Northwest Officers:
• President: Nick Stueven
• Vice President: Tim Hessel
• Secretary: Kristin Moeller
• Reporter: Sydney Paige
• Treasurer: Karen Buettner
• Sentinel: Kourtney Kruse
• Parliamentarian: Amanda Johnson

 

What We Have Been Up To:
Northwest FFA Members have had a very busy and successful year.  The School year started with the Annual Kick Off Picnic. Students and parents in grades 9-10 interested in FFA were invited to attend the meeting with other FFA members at George Park with Hot dogs and burgers served by the FFA Alumni members. Kristin Moeller also represented the Northwest FFA Chapter at the Nebraska State Fair with her Breeding Beef Animals.  The chapter ventured into a new project with the Test Your Well Night at the Hall County Fair. The program was a success with nine chapter members testing 30 water samples for nitrate contamination. The Grand Island Groundwater Guardians and Lancaster Health Department assisted the group.

 

September and October found the FFA members helping with home football game trash Pick-ups and the Annual FFA Mini Retreat.  The Mini Retreat was put on by the Northwest FFA Officers and some of the Nebraska State FFA Officers to provide a day where new and older members could meet each other and work together to build chapter unity and cooperation skills.  Seventeen of the 28 FFA members attended Husker Harvest Days, where they helped with some of the displays, assisted the Nebraska Rural Health Coalition, and helped pick-up the grounds after the shows.

 

In October fifteen members attended Impact Leadership Workshops in Hastings and worked with the Nebraska State FFA Officers in Leadership Development Skills.  Seven Northwest FFA members attended National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, IN on October 23-27.  The Northwest FFA Chapter was recognized as a Models of Innovation Chapter in the area of Community Development.  Presenting our Program of Activities at National Convention were Sydney Paige and Karen Buettner.  The Chapter was recognized on the Nationals Stage with nine other chapters in the Models of Innovation Recognition. 
The Chapter was also recognized as a National Three Star Rated Chapter.  

 

In November, twenty-five Ag Education students competed at the District 8 Livestock Judging Contest in Kearney. Members placed with blue and red ribbons in both Senior and Junior Divisions.  Students receiving ribbons in the Junior Division were: Amber Frauen;, blue, Andrew Bruns; blue, Brandon Niemoth; red, and Charles Gleason; white.  Senior division placers were: Kourtney Kruse; blue, and Kristin Moeller; white. Teams that earned ribbons in the junior division were: Carrie Robb, Brandon Niemoth, Andrew Bruns and Amber Frauen; blue and Nathan Salpas, Raece Paulsen, Chance Lienemann, and Charles Gleason; red.  The senior team of Kourtney Kruse, Kristin Moeller, Michelle Williamson and Jessica Kuta earned a red plading.   Members were also busy with Chapter Fruit Sales.  The Northwest FFA Chapter sold over $23,000 in Fruit, Meat and Cheese products and Poinsettias grown in the School Greenhouse. 

 

In December members held their annual Food drive on December 4th. Six members helped collect over 400 items to the Grand Island Salvation Army Food Pantry by collecting items from shoppers at area grocery stores and then delivering them to the Food Pantry and stocking over 1,500 items on shelves for the Food Pantry.  Members also held their annual Christmas Party at Fonner View Golf Course with the food and prizes donated by the Northwest Alumni Chapter.

 

