Missouri FFA News Releases

COLUMBIA , Mo., April 16, 2009 – Carthage FFA placed 29^th out of 317 chapters in the state, earning a Top Chapter Award at the 81^ST Missouri FFA Convention. Only 10 percent of state chapters receive the Top Chapter Award each year.

Chapter activity awards, sponsored by FCS Financial, are given to chapters achieving excellence in student, chapter and community development. Carthage FFA Chapter advisors are Chris Cloud, Brandon Duff, Tom Howard and Kaylee Stramel.

The Carthage FFA student development activities included sending many members to leadership training, where they learned tools necessary for leadership, teamwork and active participation. Students were also encouraged to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Chapter development activities are designed to promote excellence within the chapter. Members of the Carthage FFA created a website to develop better communication between members and the public concerning the chapter’s activities. The site contains items such as the chapter’s newsletter, calendar of events, photos and advisor information.

Carthage FFA’s community development activities included Food for America and agricultural safety day. Members spoke to 230 third-grade students about food safety, various animal care/products, food origins, chemical look-a-likes and tractor/lawnmower safety.

The top chapters are submitted to the National FFA Organization where they compete for the National FFA Chapter Award. The competition will be this fall at the National FFA convention in Indianapolis, Ind.

The Missouri FFA has 24,410 members representing 317 chapters. The national organization has over 507,000 members representing 7,439 local chapters in 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands .

The FFA Mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

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