Two Midway High School FFA teams advanced to the state contest this spring and placed among the top 10 in their Career Development Events.
Midway FFA Wildlife team members Ethan Blanc, Hazel Davison, Greyson Haynes, and Eden Smith earned sixth place at state out of over 250 teams that entered the competition at the area level.
Additionally, Greyson placed as the seventh-highest individual at the state contest out of over 230 students.
Competitors in Wildlife are required to demonstrate and identify plant species, proper habitat management practices, safety procedures, game laws, management techniques as well as navigation skills.
"This contest has so many facets, all of which require intense amounts of not only studying and memorization, but application of that knowledge," River Valley Middle School Ag Teacher and Wildlife coach Beth Zuilhof said. "Considering many of the teams placing 5th and higher were primarily seniors and our entire team is returning, I am excited to see how they progress next year!"
Midway FFA Nursery/Landscape team members Vala Jenkins, Haylee Matus, Jeremiah Ocampos, and Cameron Tomlinson advanced to state for the first time last year while Jeremiah was still in eighth grade.
This year, they placed ninth at the state level and brought home a top-10 plaque.
"I am so incredibly proud of this team," Midway High School Ag Teacher and Nursery/Landscape coach Hannah Cavazos said. "We started the year with the goal to be top 10 in the state and they made it happen."
In the Nursery/Landscape contest, students identify 60 plants, tools, pests, diseases, and weeds from a 250-item ID list, answer 50 questions from a 250-question bank, select the best four plants from a set of eight in a keep/cull portion, and complete a practicum that involves answering 10 questions based on a provided chapter and solving math problems using an architect scale and map.
