Superintendent’s Spotlight: FFA Floriculture Team

Recently, the Warwick Valley High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) Team traveled to West Springfield, Mass., to compete in the Eastern States Exposition, the Eastern Regional FFA competition known as The Big E.

The Big E is an agricultural competition that welcomes high school students from across the Northeast, with some teams traveling from as far as Virginia and Ohio. The competition features more than 20 career-development contests, where participants engage in hands-on learning and connect with industry professionals. The Warwick Valley team earned its berth in the competition by securing second place at the New York State FFA Convention back in May.

Representing Warwick Valley were Aubrie Andryshak, Kylie Frey, Madeline Hunt and Brielle Walker, advised by WVHS agricultural education teacher Talia Baker. At The Big E, the team competed in the floriculture category, a horticultural discipline focused on cultivating flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and the floral industry.

“Our students faced a variety of challenging events, including a general knowledge exam on floriculture topics, identifying flowers, pests, and diseases, and creating a flower arrangement in just 20 minutes,” said WVHS agriculture ed teacher and team advisor Talia Baker. “Another interesting detail is that this competition is open to the public, so similar to a state fair in that people can walk through and actually interact with the participants.”

The competition tested the team’s skills, with four rigorous, timed stations, each lasting 50 minutes. These included plant and equipment identification, mathematical pricing tasks involving taxes and labor, pest and disease ID, propagation, and hands-on arrangement design. The floriculture Wildcats said it was pretty intense, rotating through stations, handling multiple activities in a single period, and staying focused and accurate under time constraints.

“We had to keep track of so many details at once, from identifying plants to making sure our math was right,” said Brielle about the fast pace and variety of the contest.

Why FFA? Team members share their stories

Each of the four team members came to FFA for different reasons, but all were motivated by a love of hands-on learning, agriculture, and the opportunity to try something new.

“I’ve always wanted to do FFA because I love learning by doing, especially when it comes to working with flowers and horses,” said Aubrie.

Kylie was introduced to FFA when Baker needed volunteers for a quiz bowl team. She found herself drawn to the collaborative and supportive environment.

“I joined FFA because a teacher encouraged me to try something new; now I can’t imagine high school without it,” Kylie said.

Madeline joined alongside friends and quickly discovered that the club’s activities helped her become more confident and outgoing.

“FFA gave me the chance to step outside my comfort zone and really connect with people,” she shared.

Brielle joined FFA with her peers and found that working on floral arrangements and team projects was both rewarding and inspiring.

“I never expected to enjoy the teamwork part as much as I do, but it’s helped me become a better collaborator,” Brielle reflected.

Skills that last a lifetime

The students quickly pointed out that FFA has given them much more than technical knowledge. Aubrie also said that taking part has helped her grow as a leader and teammate.

“I’ve learned how to speak up, lead, and also listen to others, which will help me no matter what I do,” she said.

Madeline, who also studies in Baker’s Landscape Equipment Repair class, reflected on how FFA has helped her become more comfortable meeting new people and speaking in front of groups. She said that whether she’s giving a speech or working on a project in another class, she carries herself with much more confidence now.

So does Brielle, who feels like FFA has also taught her how to work better with others, which she knows will prepare her for possible future educational and career pathways.

“Whether I go into floriculture or not, the teamwork and problem-solving I’ve learned doing FFA are going to be useful,” she said.

Kylie nodded in agreement, adding, “You learn things in FFA that you end up using everywhere—at home, in school, and I’m sure later in life.”

Looking to the future

The four sophomores are looking forward to multiple classes and competitive seasons ahead of them, and hope their seeds of success continue to flourish. Coming up, they will decorate the judges’ area for the annual homecoming parade on September 26. But they will mainly gain new knowledge and skills in the classroom over the next few months.

“In the fall and winter, we focus mostly on learning new things, but when the spring comes, we contribute floral design to just about every major district event there is,” said Ms. Baker. She also noted that the team’s Big E experience gave them valuable insight into what competition judges are looking for, setting them up for even more future successes.

“It was awesome. The team finished among the top eight, and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Baker said. “They came home inspired and motivated, and they definitely have their sights set on Nationals next year!”