on to be named 6th Overall in Division 2. Madyson McDaniel earned first place honors with Miss CCF Glamours Vision in the Purebred Simmental Show. Her heifer later was named 3rd Overall in Division 2.
Volume 5, Issue 2
Page 4
Volume 5, Issue 2
Winners Named at the Beef Futurity By: Savannah Page – West Jackson Middle FFA Reporter Jackson County FFA members exhibited cattle at the 2016 Georgia Junior Beef Futurity July 7-9 in Perry, Ga., at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and AgriCenter. Livestock exhibitors from across the state exhibited more than 300 head of cattle.
in Georgia and their accomplishments throughout the year. West Jackson FFA member Savannah Page was recognized as the 8th Overall British Heifer of the Year with an Angus heifer she exhibited throughout 2015-2016.
In the showmanship competition, West Jackson FFA members brought home first place honors for their ability in the showring. Morgan McDaniel won first place honors in the 6 th Grade Division while her sister Madyson McDaniel won the 8th Grade Division. In the cattle classes, it was third place all day for the Jackson County FFA members. Morgan McDaniel placed third with her Percentage Simmental Heifer. Madyson McDaniel placed third with her Purebred Simmental Heifer. Jackson County High FFA member Peyton Puckett placed third with her Angus heifer. In addition to the show, the Georgia Club Calf Producers Association conducted their annual Award’s Ceremony which highlights animals bred
Officer Message: Jesse Cronic Hi, my name is Jesse Cronic, and I serve as the Vice President of West Jackson Middle FFA. I am in 6th grade, and I am very exited about my first year being an officer! This summer, I attended the Texas A&M Livestock Judging Clinic with my fellow Livestock Judging Team members. While in Texas, I learned a lot about judging different types of animals, and the people running the clinic really helped me use good terminology and how to judge a good animal. If you are interested in competing in any CDEs this year, stop by the Ag Room to see what’s available!
Page 5
Volume 5, Issue 2
WJMS & EJMS FFA Members Travel to Region Rally and Make UGA Visit Savannah Page – West Jackson Middle FFA Reporter Thirty members of the East Jackson Middle and West Jackson Middle FFA Chapters visited The University of Georgia and attended the FFA Area II Rally on September 9th and 10th, 2016. The UGA visit began with a visit to the State Botanical Gardens where Berkeley Boone and Cora Keber gave students some history behind the Botanical Gardens. After learning more about the gardens, Boone and Keber gave the group a tour of different areas of the gardens describing what types of plants are planted and the reasoning behind them.
After the Botanical Gardens tour, EJMS and WJMS FFA members loaded up to head to The University of Georgia’s brand new Vet School. On the way, they got a bus tour of areas of the UGA campus that are relevant to agriculture majors and got a chance to see Sanford Stadium as well. At the Vet School, students got a tour of the new facility including classrooms, surgery suites, and barns. It was a very educational experience for all and opened their eyes to new possibilities in college and career opportunities. After touring UGA, the group headed out to the Georgia FFA Camp in Covington, GA for the FFA Area II Rally. To kick-off the rally, teams from East Jackson and West Jackson got to tour the grounds and check out what all the camp had to offer. After dinner, students attended a leadership session led by Area II officers and learned about leadership and working with a group. The next morning, each team began prepping for the “Amazing Race” challenge! Teams had to work together to race to locations around the camp on the scavenger-hunt. Each station had a leadership activity or questions about agricultural mechanics, animal sci-
ence, horticulture, and agricultural education the teams had to answer before moving on. Overall, East and West FFA members had fun getting to know each other, learning about leadership, and working together! East Jackson Middle FFA members who attended Area II Rally were Rylee Sosebee, Aubrey Miller, Haley Barnett, Kayden Massey, Anika Johnson, Bella Chandler, Shamaya King, Zoe Davidson, Austin Ackerman, Faith McWatters, Lilly Anthony, Makayla Gooch, Morgan Byers, Abby Scarborough, and Maggie Logan. West Jackson Middle FFA members who attended Area II Rally were Riley Konarski, Drew Nash, Christopher Hays, Joseph Ledford, Payton Maddox, Morgan McDaniel, Jesse Cronic, Tray Gooch, Faith Hollis, Damon Shaw, Tiffany Holly, Madyson McDaniel, David Stewart, Emmalee Holder, and Levi Doyal.
