Buckeye Career Center FFA honors students at annual banquet

NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio – “Ohio FFA – 75 Years – One Mission: Student Success” was the theme for the 28th annual Buckeye Career Center FFA Chapter parent-member banquet held May 13, with 183 members and guests attending.

Recognition. Among those recognized were Johnna Mangun and Dustin Henry who will receive their American FFA Degree at the National FFA Convention this fall. Both were from Carrollton High School.

Mangun was enrolled in equine management at Buckeye. She received her State FFA Degree in 2001.

Henry was enrolled in environmental sciences and natural resources at Buckeye. He received his State FFA Degree in 2003.

DeKalb Award. David Mellinger of Dundee was recognized for receiving his State FFA Degree at the 2004 State FFA Convention.

He is a student at Garaway High School and enrolled in the ag mechanics department at Buckeye Career Center.

Mellinger also received the DeKalb Agricultural Accomplishment Award presented to the outstanding agricultural student each year. He received a pin and certificate and his name will be engraved on the school plaque.

In addition, Mellinger received the Outstanding Officer Award as chapter vice president.

He also received the Chapter Scholarship Award for maintaining a 3.59 grade point average while attending the Buckeye Career Center.

Chapter stars. The Buckeye FFA Chapter has developed two Star Chapter awards, most outstanding and most improved, for juniors and seniors.

The most outstanding awards are based on FFA participation, skills, occupational experience program, grades, and the instructor’s evaluation.

Receiving the most outstanding member awards were Nathan Morris and Jeremy Hadden, natural resources; Amanda Bourne and Nicole Betz, landscaping;

Nikita Beamer and PeeJay Imes, floriculture; Richard Campbell and Derek Elefritz, food processing; Debra Derheimer and Brittney Perry, equine management;

Josh Dryden and David Mellinger, ag mechanics; and Thomas Catheart, VRP.

Improvement. Members honored for showing the most improvement in leadership and participation in the classroom lab and the FFA were Josh Baker and Rick Lahmers, ag mechanics;

Shelly Baker and Andy Yosick, equine; Beth Thompson and Lindsy McIntire, floriculture; Khristina Monigold and Chris Green, food processing;

Amanda Rothacher and Josh Dombosky, landscaping; and Sarah Bywater and John Walton, natural resources.

Scholarship awards. Chapter scholarship awards went to:

Vocational readiness: Tom Cathcart and Chastity Arthurs.

Floriculture: Tracy Lippencott and Rachel Sharpless, Level 1; Paula Imes and Cynthia Roahrig, Level 2.

Equine management: Greg Murphy and Jessie Gladman, Level 1; Nicole McBride and Brittany Perry, Level 2.

Natural resources: Andrew Newsome and Nathan Morris, Level 1; Jeremy Hadden and Jason Maney, Level 2.

Landscaping: Amanda Bourne and Delbert Wood, Level 1; Jamie Heid and Jayme Standiford, Level 2.

Food processing: Khristina Monigold and Brandi Leglise, Level 1; Anthony Jett and Jaime Stanley, Level 2.

Ag mechanics: Josh Baker and Josh Dryden, Level 1; David Mellinger and Don Patterson, Level 2.

Officer awards. The state FFA association recognizes local chapter secretaries, reporters and treasurers who have done outstanding jobs during their term in office. The officers will each receive a medal from the state association.

Kristin Adams, treasurer, and Lacy Burrows, reporter, each received a silver rating and Jayme Standiford, secretary, received an honorable mention.

Chosen to reign as the 2004 king was Andrew Givens from Sandy Valley High School.

Queen Sarah Bywater is from Tusky Valley.

Members of the royal court were Elizabeth Coombs, Dover; Jessie Gladman, Harrison Central; Debra Derheimer, Carrollton; Nikita Beamer, Garaway; Greg Murphy, Dover; and Cody Hershberger, Garaway.

Proficiency. Proficiency awards were presented to a number of students based on supervised agriculture experience program.

Mellinger won in three areas: Ag mechanics design and fabrication, dairy production entrepreneur and diversified crop production.

Don Patterson won in two areas, ag mechanics repair and maintenance and dairy production placement.

Others earning proficiency awards were: Beth Thompson, agriculture sales; Nicole McBride, agricultural services; Debra Derheimer, diversified agriculture production; Andrew Yosick, equine science placement;

Gavin McLaughlin, equine science entrepreneur; Lacey Burrows, floriculture placement; PeeJay Imes, floriculture entrepreneur; Kevin Downes, forest management and products;

Amanda Bourne, nursery operations; Jessie Gladman, outdoor recreation; David Blackwell and Greg Murphy, small animal production and care; and Amber Payton, specialty animal production.

Judging teams. The chapter had a total of 12 judging teams participating in district and in some state contests.

The agriculture engineering technology team members Sarah Bywater, David Mellinger, Cody Hershberger, Josh Dryden, and Andy Givens, placed second in the district.

The agriculture mechanics skills team members Dryden, Mellinger, Mike McIntire and Don Patterson placed first in the district and first in the state.

In individual judging, Dryden placed third in the state and Mellinger, fifth.

Envirothon team members Jeremy Hadden, Jason Maney, John Walton, Jesse Husk, Nathan Morris and Sarah Bywater placed first out of 50 teams in Area 3. The team will compete in the state contest June 13-15.

More winners. Forestry team members Hadden, Maney, Morris, Bywater, Phillip Mozena, Husk, Andrew Newsome, Nakia Echelberry, Josh Marshall and Walton placed second in the district and fifth in the state.

The landscaping program entered a demonstration team in the tech-prep contest. Team members Bourne, Tosha Dulkowski, Nikki Betz and Amanda Rothacher placed first in state competition.

Participants in tractor trouble shooting, Mellinger, Patterson, Dryden and Mike McIntire placed second in the district.

Derheimer and Bourne competed in the job interview contest and won in their taxonomy area in the district contest. At the state contest, Derheimer placed fourth in animal care, and Bourne, fifth in horticulture.

The nature interpretation team of Brad Thompson, Liz Coombs, Jared Bennington, Bywater, Newsome, Hadden, Husk, Morris, Marshall and Walton which finished 11th in the state contest.

The wildlife management team of Hadden, Morris, Husk and Thompson finished fourth in the state contest.

The parliamentary procedure team consisting of the 2003-2004 officers received a gold rating in the district.

Sales. The five top salespeople in the Florida citrus fruit and apple basket sales were: Delbert Woods, 37 cases and baskets; Connie McCune, 32 cases and baskets; Stephanie Andrews, 29.5 cases and baskets; Dustin Vance, 22 cases and baskets; and Jason Maney, 17 cases and baskets.

New officers. The 2004-2005 officers installed were: Amanda Bourne, president; Debra Derheimer, vice president; Jessie Gladman, secretary; Sarah Bywater, treasurer; David Blackwell and Greg Murphy, reporters; Josh Dryden, sentinel; and Andrew Givens, student adviser.

Honorary awards. The new officers presented plaques to the Honorary Chapter Degree recipients Betty Aylsworth, the Rev. Jeffery Gerber, Tom Sprowls and Bob Vaughn.

Buckeye Chapter FFA members recognized Wayne Burky who is retiring after 30 years as the ag and diesel mechanics instructor. A special video of his life prepared by his daughters was shown by a former student, Sharon Green Gibson, who is now floriculture instructor at Buckeye.