Happy Tuesday All,
Now that we have returned from FFA State Convention, I want to update all of you on how the rest of our time there went! Firstly, I am extremely proud of all 16 of our students. Not only did they work hard in the events that they participated in, but they were amazing representatives of our Brewster Community. They were respectful, kind, and positive examples of who our Brewster Students are.
Our students also tried their hearts out in everything they did this year. Our Food Science Team (Jessica Perez, Bryan Rosales, Antonia Hernandez, Demian Garcia, and Stephanie Arreola) placed 9th out of 44 teams! They were one short of getting on stage, but still proud of how many teams they performed better than. It was an extremely competitive year, and they are hopeful to get on stage next year. Additionally, as an individual, Bryan ended up tying for the first-place spot (tie breaker went to the other student so he is coming home with a 2nd place plaque). This is an amazing feat since there were 200 competitors in the contest.
Our Meat Science Team (Alan Pacheco, Rafael Cruz, Kayla Sanchez, and Alexa Maceda) is proud to say they made the Top 8 this year and were able to go on stage to be recognized at the general session on Saturday Night! All 4 kids (which is 2 less than most teams) were ecstatic when I told them we made it. They worked hard this year and are glad that Raf was able to be a part of this moment since he graduates this year. The others are already scheming for how to beat Cashmere next year (who is led by the ag teacher that I had in HS and why I may be a little competitive in this particular contest). We brought home 8th place hardware that we will be proudly displaying for anyone who is interested.
I am still receiving texts about Angel Rincon's performance on Thursday Night. Not only did he blow us away with his skills, but it meant so much to our community and to other chapters with Spanish-speaking students to have him sing a song in Spanish. Angel Rincon wowed us again by performing a second song during the Saturday Night Session. He was then announced as the second-place talent winner on stage and will be applying for a National FFA Talent Spot for this Fall. If accepted, this would mean a trip to Indianapolis, Indiana to attend the National FFA Convention and perform on stage in front of thousands of FFA Members from all over the Country. We are incredibly proud of how brave Lalo has been and cannot wait to see him continue!
Mr. D coached our BBQ team (Fred Angel, Angel Rincon, Domingo Cazares, Diego Guzman, and Jorge Samperio) to give it their all and they made some very tasty St. Louis Style Ribs on Friday. They are still upset that "they got robbed" and did not get top 4. Apparently, everyone who tasted their ribs said they were the best ribs they had ever tasted, but I cannot confirm as they did not tell me they had saved me a rib to try until the next day.. After it had been sitting in the car for more than 12 hours... They sure had a ton of fun doing this contest and met many new friends from other chapters.
Our Chapter all came together Wednesday Night, led by Jenni Churape, to complete the Chapter Scrapbook commemorating everything our FFA Chapter did this year. While the scrapbook did not place in the contest she entered it in, it sure was fun to watch the kids all have a hand in making the pages of memories and Jenni is already making plans to do better next year.
Lastly, Engelver (Fernando) Ramirez attended State Convention as our Chapter Delegate. A Chapter Delegate serves as the voice for their chapter, discussing and voting on important FFA Issues. They must have a knowledge of parliamentary procedure, be friendly and positive, responsible, organized, and be good representatives of their Chapter and FFA as a whole. Fernando went above and beyond his duties as a delegate, making hundreds of new friends from other chapters, actively participating in discussions and asking important questions, and made an effort to engage with important FFA People during the entirety of the convention. I received multiple texts and phone calls from ag teachers, professors, and state officers telling me just how wonderful Fernando was during the entire convention. He has said that "FFA State Convention reminded him of why he loves FFA so much and can't wait to go back next year and serve his chapter as best as he can for upcoming year."
Outside of the contests and events that students participated in, they attended workshops teaching them about leadership, finding purpose in their life, planning for their futures, how to communicate, and much more. They also went on tours around WSU and met with many businesses and colleges within WSU to see potential departments/careers they may be interested in joining. They also just had a lot of fun exploring and spending time with each other.
I want to give a big thank you to the High School Teachers/Staff who were patient with us as 16 students missed 3 days of school for this event. I know that it adds to your workload when that many students are gone at the same time and I want you to know how much we and our students appreciate you for supporting them attending.
If you are interested in seeing some photos from the convention, here is a google drive you can view them in (too many to attach): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wJU9F3fOjtTDiQHKItqX9a9UALRQ_x6J?usp=sharing
If you have any questions or want to talk more about this experience, please don't hesitate to reach out!
Warmly,
Natasha Hemmer