SALINEVILLE, Ohio — The Southern Local High School FFA chapter obtained grant funding for a program designed to support both students and the community. The organization received a $3,500 Ohio FFA Foundation Chapter Success Grant to build sustainable relationships and programs through a new hydroponics project.
FFA Advisor Shelley Pirogowicz said proposals were submitted from chapters across the state and a total of 19 recipients earned allocations, ranging from $1,000 to $4,000. Students will grow a variety of lettuce, green beans, broccoli and green onions but also plan to add strawberries and cilantro into the mix. Pirogowicz said the project will teach students about alternative plant cultivation methods and food preservation techniques that could be applied both at school and at home.
The Ohio FFA Foundation’s Chapter Success Grants program is made possible by support from Heritage Cooperative, Ohio Department of Agriculture and Trillium Farms.
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ASHVILLE, Ohio — The Teays Valley FFA Animal and Plant Science class has been busy exploring the fascinating world of animal digestion through a series of hands-on dissections. Over the past few weeks, students have been studying the digestive systems of ruminants, monogastric animals, avians and pseudo-ruminants, combining classroom learning with engaging labs and dissections to bring the material to life.
The class participated in a sensory lab designed to mimic the textures and smells of a ruminant stomach. Totes filled with everyday items like waffles, hair gel, hay, plastic wrap, and shower mats were hidden under trash bags. Students used only their sense of touch and smell to identify which stomach compartment the tote represented — reticulum, rumen, omasum or abomasum. This interactive activity helped set the stage for the dissections that followed.
The class began with cow eyes, a smaller dissection to familiarize students with tools like scalpels and scissors. Students had the chance to push out the eye’s lens and observe how it magnifies text, offering a unique perspective on how the eye works. Next, they tackled fetal pigs — stillborn animals repurposed for educational purposes. As monogastric animals, the pigs provided an opportunity to study the entire digestive system and, for those with extra time, even explore the brain.
The final and most challenging dissection was the ruminant stomach, donated by local butcher shop Train Station Meats and Market. The stomach, which is divided into four compartments, was dissected by Ms. Bowens, Teays Valley’s new agriculture teacher and a graduate of Ohio State University. Students observed the differences between the compartments and identified each one through sight and touch.
This unit not only provided valuable hands-on experience but also deepened students’ understanding of animal anatomy and digestion, tying together theoretical and practical learning in a memorable way.
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NEW LEXINGTON, Ohio — The New Lexington FFA Novice Parliamentary Procedure Team competed at the state level Dec. 7 and won their room, giving them the opportunity to participate in the finals. They ended up placing second in the state. The team included Maddy Metzger, Lillian Wagner, Ali Brown, Londyn Heavener, Cece Gable, Leena Hennen, Reagan Schulthesis, Cord Shriner, Ethan Harmon and Dilan Graf.
The New Lexington Advanced Parliamentary Procedure Team competed at the state level Dec. 14. This team won their room and quickly prepared for the finals, winning first place. This team of veterans includes Mia Metzger, Ayelen Fink, Michael Steele, Kelsie Moore, Rosella Bateson and Arleigh Gibson. The team also had tremendous support from alternates Kira Sidwell, Wesley Friece and Alex Thorngate. This win secured them a spot at the National FFA Convention next fall.
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MILLERSBURG, Ohio — The West Holmes FFA chapter traveled to Ashland High School to attend a leadership night Dec. 4. Sixteen members attended the leadership night hosted by State Treasurer Layna Gordon, State President Anna Moeller and State Vice President at-large Josie Jennings. Members in attendance included Ava Eberhard, Claire Drzazga, Shane Lorentz, Blake Patterson, Steven Grandstaff, Bri Poventud, Landrie Croskey, Hayden Smith, Logan Van Dalen, Mia Spencer, Emma Eberhard, Courtney Crider, Cadence Martie, Ellectra Beachy, Rayne Larimore and Makenzie Mast.
MILLERSBURG, Ohio —The West Holmes FFA held its annual fruit sale and spent Dec. 13 at the Holmes County Fairgrounds creating buckets, bags and boxes of fruit. The members then delivered all their fruit to their buyers. The group sold 562.8 cases of fruit, 3,050 tins of nuts, blocks of cheese, rings of trail bologna and bottles of maple syrup for a total sale of $53,843 and a profit of almost $14,000. The top five salesmen were Andi Schuch, Jenna Sheldon, Ian Barr, Bri Poventud and Keith Hawkins.
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CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — During the December chapter meeting, members of the Zane Trace FFA assembled clean-up buckets full of supplies such as trash bags, sponges, soap, clothespins, gloves and other items to help with natural disaster relief efforts. The buckets will be donated to CROP-CWS Charity, which distributes them in areas affected by floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters. The funds to assemble the five clean-up kits were raised during last spring’s strawberry sale.
