Gainesville Daily Register
Corpus Christi —
Six members from the Gainesville FFA chapter attended the 82nd annual Texas FFA Convention held July 13-16 in Corpus Christi.
Gainesville FFA members who attended the convention are: Annette Kirk, Charlie Kirk, Sarah Blake, Jordan Hall, Grant Gregory and Payton Carroll.
The 82nd annual Texas FFA Convention recorded 11,120 members and guests. Members of the agricultural youth leadership organization spent the week attending leadership workshops, participating in events and activities, being recognized for their achievements and serving as the legislative body for the Texas FFA Association.
More than $2 million in scholarships were awarded to FFA members and approximately 1,300 members received the Lone Star FFA Degree, the highest degree of active membership bestowed by a state FFA association. More than 700 members were recognized on stage for their accomplishments.
Members also competed for state titles in public speaking and agriscience events. In the interest of premier leadership, personal growth and career success, the Texas FFA Association also offered an opportunity for students to compete in a Spanish version Creed Speaking Event for the first time in its history. The Creed delivery and the five-minute question-answer period were conducted entirely in Spanish.
Texas FFA honored soldiers and all American military service personnel, including Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Donald “Doc” E. Ballard, during the Honoring Our Heroes Ceremony. Colonel Ballard currently serves as Special Assistant to the Adjutant General, making him one of only three Medal of Honor recipients on active service in the United States today.
Members heard from National FFA Western Region Vice President Randa Braune, as well as motivational speakers Josh Sundquist and Albert Mensah.
Texas Country music artist Kyle Park performed for FFA members. Park has written or co-written all 12 songs on his new album, “Anywhere in Texas,” his most recent hit being “Don’t Look.”
The Texas FFA has evolved from an organization focusing primarily on production agriculture, to a broader-based encompassing organization that addresses the needs and interests of students in urban and suburban schools in addition to the rural communities from which FFA rose in 1929.
The transformation of FFA is evident through programs such as the Texas FFA Agriscience Fair. The agriscience fair fuses the traditional science fair with agriculture. FFA members conduct cutting edge agricultural research to compete in categories such as biochemistry, environmental science, zoology, botany and engineering.
The Texas FFA is the nation’s largest state FFA associations with a membership of approximately 74,000 and more than 1,000 local FFA chapters. FFA gives students the opportunity to apply practical classroom knowledge to real world experiences through local, state and national competitions. For more information about the Texas FFA Association visit www.texasffa.org.
