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Kelseyville High School FFA achieves despite COVID-19
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Although challenges posed by the pandemic prevented some students from achieving their goals this year, Kelseyville High School FFA students had a busy and productive year, said FFA advisers and agriculture instructors Donelle McCallister, Heather Koschik and Mike Zeni.
Kelseyville has a reputation for a strong FFA program, which the advisers attribute to the hard work of the students and the consistent support of school and district administrators.
KHS Principal Mike Jones was selected as the 2021 North Coast FFA Region Star Administrator and Kelseyville Unified School District Superintendent Dave McQueen has been a vocal supporter of the program for years.
According to its mission statement, the National FFA Organization is “dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.”
This is done through a combination of classroom learning, FFA participation, and Supervised Agriculture Experience, or SAE, projects.
In order to offer an FFA program, high schools must have a certified and approved agriculture program.
McCallister said, “Even though the pandemic affected our schools, several agriculture students maintained SAE projects in livestock, horticulture, ag mechanics, and work experience.” At the 2020 Lake County Fair, for example, FFA students competed in market hogs, market steers, and rabbits with the following results:
— Grand Champion Market Steer and 1st in Showmanship: Laynie Wright.
— Grand Champion Market Hog: Robin Adams.
— Reserved Grand Market Hog: Laynie Wright.
— Hog Showmanship: 11 of the 14 students with hogs received showmanship pins.
— Reserved Grand Champion Rabbit Meat Pen: Katey Brown.
Students also participated in activities such as operating the Wildhurst Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze in fall, donating toys for Lake County shelters in winter, selling thousands of plants they had grown during a two-day sale in spring, and assisting at the Lake County Gleaners with food packaging and delivery days in summer.
Although FFA officers always take on significant responsibility to manage their 300-student membership, the officers elected in May of 2020 had to overcome restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
The following students developed a program of activities and successfully ran monthly chapter meetings using Google Classroom: President Hanna Scully; Vice President Laynie Wright; Secretary Dallis Beverlin; Reporter Iyali Aguirre; Reporter Robin Adams; Treasurer Jenna Williams; Treasurer Omar Cacho; Sentinel Steven Frace; and ASB representative Macy Holt.
Four KHS students received their State FFA degree, a rare accomplishment with only 3 percent of the membership achieving this honor each year: Omar Cacho, Iyali Aguirre, Kaylie Davis, and Victor Sepulveda.
Requirements for the degree include completing two years of ag and earning or investing $1,000 in SAE; working in excess of 300 hours beyond school in SAE; 50 hours of community service participation in local-and-above chapter activities; completing agriculture experience tracker record books and submitting the books and applications.
Because FFA recognizes the importance of leadership, it hosts competitions to encourage public speaking, a key leadership skill.
At the Mendo/Lake FFA Section Job Interview Contest, Hanna Scully placed first and Iyali Aguirre placed second. At the Mendo/Lake Impromptu Speaking Contest, Steven Frace placed first.
In March, KHS junior Iyali Aguirre was elected as North Coast FFA Regional President for the 2021-22 school year, representing 38 North Coast FFA chapters. Aguirre was then selected to serve on the State FFA Nominating Committee interviewing 49 potential State Officer candidates to select 12 for the State ballot.
The 12 members of the State Nominating Committee selected Aguirre to announce the candidates for ballot and approval of the committee report during the State FFA Conference.
In March, KHS senior Hanna Scully was selected as the North Coast Regional winner in a proficiency award in Agricultural Services based on her work at her family-owned pear packing shed, Scully Packing. Based on her regional performance, she competed at the state level in May where she was announced as the winner.
She is currently in the process of submitting an application for the National Proficiency competition. Scully also won a State FFA Scholarship, the Mabel W. Jacks Memorial State Scholarship.
Kelseyville High School’s ag program features a two-acre ag farm on the high school campus with a livestock barn where students can keep and care for projects, a 7,000-square-foot greenhouse that recently got a permanent roof, a one-acre Sauvignon Blanc vineyard, a show ring, gardens, and more.
KHS also has a new ag mechanics shop, one of the projects funded by Measure U, the $24 million bond measure passed in 2016. The shop allows students to gain practical skills in woodworking, ag, metals, and mechanics.
“We cannot thank our community enough for their support,” McCallister said.