On April 26, 2024, West Perry FFA hosted their 60th annual banquet. Members and guests enjoyed food catered by Metz Culinary Management and ice cream from Bootleg Creamery. Forty members attended and were awarded based on their degrees and participation throughout the year. In addition, the banquet featured the retirement of the old FFA officers and the installation of the new 2024-2025 team. Before the awards ceremony, Grace Brammer, Pennsylvania’s FFA State Sentinel, gave a motivational speech to the members and audience
The first members to be recognized were the Greenhand Degree recipients. To earn the Greenhand Degree, members must have gained a general knowledge of the FFA, have plans for a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) project, be able to explain the FFA Creed, recite the FFA motto, and have an understanding of the FFA official dress. Members that earned their Greenhand Degree included Leah Clouse, Jensyn Dillman, Reese Fedder, Dylan Grove, Denver Hoffman, Melvin Innerst, Kolten Keller, Case Kirk, Gregory Loy, Corbin Shambaugh, William Thiemman, and Henna Windemaker. One member from each degree also receives a star award for showing exceptional work toward their SAE project and premier leadership. The Star Greenhand degree recipient was Corbin Shambaugh.
The next members to be recognized were the Chapter Degree recipients. In order to receive the Chapter Degree, members must have received the Greenhand Degree, taken at least 1 ½ credits of agriculture courses, and participated in at least three different FFA Activities throughout the year. They must have an active SAE project and have earned at least $150 or have worked 45 hours on their SAE project. They must be able to demonstrate five procedures of parliamentary law and have shown progress toward individual achievement in the FFA awards program. Members that received their chapter degree included Ariana Alvarado-Schroder, Hunter Brennan, Leah Clouse, Dylan Grove, Kaiden Kitner, Lila Kretzing, Lucian Kretzing, Olivia Neff, Sawyer Seidel, Draven Stout, Reagan True, and Sayde Weidenhof. The Star Chapter Degree recipient was Sayde Weidenhof.
The third recipients to be recognized were the Cumberland, Perry, and Dauphin Area Degree recipients. In order to earn the Area Degree, members had to earn their Chapter Degree, complete at least two credits of agriculture courses, and have served as a chapter officer or committee member. In addition, they must have invested at least $500 in their supervised agricultural experience project or worked at least 150 hours. Members who received their chapter degrees included Autumn Albright, Sadie Innerst, Ty Keller, and Dale Pfiel. The Star Area Degree recipient was Sadie Innerst.
The fourth recipients to be recognized were the Keystone Degree recipients. The Keystone Degree is the highest degree awarded at the State level. In order to receive the Keystone Degree, members had to earn and productively invest $1000 or work in excess of 300 hours on their SAE Project. Members must also be active within the FFA Chapter and exhibit premier leadership skills. Members who received their Keystone Degrees included Rylee Fuller, Katelyn Leber, Julie Loy, and Gavin Neff. Previously in the year, Rylee Fuller was named the South Central Regional Star Keystone Degree recipient in the area of Agriculture Placement.
This year, West Perry had one member who received an American Degree. The American Degree is the highest degree awarded within the National FFA Organization. In order to receive the American Degree, members had to be actively involved in the FFA chapter as well as within their individual Supervised Agricultural Experience Program. Within their SAE, they must have earned at least $10,000 and productively invested at least $7,500 or productively earned and invested $2,000 and worked in excess of 2,250 hours within their project. The member who earned their American Degree was Emma O’Toole.
Members were also awarded based on their participation throughout the year in FFA. In addition to those who received their degrees, the following students were also recognized for their participation in different events: Azlynn Andrews, Sam Campbell, Maho Comp, Kaylin Mitten, Ava Wagner, Arden Fedder, Dominic Innerst, Jeffrey Galgon, Savanna Brown, and Carla Campbell. The outstanding awards are given to members from each grade who displayed outstanding work towards FFA. Members that received outstanding participation awards included William Thiemann-9th grade, Lila Kretzing-10th grade, Dale Pfeil-11th Grade, and Gavin Neff-12th grade. In addition, one senior member is awarded the Dekalb Award every year, an award that is given to a member who exemplifies scholarship, commitment, work ethic, and passion for pursuing a career in agriculture. This year, the Dekalb was awarded to Rylee Fuller.
Lastly, the 2024-2025 officer team was installed. The West Perry FFA 2024-25 officer team will consist of Sadie Innerst as President, Lila Kretzing as Vice President, Dale Pfeil as Student Advisor, Dylan Grove as Treasurer, Draven Stout as Secretary, Leah Clouse as Reporter, Hunter Brennan as Chaplin, Lucian Kretzing as Sentinel, and Sayde Weidenhof as Historian.
Leah Clouse
2024-25 West Perry FFA Reporter
Photo Caption: West Perry FFA members who attended the FFA Banquet