MIDWAY, Texas — Not one, but two Midway ISD FFA (Future Farmers of America) teams earned spots among the best in Texas at the state finals this past summer.
Both the Midway Ag Issues team and the Wildlife team placed in the top 10 in their respective competitions, with the Ag issues team earning a 10th-place finish while making history as the first Ag Issues team from the district to ever advance to the state finals, and the Wildlife team earned a ninth-place finish.
The team's success was even more impressive given that they were some of the youngest to participate in the competition.
“Typically, upperclassmen primarily compete in Ag Issues due to the in-depth nature of the contest and the level of competence required to be successful,” Midway FFA Advisor and Agriculture Science Teacher Beth Zuilhof said. “However, Midway’s team was two freshmen and two eighth graders.”
The Ag Issues team was made up of Eli Johnson, Holden White, Jeremiah Ocampos and Zoe Copeman.
Students in the Ag Issues program create a portfolio by researching, analyzing and presenting a current agricultural issue and defending their findings to a panel of judges, said the district. To earn their spot at the state level, Midway placed first at both the district and area competitions and placed in the top five in their heat of twelve teams in the state semifinals.
“I am very proud of how hard they worked and it was incredible to see them be competitive on the state level in this contest, especially considering their age,” Zuilhof said. “They were complimented numerous times on their presentation and poise.”
The Ag Issues team was not the only Midway team that found success however, as the Wildlife team, made up of Greyson Haynes, Hazel Davison, Holden White, Taylor Dudley, Ethan Blanc and Mia Ready, finished ninth out of 200 total teams in the state of Texas.
Haynes, a freshman at the time of the competition, also placed as the 15th-highest individual out of 236 total high school students.
“Wildlife is truthfully one of the most difficult CDE contests in FFA because students have an inordinate amount of material to memorize,” Zuilhof said. “This group worked their tails off studying and it paid off.”
The Wildlife Career Development Event competition consists of students identifying plant species and demonstrating their knowledge of proper habitat management practices, safety procedures and game laws, said Midway ISD.
Midway ISD also said that earlier in the year, the Wildlife team won the Region 5 contest and had students win the second, third and sixth-highest individual scores that day.
“They are also a young team with the oldest being a sophomore, so I’m really looking forward to what they will accomplish over the next several years,” Zuilhof said.
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