FFA members recognized for their accomplishments

Talawanda FFA continues its long-running success story with awards and honors and celebrated more of the same March 21 at its 58th annual Parent/Member Banquet.

The evening began with a catered meal in the Talawanda High School gymnasium and moved to the auditorium for the meeting and awards recognition which, as usual, included an impressive array of accomplishments by members at the district, state and national levels.

Members of the retiring officer team started the program in a fun, musical entrance but quickly got down to business and the evening ended with those officers installing their successors, who took over for the 2015-16 year.

In between were presentation of memorial scholarships, honorary memberships, recognition of the past year’s accomplishments, honoring of the top students in each class and a “Year in Review” slide show recapping events of the chapter.

Outgoing president Kait Butterfield was presented with the Jacquemin and Zimmerman Heart & Spirit Award for embodying the hard work and spirit of now-retired FFA advisors Jack Jacquemin and Dan Zimmerman.

It was the third year the award has been presented and current advisor Mike Derringer said it was created to honor the two former advisors for all their work over the years with the chapter and recognize the efforts of an “FFA member who is the face of the organization.”

While she presented many awards at the program as president, Butterfield was also the recipient of many for her accomplishments in the past year, either individually or as a member of various competition teams.

One highlight of the program was the appearance of one of last year’s Heart & Spirit Award winners, Regan Coleman, who graduated last May and was involved in a serious car crash in November. She was in the hospital until just recently and was brought to the FFA program in a wheelchair.

She read a statement thanking the FFA members for their support while she was hospitalized, making donations to help with medical bills, writing cards and offering help to her and her family.

Advisors Sara Casto and Derringer took turns presenting the member honors, but Casto summed up the program best.

“Saying this was a great year is an understatement,” Casto said.

Butterfield was also the recipient of one of eight memorial scholarships given each year to FFA seniors as they head toward graduation. She was presented with the Les Judd Memorial Scholarship.

Another member of the 2014-15 officer team also received a scholarship as reporter Cheyenne Jones was presented with the Dwain Freels Memorial Scholarship, honoring another former FFA advisor.

The other senior scholarship winners were: Kayla Watson, who received the Becky Miller Memorial Scholarship; Paul Taulbee, recipient of the Tari Vollmer Memorial Scholarship; Evan Hurley, the Gordon Butterfield Memorial Scholarship; Olivia Dowers, the Tim Gabbard Memorial Scholarship; Courtney Alexander, the Don Lake Memorial Scholarship; and Annie Batdorf and Blake Bolton, who both received money from the Doug Vizedom Memorial Scholarship fund.

Butterfield, Hurley, Watson and Jones were among the six FFA members, along with Joe Schulte and Bonnie Flaig honored by the advisors as Outstanding Seniors, with Jones honored as the chapter’s Star Senior from among that group.

Emma Sterwerf was chosen by the advisors as the chapter’s Star Junior from among a group of six Outstanding Juniors, which also included Natalie Bays, Casey Jackson, Madison Jones, Jenny McFarland and Andrew Schlichter.

Eight were honored as Outstanding Sophomores—Morgan Abrams, Nick Carr, Brandon Eschenbrenner, Austin Garner, Emily Mullen, Jacob Schlichter, AJ Schwab and Alaina Wright. The Star Sophomore award was shared by Carr and Mullen.

Two Star Greenhands were also honored by the advisors, who selected them from among six first-year members of FFA. Sarah Allen and Eric Glaab shared the Star award. Also recognized as Outstanding Greenhands were Jon Caudill, Tony Dsuban, Ben Eichler and Emily Jones.

The chapter’s Star Entrepreneurship award was presented to Andrew Schlichter and the Star Placement award went to Emily Mullen. The Star Chapter Farmer award was presented to Jenny McFarland.

The chapter also held induction ceremonies for three honorary members—Toni Schwab, who has continued to help the chapter even after her own children graduated from the program; high school guidance department head Marianne Marconi and school secretary Paula Hedgepeth.

Installation of the new officer team saw junior Luke Woodruff take over as president for the coming year.

He presented a welcome at the beginning of the meeting and, as part of the tradition of FFA, his father gave remarks following his.

His father, Matt Woodruff, praised the FFA as an organization that helps students bond and learn as well as excel in other areas, including public speaking and various judging categories.

“I’m glad the FFA family has been there for Luke,” the father told the audience. “Everyone can find an interest of your own in FFA.”

At the back of the stage was a banner hanging over the festivities that read: “Go All Out! Go All Out as you live your lives. Motivate yourselves and put everything you have into everything you do. Be determined. Know no bounds. Take action.”

In her opening remarks, the outgoing president, Kait Butterfield alluded to that theme telling everyone, “We will show you how your sons and daughters have been going all out. You are about to go all out with FFA.”

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