Warwick Valley FFA members win leadership contests

Warwick — Several members of the Warwick Valley FFA participated April 5 in the career development events at Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, including the Parliamentary Procedure team, which placed first in the competition. The team, which included Regina Blanco, Katie Brosnan, Jackie Geoghan, Kaare Hansen, Anthony Huscha and Maggie Smith, beat out one from perennial powerhouse Greenville FFA, which has won on the sub-state level for many years. Parliamentary Procedure team runs a mock meeting using Robert’s Rules of Order. One member is the chairperson, another acts as the secretary and the remaining members of the team act as members of an FFA chapter. They make and debate motions given to them by the judges. They also take a test, answer oral questions about the motions used during their presentation and are scored on the minutes from the mock meeting. The Parliamentary Procedure career development event is designed to give high school FFA members an opportunity to develop real world skills in areas of leadership and teamwork. The National FFA Organization provides multiple career development events, ranging from job employment interviews and extemporaneous public speaking to agricultural issues presentations. Students gain valuable life experiences and have the opportunity to win money and recognition as they advance in the levels of competition. In addition to the parliamentary procedure team, Katie Brosnan placed second in the prepared public speaking career development event and continues to hone her speaking skills. In the junior creed speaking event, Regina Blanco placed second and will represent Warwick Valley at the state convention. Two junior members also made it to the sub-state level: Skip Ronne placed third in the junior extemporaneous public speaking contest and was a finalist in the junior prepared public speaking event, while Scarlett Rogers was a finalist in the People in Agriculture poster contest. Each of them look to return next year and qualify for state competition. The first and second place winners of these regional events have qualified to compete at the state level of competition at Canton in early May. This year, the state FFA convention will be attended by more than 800 people. Should any of these students win at the state level, they will have qualified to represent New York at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in October. The National FFA Organization is a youth leadership organization that promotes premiere leadership, personal growth and career success with more than 500,000 members nationwide.