Page 6
Volume 5, Issue 2
Region Rally continued
WJMS FFA Livestock Judging Team Competes at Gwinnett County Fair Savannah Page – West Jackson Middle FFA Reporter Members of the West Jackson Middle FFA Livestock Judging Team competed at the Gwinnett County Fair Livestock Judging Contest on September 19th, 2016. WJMS FFA Livestock Judging team members included Madyson McDaniel, Jesse Cronic, Savannah Page, and Morgan McDaniel. The West Jackson Middle FFA team was competing against multiple other FFA chapters from across state. Students were required to judge classes of breeding heifers, breeding ewes, market lambs, and market hogs. These students were also required to take notes and give a set of oral reasons to a judge, and the students were evaluated
on the correctness of their reasons as well as their overall presentation. Students were scored individually and their scores were added together for their overall team score. Sixth grade member and first time judger, Jesse Cronic, placed 4th individually in the contest, and the West Jackson Middle FFA team placed 3rd overall in the junior contest. Over the past two months these FFA members have worked hard to learn about evaluating livestock, and they have been fortunate to visit many farms in the county to practice up to this point. The Southeast Empire Livestock Judging Contest was the first test for these livestock judgers, and it was a great accomplishment for everyone!
Page 7
Area II CDEs held at Jackson County Comprehensive High School Savannah Page—West Jackson Middlle FFA Reporter Eight members of the West Jackson Middle School FFA chapter competed in the Area II FFA Career Development Events September 29th held at Jackson County Comprehensive High School. All eight of these FFA members competed for the first time in their respective events. West Jackson Middle FFA members Matthew Wood, Blake Amos, and Tray Gooch competed in the Meats Judging Career Development Event. For the Meats Judging CDE, FFA members are required to learn to identify 50 different cuts of meat and learn how to judge classes of meat products. At the contest, FFA members were given 20 different cuts to identify and had three placing classes. The WJMS FFA team competed against other middle school and freshmen teams from Area II and placed 15 th overall West Jackson Middle FFA members Gage Kremer, Michael Howard, Joseph Ledford, and Austin Miller competed in the Junior Ag Mechanics Career Development Event. For the Jr Ag Mechanics CDE, FFA members learn to identify 50 different tools related to agricultural mechanics, learn the steps to wiring different types of electrical problems, and take a test about electricity and wiring. The WJMS FFA team competed against other middle school and freshmen teams from Area II and placed 10 th overall West Jackson Middle FFA member Kate Dutton competed in the Floral Design CDE. She was required to construct two body flowers, one male and one female, based on two different scenarios with the flowers and materials provided for her. Thirtynine middle school and ninth grade FFA members competed in the Area II Floral Design CDE, and Kate placed 6th overall. She was the highest ranking 6th grade FFA member, and her boutonniere was the highest scoring design of the entire contest (45 of 50 points)!
Volume 5, Issue 2
Page 8
West Jackson Middle FFA
West Jackson Middle FFA Members Compete at the Georgia National Fair Members of the West Jackson Middle FFA Chapter were a part of the more than 3,500 FFA members that recently attended the 2016 FFA Day at the Georgia National Fair. The event was held on October 11th at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry. West Jackson Middle FFA members attending FFA Day at the Fair were Tiffany Holly, Gracie Potter, Jenna Waldrip, Ava Kofke, Chase Morgan, Tray Gooch, Austin Miller, Josh Franklin, Jesse Cronic, Madyson McDaniel, Savannah Page, Joseph Ledford, Faith Hollis, Blake Amos, Morgan McDaniel, Sarah Langley, Katie Hitt, Kate Dutton, Michael Howard, Lilly Farmer, Kayla Dungan, Payton Maddox, Emmalee Holder, and Cole Mercardante. Also in attendance: Jackson County FFA members Peyton Puckett and Bethany Harp, adult chaperones Kay Bell, Keith and Carmen Ledford and their daughter Elizabeth. West Jackson Middle FFA members were invited to attend the FFA Day at the Fair event as a reward for competing in an event during the Georgia National Fair, competing in recent Career Development Events, and for being top salesmen in the recent fundraiser. Before the fair began, Whitney Hulsey, Michael Howard, Payton Maddox, Kayla Dungan, and Joseph Ledford all completed minibooths. Minibooths are informational booths and can be related to a topic in forestry/natural resources or horticulture. All of these students competed with forestry.natural resources minibooths, and the results were: Kayla Dungan – 3rd place, Payton Maddox – 2nd place, Michael Howard & Whitney Hulsey – 2nd place, and Joseph Ledford – 1st place. Also prior to the fair, Emmalee Holder, Lilly Farmer, and Tiffany Holly completed silk floral designs. They were charged with the task of creating a floral design related to this year’s theme, “Growing a Garden of Books: Promoting Literacy through Horticulture”, and they could use silk flowers and any additional materials to complete their design. This was the first time eighth grade FFA member Emmalee Holder had competed in this event, and she had this to say about her experience: “I was fortunate enough to win a first place ribbon for my silk floral design. I enjoyed this project, and I had the most fun at the fair because my grandma [Kay
