5 Roy-Hart FFA teams earn honors at National FFA Convention
Provided photos: Royalton-Hartland FFA members at the 2023 National FFA Convention & Expo, including Matthew Sweeney, High School Agriculture Educator & FFA Advisor at left; and Madeline Keyes, Middle School Agriculture Educator and Jr. High FFA Advisor at right.
Press Release, Roy-Hart Central School
MIDDLEPORT – As the reigning 2023 Most Outstanding High School Agriculture Program in the Northeast Region of the United States, the Royalton-Hartland High School Agriculture Program and FFA Chapter was well-represented at the 96th National FFA Convention & Expo held in Indianapolis, Indiana!
Under the leadership of Matthew Sweeney, Roy-Hart’s Agriculture Educator and FFA Advisor, the Royalton-Hartland FFA Chapter sent 19 members to compete in five national Career Development Event (CDE) competitions.
Career Development Event competitions build on what is learned in agricultural education classes and encourage FFA members to put their knowledge into practice. These events are designed to help a member prepare for a career in agriculture by testing and challenging the student’s technical, leadership, interpersonal and teamwork skills, as well as their knowledge of the subject matter.
In FFA, there are 26 CDE competitions at the national level. To quality for these contests, the team or individual must place 1st in their state competition. Roy-Hart FFA is home to five state-winning CDE teams.
“To have a state-winning CDE team is a tremendous accomplishment, but to have five state-winning CDE teams, in the same year, is a true testament to the dedication, commitment, perseverance and passion of the Royalton-Hartland agriculture students,” Sweeney said.
Environment & Natural Resources CDE Team, from left: FFA advidsor Matthew Sweeney, Clara Wojciechowski, Anthony Adams, Joshua Kennedy and Nicholas Armenia.
In addition to the state-winning teams, Roy-Hart FFA is home to a gold-ranking (top 6 in the nation) Environmental Science and Natural Resource Management proficiency winner in Lorna Becker.
Results from the 2023 National FFA Convention & Expo CDE contests include:
- Food Science CDE: Silver-Ranking Team (15th in Nation) – Team Members: Sean Labiak (Gold-Ranking), Sophia Santella (Gold-Ranking), Olivia Adams (Silver-Ranking), Lorna Becker (Silver-Ranking)
- Farm & Agribusiness Management CDE: Silver-Ranking Team (16th in Nation) – Team Members: Phinn Cousins (Gold-Ranking), Caleb Verratti (Gold-Ranking), Scott Clark (Silver-Ranking), Kristopher Myers (Silver-Ranking)
- Environment & Natural Resources CDE: Silver-Ranking Team – Team Members: Joshua Kennedy (Gold-Ranking), Nicholas Armenia (Gold-Ranking), Anthony Adams (Silver-Ranking), Clara Wojciechowski (Bronze-Ranking)
- Nursery/Landscape CDE: Bronze-Ranking Team – Team Members: Vanessa Grant (Silver-Ranking), Nathaniel Wolf (Silver-Ranking), Garrett Armenia (Bronze-Ranking), Cayla Burch (Bronze-Ranking)
- Marketing Plan CDE: Bronze-Ranking Team – Team Members: Mackenzie Diamond, John Konstanty, Ronan Klug
The Royalton-Hartland FFA Chapter would like to thank the continued support from the Roy-Hart Central School Board of Education and Administration, Royalton-Hartland Agriculture Foundation (RHAF), and the Roy-Hart school community. This support is integral to the local, region, state and national successes of the school’s agriculture program.
Food Science CDE Team, from left: Olivia Adams, Sean Labiak, Sophia Santella, Lorna Becker and FFA advisor Matthew Sweeney.
