Waitsburg FFA Fares Well at State

WAITSBURG – Thirteen Waitsburg FFA members spent Thursday through Saturday at the State FFA Convention in Pullman. The team walked away with a several awards including another Nutrients for Life win. Local FFA President Mikala DeRuwe had the distinguished honor of making it to the finals as a top-10 state officer candidate.

Waitsburg earned third place and a check for $1,000 for this year's Nutrients for Life Project. The project, spearheaded by DeRuwe, involved partnering with local ag companies who taught high school plant and ag science students about the role fertilizer plays in the food cycle. Those students then presented what they had learned at a Community Information Night.

DeRuwe was honored to be a state officer finalist at the convention. Twenty-three candidates began the process of competing for a state officer position, which included a written test on FFA history, a five-minute interview, a group activity and a 15-minute interview. DeRuwe was one of the remaining candidates as the list was dropped from 23 to 10.

Candidates then presented a speech and chapter members voted on six officers. DeRuwe spoke on Celebrities in Agriculture and encouraged fellow FFA members to participate in one new CDE (Career Development Event) next year to explore a new area of agriculture. DeRuwe was not chosen as one of the six final officers, but was pleased to have gotten so close.

Other state prizes, awards, and recognitions include: Mikala DeRuwe - Beef Proficiency (1st Place Gold, moving to nationals); Emily Adams - Scrapbook (5th); Emily Adams, Jared Farley, Caitlyn Jones - Marketing Plan (14th); Tristan Newman, Anissa Holmbert, Tyler Brooks, Timber Froherich, Nick Kitselman - Meats Evaluation (14th); Luke Alexenko - Swine Proficiency; Megan Morrison, Hannah Grant - State Degree; Mikala DeRuwe - Prepared Public Speaking (15th).

Also, Tristan Newman, Luke Alexenko, Tom House and Megan Morrison helped with the Little Farmers teaching elementary students about lentils.