Bell] was able to travel to Perry with me for the day and have a blast with me.” In the division of Agricultural Mechanics, students are able to complete any projects they wish as long as develop plans for the project and show a bill of materials. Projects are divided into two divisions (high school and middle school) and then into three different categories (small, medium, and large). FFA members Cole Mercardante, Faith Hollis, Tray Gooch, Chase Morgan and Josh Franklin all competed with woodworking projects that they completed before the fair. For the Medium category, Tray Gooch built a wooden bench, Faith Hollis built a toy chest, Chase Morgan built a sofa table, and Cole Mercardante built corn hole boards. Josh Franklin competed in the Large category with a barn-type chicken coop. WJMS FFA members really excelled with their Ag Mechanics projects! Chase Morgan placed 2nd while Faith Hollis and Cole Mercardante both placed first. Additionally, Tray Gooch placed 1 st and Reserve Division Champion (Medium Category) and Josh Franklin placed 1st and Reserve Division Champion (Large Category). While at the Fair, Bethany Harp competed in the Floral Design competition while Katie Hitt, Ava Kofke, Gracie Potter, and Jenna Waldrip all competed in the Floriculture competition. The theme for the Floral Design competition was “Growing a Garden of Books: Promoting Literacy through Horticulture” and participants were required to bring their own materials, develop a design of their choosing, fill out a price sheet for those materials, and create their designs within the allotted time of 30 minutes. Continued on next page
Page 9
West Jackson Middle FFA
FFA Day at the Fair continued The Floriculture competition involved FFA members learning more than fifty different species of common plants and being able to identify twentyfive of those specimens at the contest. FFA Day at the Fair is a wonderful event for students to learn about different opportunities in FFA, learn about different types of agriculture, and, of course, have fun! Many of the FFA members used the competitions at the Georgia National Fair as their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects – a requirement for all agricultural education students. In addition to all the opportunities for students to compete with their SAE projects, WJMS FFA members were encouraged to participate in their very own photo challenge on Instagram while at the fair. FFA Day at the Fair was an exciting day for everyone involved, and we are already making plans for next year!
Page 10
West Jackson Middle FFA
FFA Day at the Fair continued
Page 11
Volume 5, Issue 2
West Jackson FFA Chapter Wins Big in Judging Contest Savannah Page—West Jackson Middle FFA Reporter Livestock Judging team members from West Jackson Middle FFA competed at the Peach State Livestock Judging Contest in Perry, Georgia. This event took place in conjunction with the Georgia National Fair on October 15 th. Members of the West Jackson Middle FFA Livestock Judging team included Madyson McDaniel, Savannah Page, Jesse Cronic and Morgan McDaniel. These students judged market hogs, breeding gilts, market lambs, breeding ewes, market steers as well as breeding heifers. The FFA members were also required to give two sets of oral reasons to judges to justify their placings. FFA members’ scores were ranked individually by species they judged, ranked individually overall in the contest, and then added together for their team scores. When it came time for the awards ceremony, West Jackson Middle FFA members took home quite a few honors! Jesse Cronic was 5th High Individual in Beef while Savannah Page was 4th High Individual in both Beef and Sheep. Madyson McDaniel was High Individual (best in the whole contest) in Sheep, Swine, and Reasons. Individually for the whole contest, Morgan McDaniel placed 16th, Jesse Cronic placed 9 th, Savannah Page placed 4th, and Madyson McDaniel placed 2 nd. All the individual scores were calculated to get their overall team score, and in the end, West Jackson Middle FFA was named as the winner of the Junior Contest! This was a huge accomplishment for the FFA members as they competed against other middle school and freshmen teams from across the state. This contest was just another event in preparation for the Area II Livestock Judging Career Development Event on November 30th.
