South Dakota FFA Foundation Radio Contest in Parker!
Parker School District was full of excitement on Monday night! Roger Currier of Results Radio, Mark, and myself were honored to be part of the 2019 South Dakota FFA Foundation Competition as judges for the District Agriculture Broadcasting Career Development Event!
According to the Ag Daily, The FFA (Future Farmers of America) challenges members "to develop critical thinking skills and effective decision-making skills and promote communication while recognizing the value of ethical competition and individual achievement." The FFA program is designed primarily for high school students while 4-H programs offer hands-on learning opportunities for younger children in the areas of gardening, farming, livestock, and S.T.E.M.
Students from area schools including Parker, Beresford, Lennox, and Menno traveled to the Parker School District on Monday evening to participate in the FFA Career Development Events (also known as the CDE) competition. Kelly Dunkelberger of the FFA for the Parker School District explains, "These CDEs have been expanding over the years and right now we have 11 Fall Leadership CDEs that the students can take part in and there is 15 spring Production CDEs that they can be a part of. We also have Land and Range judging in the Fall that is held in September and October. There is just so much they can do from Community Service in their town to competing in events."
Students competed in a myriad of Career Development Events such as Agriculture Sales, Employability Skills, AG Communication, and AG Broadcasting and Journalism. Our task was simple. Roger, Mark, and I judged 11 students in the Ag Broadcasting/Journalism competition. Students were required to "broadcast" a 4-5 minute Ag Radio program. Our backs were turned to the contestants to simulate listening to the radio. It was similar to being a coach on NBC's "The Voice." The photo below shows the sample scoring sheet we used to judge each person.
I was so impressed! These students really worked hard on their presentations. All of the competitors have a bright future in broadcasting! We also had a blast with our awesome timers, Henry and Mason!
According to Dunkelberger, "The next step is that the top three individuals from the individual CDEs and the top two teams from the team events will attend the State Leadership CDEs in December. From there, if they receive first place as a team or individual they will represent SD at the National FFA Convention in October of next year."
A job well done to all involved with Monday night's FFA Career Development Events extravaganza! We wish all the students the best of luck!
Source: Ag Daily
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