“Maclaine represented the state of Colorado very, very well,” said Trina Smith, FFA adviser and agriculture instructor for Meeker High School. “She competed against 47 other speakers and placed bronze in the competition.
“She presented the creed the very best that she’s ever done,” Smith said. “There are over 550,000 FFA members nationwide and she was in competition with the top 47 members of those 550,000; an amazing accomplishment.”
The FFA Creed is a five-paragraph speech that all first-year students in agriculture education are required to learn. Written by E.M. Tiffany, the FFA Creed has been part of FFA since it was officially adopted by the organization 80 years ago at the third national convention.
For the past 80 years, students have been learning about, memorizing, and presenting the FFA Creed. This creed is important to the organization because it outlines our mission and beliefs for agriculture. It also addresses the value of agriculture to the American economy and the hard work it takes to provide food and fiber to the world.
All Ag I members across the nation at one time or another memorize the FFA Creed; then compete in a creed speaking competition where they orally present the creed and answer a number of impromptu questions about the creed.
Shults won the Meeker FFA Chapter and district competitions in fall 2009; allowing her to advance to the state level.
After constant studying and practice, she competed in the state creed speaking contest held at the 2010 Colorado State FFA Convention and came out victorious.
— Lindzey Patterson
MEEKER y For the past eight months, our chapter president, Caleb Dodds, and agriculture education instructor Trina Smith have cared for the Meeker FFA garden, planting, transplanting, weeding and watering the pumpkins, tomatoes and watermelons.
Dodds’ SAE of vegetable production eventually hopes to contribute to the farmers’ market, as well as support various community projects.
During sixth hour on Sept. 29 as well as Sept. 30, Dodds and Smith’s agriculture communication class readied the school garden pumpkins for the preschoolers at the Meeker Elementary School. Smith’s students harvested 71 pumpkins, washing away the dirt before hauling them to Dodds’ pickup and unloading them into the preschool classrooms.
The preschool is hoping to team up with the Meeker FCCLA Chapter to provide each preschool student an opportunity to decorate his or her very own pumpkin prior to Halloween.
“I can’t believe that we were able to harvest 71 pumpkins and 10 watermelon from our garden. Garden-grown watermelon in Meeker. . . who would have thought it possible?” said Dodds, when asked about the success of the garden project.
The members of the Meeker FFA Chapter hope to make the pumpkin patch an annual project and hopes to expand the garden next year to include zucchini and lettuce as well as increase our pumpkin production with the hope to eventually open the pumpkin patch to the community, so everyone is offered their own homegrown pumpkin.
This project, nurtured by Dodds and Smith, included the agriculture communication class in what we hope to be the first of a long, living community project.
— Lindzey Patterson
MEEKER y The second annual Mr. Meeker FFA Beauty Pageant will be Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. at the exhibit hall at the fairgrounds.
Watch the men of the Meeker FFA Chapter compete for the crown and title of Mr. Meeker FFA. The theme will be Hawaiian, and includes various competitive events including casual wear, theme wear, swimwear and formalwear; competitors will also showcase a special talent they possess.
Make plans to come out and enjoy the entertainment and dinner — complete with tri-tips, potato salad, fruit, rolls, dessert and drinks.
Tickets are $10 per person; approximately 250 tickets will be sold, so get your ticket early. All FFA members will have tickets available for purchase.
The money raised from this event will pay for state and national membership and affiliation fees for the 2010-2011 school year. Any additional funds raised will be used for student travel to district and state career development events.
— John Abbott
