Crookston High School FFA program marks National FFA Week

Times Report

Crookston Times

National FFA Week is February 22-26 and the new Crookston FFA Chapter is celebrating with fun events during the school day. Monday they welcome a guest speaker from Ridgewater College, Tuesday they’ll learn about the “Ag” behind cupcakes and pizza, Wednesday they’ll host a Legislator breakfast, Thursday it’s Ag Olympics, and Friday they’ll have an FFA Jacket coloring contest and Thank A Farmer letters.

Crookston High School’s inaugural officers for the 2020-21 school year have been chosen and they are:

• Victoria Proulx - President

• Libby Salentine - Vice President

• Stella Duden - Secretary

• Linnea French - Treasurer

• Jasmine Haglund - Reporter

• Carter Bruggeman - Sentinel

• Emma Sherman - Historian

• Whitney Rupprecht - Advisor

ADVANCING TO STATE

FFA course participants are advancing to state after recent competitions. Classes and students advancing are as follows:

• 1st Place - Food Science Team: Kenze Epema (4th), Dani Haake (5th), Emily Funk (6th), Jasmine Haglund (18th)

• 1st Place - Prepared Public Speaking: Victoria Proulx

• 2nd Place - Extemporaneous Speaking: Linnea French

• 4th Place - Wildlife Team: Riley Helgeson, Tim Brule, Malakai Hanson (8th individually)

• 4th Place - Nursery Landscape Team: Joslynn Leach, Claire Oman, Libby Salentine, Carter Nelson

• 5th Place - Employment Skills: Alyssa Schwede

• 6th Place - Individual Small Animals: Bailee Klinnert

• 8th Place - Floriculture Team: Ellyn Adams, Hayley Leckie

• 12th Place - Ag Mechanics: Weston Benoit, Lucas Hall, Alvin Killough, Michael Miller, Dylan Thode

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

• FFA members selected to receive a FREE FFA jacket as part of the Blue Jackets Bright Futures Scholarship from the Minnesota FFA Foundation were Timothy Brule, Taylor Schulz, Dakota Laughery, Nveah Hampton, and Zachary Simpson-Gibson

• Crookston FFA was selected to receive a $1,500 Legacy grant from the MN FFA Foundation

• AgCountry donated FFA student handbooks for the start of the program

• Crookston FFA received a grant from USDA to cover the cost of FFA membership for the next three years

• Polk County Soybean-Corn Growers donates $250 to the FFA chapter for jackets and leadership events

• The AgEd classroom received a grant to purchase two Cricut Makers for projects

• The AgEd classroom received a grant to purchase landscaping supplies

• Students were able to take classes like Intro to Ag, Food Science, Food Creations, Leadership 101, Floral Design and Landscape Design

Crookston High School FFA Advisor Whitney Rupprecht, left, is pictured with the chapter’s inaugural officers. Left to right are Carter Bruggeman, Sentinel; Emma Sherman, Historian; Jasmine Haglund, Reporter; Victoria Proulx, President; Stella Duden, Secretary; and, Linnea French, Treasurer. Libby Salentine, not pictured, is Vice President.