FFA Competed at District Leadership Event
On Wednesday, December 17, FFA members participated in the District Leadership Development Events that were held at The Leadership Center in Aurora. Members had the opportunity to showcase their speaking skills through events such as the Creed, Junior and Senior Public Speaking, Employment Skills, Agriculture Demonstrations, and Parliamentary Procedures.
The Creed competition consists of reciting the FFA Creed that was written by E.M. Tiffany followed by answering questions about how members believe the words of the creed affects each individual. Luke Janzen and Jagger Regier were this year's creed speakers for Heartland. They both received a blue ribbon.
Nebraska FFA holds a Public Speaking contest, split into two categories. Junior Public Speaking is open to freshmen and sophomores. Senior Public Speaking is open to juniors and seniors. Speakers in these contests are able to speak about anything related to agriculture. Willabelle Panko was a finalist for Junior Public Speaking with her speech on vertical farming. Mary Dente received a red ribbon in Senior Public Speaking with her speech on farm succession planning. Emma Ott was named as a state qualifier after receiving a purple ribbon on her speech about the importance of agriculture educators.
Members have a chance to hone their interviewing skills through a mock interview, now known as Employment Skills. David Hiebner received a blue ribbon.
The Ag Demonstration contest allows members to do a demonstration speech that relates to agriculture. Emma Ott and Maddie Janzen demonstrated cooking with kernza and received a purple ribbon.
Finally, members have a chance to demonstrate their knowledge about parliamentary procedure, a way to run meetings efficiently and expediently. Freshmen members competed in Conduct of Chapter Meetings and received a blue. Team members included Luke Janzen, Jagger Regier, Willabelle Panko, Carter Peters, Sydney Rempel, Wyatt Friesen, Roman Wolfe. Sophomores through seniors compete in another variation of the contest, known as parliamentary procedure. This year, Heartland had two teams in parliamentary procedure. Receiving a red ribbon were team members: Andrew Onnen, Grace Splinter, David Hiebner, Riley Quiring, Mary Dente, and Faith Hiebner. Receiving a white ribbon were team members: Brian Bearinger, Rigs Newton, Waylon Tessman, Weston Panko, and Braden Janzen.