Opheim FFA Students Compete in Sidney

Many people think there are fewer opportunities in small schools. They might be right for some schools, but in Opheim, there seems to be plenty to do. Between basketball, BPA, honor concerts and FFA, sometimes it is hard to find any students left in the building. Such was the case when the FFA chapter traveled to Sidney for a Floriculture and Mechanics competition on Jan. 21. Eight students, along with an advisor, a chaperone, and a bus driver, caught the early bus leaving at 5:30 a.m. No one wanted to miss the opportunity to compete.

The Mechanic’s team had a JV and Varsity team. The Varsity team included Cole Taylor, Dylan Benner, Zach Fauth and Taylor Nelson. The JV Mechanics team included Damian Cable, Mandy Fuhrmann, Raelee Dowden and Aiden Fouhy. For the Varsity team, the top placer was Cole Taylo, 8th place followed by Zach Fauth, 13th place, Dylan Benner, 23rd and Taylor Nelson, 33rd. The overall Varsity Mechanics team placed sixth out of 12 teams. The JV Mechanics team’s top finisher was Aiden Fouhy-8th place and Mandy Fuhrmann-14th place. Raelee Dowden came in 15th place and Damian Cable was 18th. The overall JV Mechanics team finished fifth out of 8 teams. The Varsity Floriculture team included Cole Taylor, Mandy Fuhrmann, Raelee Dowden and Taylor Nelson. The placings were Cole Taylor-14th, Raelee Dowden- 29th, Mandy Fuhrmann-30th and Taylor Nelson-33rd.

To prepare for the competition, FFA President Cole Taylor put together a workshop for Mechanics with stations to enhance skills learned in the classroom.  Raelee Dowden thought the workshop helped with her MIG welding. Aiden Fouhy enjoyed the fact that a recruiter from Lincoln Technology Institute shared career opportunities at the competition. Taylor Nelson and Mandy Fuhrmann both felt that studying and more hands-on workshops would prepare them better for the next competition. The Chapter is busy now preparing for a Speech Competition in Froid on March 4 and a Farm Business Management test. They will also be making the trip to Bozeman in March for FFA State Convention.

FFA member Cole Taylor received a $1,000 Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) grant. “I plan to use the grant to educate myself on beekeeping, operating a business, and hopefully collecting some tasty honey.” In 2011, the National Council for Agricultural Education started the SAE program to provide experiential, project-based learning from school based agricultural education a way to extend beyond the classroom and into the community.