State bound, Kimball High School FFA team

The Kimball High School FFA Chapter members left yesterday (Wednesday) for the 88th Annual Nebraska State FFA Convention in Lincoln at UNL East Campus, where they will compete and receive honors for their accomplishments on April 6, 7 and 8.

According to the group’s advisor and Kimball High’s Ag Instructor, Sally Wheeler, sixteen student members will attend the event this year.

Kimball will be represented by teams in Meats Evaluation, Agronomy, Floriculture and Farm Management contests.

The students will also have opportunities to listen to motivational speakers and state officer retiring addresses during the convention and participate in leadership workshops.

For the first time at the convention, there will be an “Ag, Food and Natural Resources Career Expo.” This event, held for the students, will serve as an extension of the career fair and will give the students a ‘hands-on’ approach to explore pathways in agribusiness, animal, food products, natural resources, plant, power, technical and environmental service. The leaders in Extension and the Ag industry will be instrumental at this event for the students.

Leisha Casimiro, Connor Moore and Sebastian Portillo have qualified for the FFA State Choir while Kailey Dickerson and Joel Evertson will be representing the chapter as Delegates at the state level.

The Kimball delegates act as representation for the entire chapter and will discuss issues, and vote on those issues, that will benefit the local chapter and influence the Nebraska FFA Association moving forward.

Dickerson and Evertson were chosen because of their knowledge of the issues regarding FFA and their willingess to be outspoken on these issues, according to Wheeler.

Kimball FFA members will attend the Career Expo hosted at the convention, as well as the Leadership Academy on Friday morning according to Wheeler.

On the final evening three local members will be awarded their State FFA Degree – they are Kailey Dickerson, Madie Snyder and Monica Wasielewski.

“I enjoy watching the first time attendees take in the experience that is State Convention,” Wheeler said. “For some of the freshman this is their first time visiting Lincoln or at a convention of this size. It is exciting to see them take in the experience and become excited about being actively involved in FFA.”

Each of the sessions that our locals will be attending -- can be viewed online, as they are streamed live at http://www.neaged.org.