FFA students win scholarships
Several Marion County FFA members received awards or scholarships last week at the state FFA convention in Manhattan.
Aidan Cairns of the Marion-Florence chapter received a National FFA Foundation scholarship valued at $1,000 to $5,000.
Dylan Deines of Centre received a $1,000 Ford Trucks scholarship.
MiKayla Deters, also of Marion-Florence, received an Orscheln scholarship of an undisclosed amount.
Carley Stapleford of Marion-Florence received a scholarship to attend a leadership conference this summer in Washington.
Jeremy Hett of Marion-Florence received a state proficiency award in agricultural services for a tree-cutting business he started.
Cairns and Deines were joined by Centre members Cole Methvin, Greg David Oborny, Hannah Peterson, Daniel Rudolph, James Spohn and Cole Srajer and Marion member Cade Harms in receiving state FFA degrees.
Degrees signify that recipients have been in FFA and agricultural education for at least two years, have earned at least $2,000 or worked at least 600 hours in a supervised agricultural experience, and have given a six-minute speech about agriculture or FFA.
They also must have participated in eight different leadership activities, have a “C” average or better in high school, and have demonstrated a record of leadership and community involvement.
Centre FFA members won a 10-team dodgeball tournament. Members of the winning team included Deines, Oborny and Srajer along with Zach Barney, Jensen Riffel, Max Svoboda, Grace Knepp, and Austin Peterson.
Centre’s FFA scrapbook by chapter recorder Payton Harms placed fifth in the state.
Centre FFA members also helped pack 32,000 meals to be donated to Kansas communities.
Marion High School graduate Elizabeth Meyer presided over the convention as one of her final acts at state FFA president.
Other FFA members attending from Marion-Florence included Shelby Cairns, Kaitlyn Goebel, Cassie Meyer, Devin Soyez, Carley Stapleford, and Antone Vinduska.
Mark Meyer and Salem Cairns accompanied the group as sponsors.