Sweet Springs FFA chapter places first in state

COLUMBIA, Mo., April 16, 2009 -- Sweet Springs FFA placed first out of 317 chapters in the state, earning the Top Chapter Award at the 81st Missouri FFA convention, according to a news release from the state FFA organization.

Only 10 percent of state chapters receive the Top Chapter Award each year.

Chapter activity awards, sponsored by FCS Financial, are given to chapters achieving excellence in student, chapter and community development.

Sweet Springs FFA Chapter advisors are Kristen Fenner, Dennis Dohrman and Brent Niemeyer.

The Sweet Springs FFA student development activities included sending members to the National FFA convention in Indianapolis, Ind., and skiing at Snow Creek Ski Resort in Weston.

Chapter development activities are designed to promote excellence within the chapter. Sweet Springs members took part in Produce for Profits.

The program allowed students to gain valuable skills in business and marketing as they helped to earn funds for chapter activities.

The skills of sales, packing, distribution and customer service are vital skills many will use in future operations.

Sweet Springs' community development included Project Wildlife where FFA members worked with junior high students to build squirrel feeders and bird houses to be distributed throughout the community.

FFA members also worked with student government to conduct two blood drives for the community blood bank.

The top chapters are submitted to the National FFA Organization where they compete for the National FFA Chapter Award.

The competition will be this fall at the National FFA convention in Indianapolis, Ind.

The Missouri FFA has 24,410 members representing 317 chapters. The national organization has over 507,000 members representing 7,439 local chapters in 50

states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

The FFA Mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education, according to the news release.