Two Hermiston FFA Chapter teams, along with FFA Advisor Sandy McKay and Coach Kennidy Baker, recently returned home after competing successfully at the 96th annual National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind.
The Parliamentary Procedure Team, made up of juniors Elle Blakely, Cozette Cooley, Payton Howard, Alexis Castillo, Jaydan McKim and Addison Garberg, made its second appearance in two years. This team won the Oregon state title as sophomores, earning the privilege of competing at the national convention. The team received the Silver Award for reaching the second highest tier based on test scores and team presentation.
“These young ladies are truly special,” said McKay. “As freshmen they won the Oregon state title in the Conduct of Chapter Meetings (beginning Parli-Pro) contest and went on to the semi-finals in the national competition. Last year they came in as sophomores and beat out much older and more experienced teams from around the state to win the Advanced Parliamentary Procedure contest.”
McKay pointed out that very few teenagers are willing to commit to two years of hard work to reach the pinnacle of competition, but these girls did it. “It has been great to watch them grow into more than just a team; the strength of the bond they have developed with each other is amazing and I could not be any more proud of them than I am.”
This year’s Conduct of Chapter Meetings team also won at the district, sectional and state levels to earn the right to represent Oregon at the national convention. This team is made up of sophomores who won their state title as ninth-graders and consists of Catherine Doherty, Delaney Wieseler, Keegin Keely, Gabrielle Mendoza, Hunter Hansell, Taylor Blackburn and Balie Wilson. The team advanced from the first round of competition as the highest scoring team in their flight to compete in the semi-final round and were recognized with a Gold Award, marking them as one of the top 10 teams in the nation.
Additionally, team member Taylor Blackburn earned special recognition by getting a perfect score on the knowledge test. “Out of 308 competitors, only six achieved a perfect score on the written test. It’s designed to be a tough test and I am so proud of Taylor for her amazing achievement,” McKay said.
The Conduct of Chapter Meetings contest was introduced in Oregon two years ago, and the Hermiston chapter has been fortunate enough to represent Oregon at the national level both years. Said McKay, “As an FFA advisor, it’s great to be a part of something this special. It is rare to win back-to-back state titles in any event, but even rarer to win in a contest with as many moving parts as Conduct. Coach Kennidy Baker and I are beyond proud of our teams and look forward to molding this year’s greenhands into a team that can make a run at a third straight trip to nationals.”