Officer’s Message Hi. My name is Joseph Ledford, and I am your WJMS FFA Chaplain. I joined FFA to learn leadership skills, learn more about Ag, and help my community. So far, I am participating in Jr. Ag. Mechanics and Minibooths. In my spare time, I enjoy working on my dad’s tractor and taking it to shows. It is a 1949 John Deere Model B. I look forward to owning my own antique tractor one day. I also enjoy playing my favorite game, Farming Simulator. You should join the chapter! It is amazing. You meet people that are so nice and some are very funny. In fact, I once got a headache from laughing so hard. Join FFA so that you can come to the meetings, learn about agriculture, and have fun!
Page 12
Volume 5, Issue 2
WJMS FFA HOLIDAY SOCIAL Tuesday, December 6th WJMS Cafeteria 6:00PM ***Must RSVP by Friday, December 2nd FFA members stay afterschool on December 6th for a meeting, activities, and holiday movie Parents and guests will arrive at 6:00PM with side dishes (you can send them with FFA member if needed)
FFA Members MUST RSVP with the number attending and the side dish you plan to bring by Friday, December 2nd. WJMS FFA will provide the paper products, utensils, drinks, and meat for everyone This is not a formal event – just a time of good food and fellowship :) -------------------------------------------------------------***Return this to Mrs. Davis so she can add you to the list!
Name: __________________________________________________________________________________ Number Attending with You: ______________________________ Side Dish or Dessert: _________________________________________________________________
WJMS FFA Participation Points and Awards
West Jackson Middle FFA
WJMS FFA members will earn points for every event and activity they participate in. Members can earn points for attending FFA meetings, participating in Career Development Events, taking part in community service projects, attending leadership conferences, participating in FFA Week festivities, and more! Members can earn points through the month of April. At the WJMS FFA Banquet at the end of April , the members of each grade level with the highest amount of participation points will earn an Outstanding Member plaque and cash award. Important: members should be sure to sign in at every FFA event they attend in order to get credit for participating. Please see our Secretary, Kate Dutton, if you have any questions.
WJMS FFA Makes Plans to Attend Discovery Conference: January 27-28, 2017 The Discovery Conference is a wonderful opportunity for students in grades 6-8. It is a great way to get young members excited about the FFA and is designed to introduce middle school students to the opportunities that FFA has to offer. Every middle school FFA chapter in the state is invited to attend this annual event, and the West Jackson Middle FFA Chapter will be traveling with East Jackson Middle FFA to the conference. The Discovery Conference will be held January 27-28, 2017 at the Georgia FFA/FCCLA Center near Covington. Students should plan to wear casual (warm) dress for the entire conference. In addition to the Discovery Conference, the WJMS FFA chapter will be visiting The University of Georgia on the way to the camp on Friday, January 27th. Once we are done at UGA, we will stop for lunch, and then move on to the Discovery Conference in Covington. ***We will leave from the back of WJMS at 7:30AM on Friday and drive to EJMS to pick up their FFA members before traveling to UGA and then the conference. The rally will conclude around 12:00PM on Saturday, and we will return to JCCHS Ag Barn around 1:30.
West Jackson Middle School 400 Gum Springs Church Rd Jefferson, GA 30549 Phone: 706-654-2775 Extension: 503 E-mail: adavis@jcss.us Website: wjmsffa.wix.com/wjmsffa
The cost to attend the Discovery Conference is $55 per person. That fee includes all conference material, tshirt, meals, lodging, and activities at the Georgia FFAFCCLA Center and must be paid before Friday, January 20th. Turn in a deposit of $25 (non-refundable) with the permission form ASAP! Only the first 20 FFA Members to sign up with permission forms and $25 will be able to attend!
Officer’s Message My name is Michael Howard and I serve as the Sentinel on the WJMS FFA Officer Team. The latest trip I went on was National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis. Everyone from the officer team attended. At the Convention part, we won awards for being in the top 5 for Outstanding Middle School and for being a three star chapter. At the Expo, we got to go to student workshops and a career show. At the career show, we saw many colleges we could attend and businesses we could work at. Overall, my National Convention trip was great and taught me how to #transformffa !