Awash in Color
CHS hosts Leadership Development Event
Launch the media gallery 1 player - media #1
Launch the media gallery 1 player - media #2
Launch the media gallery 1 player - media #3
Launch the media gallery 1 player - media #4For the first time a sea of blue and gold was evident at Clarendon High School in November. The cause, approximately 200 additional students wearing FFA jackets and dressed to compete.
FFA clubs, small and large, from twelve schools all over the panhandle came to Clarendon for the Greenbelt District Leadership Development Event or LDE. They were here to compete for the opportunity to advance to the area level. CHS ag teacher, JW Clark, took on the task of organizing the annual competition.
“Traditionally this event is held at Valley but it is hard to get judges there from outside the district. The advantages of holding it here is that Clarendon is centrally located within the Greenbelt district and we were able to get judges from other districts. This allowed us to get feedback from judges outside our district,” Mr. Clark stated.
The contests included Chapter Conducting, Public Relations, Creed Speaking, FFA Broadcasting, Agricultural Advocacy, Agricultural Issues Forum, Job Interview, Agricultural Skill Demonstration, Greenhand FFA Quiz and Chapter Agricultural Quiz. Most of the contests required the students to speak publically either informatively or persuasively. Chapter Conducting showcased students’ knowledge of parliamentary procedure and ability to conduct a formal meeting. In Agricultural Skill Demonstration students demonstrated their skills with tools and the proper way to perform a job. In the Job Interview portion of the contest, students had to submit résumés, interview with prospective employers, and compose a thank you letter. The quizzes consisted of questions ranging from the history of FFA to current events in the ag industry.
“The contest is a great opportunity for FFA members to learn to speak in a professional setting,” Mr. Clark explained. “It gives them the opportunity to develop confidence for the real-life situations they will encounter after school.”
While only five Clarendon FFA members on two teams participated in the LDE contest, they performed very well this year. Payton H, Nathan S, Chardy C, and Shiann C placed 2nd in the Chapter Agricultural Quiz and advanced to the Area contest. Chardy C also placed 9th in Creed Speaking.
JW Clark was very pleased with Clarendon’s first hosting of the leadership event. Logistically things were rough at first, but evened out as the day wore on. This was a learning process for JW and Clarendon with needed improvement in managing time and resources of people and rooms. But at the end of the day, he received a lot of positive feedback from the other sponsors.
“We will definitely do this again,” Mr. Clark said.