The New Year started with the Annual Leadership Night and Alumni Soup Supper on the 15th. Members demonstrated leadership skills events while the Northwest FFA alumni prepared soup and sandwiches for all members and guests.  Members receiving their Chapter FFA Degrees were: Karen Buettner, Hallie Casto, Amber Frauen, Deanna Bruns, Charles Gleason, Brandon Dack, Clint Hostler, Jessica Kuta, Sydney Paige, Raece Paulsen, Jake Seim, and Elizabeth Sitzman.   Greenhand Degrees were awarded to Miranda Baxter, Andrew Bruns, Brandon Niemoth, Carrie Robb, Kelsey Scherer, Micah Rauert, Grant Smith and Sarah Stoltenberg.  District 8 Leadership Skills Event were held two days later in Aurora where seventeen members competed in Speaking and Demonstration Events.  Qualifying for State Competition was our Junior Public Speaker Sydney Paige.  Also competing was Kourtney Kruse in Senior Public Speaking, Nick Stueven in Extemporaneous Speaking, Karen Buettner in Job Skills, and Creed Speaker Sarah Stoltenberg.  Each of these individuals earned blue ratings. The Junior Parliamentary Procedure Team of Sydney Paige, Charles Gleason, Amber Frauen, Hallie Casto, Sarah Stoltenberg, Kelsey Scherer, Karen Buettner, Micah Rauert, and Brandon Niemoth earned a blue rating.  The Senior Parliamentary Procedure team of Sarah Stoltenberg, Sydney Paige, Karen Buettner, Amber Frauen, Kelsey Scherer, Charles Gleason, Brandon Niemoth, Micah Rauert, and Hallie Casto received a blue ranking.  The Senor Parli Pro team of Grant Smith, Kourtney Kruse, Nick Stueven, Tim Hessel, Jake Seim, Kristin Moeller, and Amanda Johnson also took home a blue placing.

 

The highlight of February was National FFA Week. The week started with Chapter Officer visits to the Feeder Schools on Monday. Tuesday featured the Agribusiness Tours to T&L Irrigation, Pioneer Seeds and Dutton / Lainson. On Wednesday 22 of 28 members participated in Official Dress Day and the State FFA Officer Visit from Kurt Heideman. On Thursday FFA members served the faculty lunch to 46 Faculty members and staff. Friday was FFA T-shirt day. The Northwest Alumni also provided cookies and blizzards to all FFA members and all of the Northwest High School homerooms participated in the FFA / Ag. Trivia contest.  Also in February seven Chapter members completed proficiency awards with six of them earning a Gold rating at the District Level.  Those completing applications were: Kourtney Kruse; Diversified Livestock Production and Equine Science, Hallie Casto; Beef Production Placement, Amanda Johnson; Diversified Ag Production Placement, Kristin Moeller; Diversified Livestock Entrepreneurship; Sydney Page; Equine Placement, Tim Hessel; Diversified Horticulture and  Nursery Landscape Placement, Karen Buettner; Specialty Animal Placement.  Tim Hessel has been named as a Star Placement Finalist and also a State Proficiency Finalist in the area of Nursery and Landscape Placement. Seniors Nick Stueven and Tim Hessel will be receiving their State FFA Degrees at Convention in late March.

 

March has been busy with members helping the Northwest FBLA and National Honor Society with the Bloodmobile on March 1st.  Four Ag Ed students competed in the Envirothon in Columbus on March 8th. Twenty-six members competed at the District Career Development Contests on March 14th.  Completing in Livestock Management was the team of Grant Smith, Hallie Casto, Kristin Moeller, Charles Gleason, and Amanda Johnson. The Floriculture team was comprised of Carrie Robb, Miranda Baxter, Kelsey Scherer, and Sarah Stoltenberg earned a blue ribbon as a team. The State Qualifying Nursery and Landscape Management Team consisted of Nick Stueven, Tim Hessel, Jake Seim, and Kourtney Kruse. Competing in the Food Science and going to state were Elizabeth Sitzman, Karen Buettner, Amber Frauen, and Sydney Paige. They earned a purple ribbon at districts with Sydney Paige earning second place individual with Amber Frauen and Karen Buettner earning fourth and fifth place respectively.  Individuals competing in the Agriscience contest were Andrew Bruns and Micah Rauert.  Micah earned a blue ranking and Andrew Bruns received a red ribbon.

 

The school year will close out with State FFA convention in Lincoln, Officer Elections, Chapter FFA Banquet and COLT Conference in May.