FFA State CDE’s

By Kaylee Scheckel, Morgan Gooding, and Hayleigh Spears

This past weekend, several Anderson County FFA members traveled to Manhattan to attend and compete in the Kansas State Career Development Events (CDE) contests. Students competed in a variety of events and represented Anderson County well throughout the trip.

One of the students interviewed was sophomore Sage Partida, who competed in the food science contest. Partida placed 10th individually, while her team earned 3rd place overall. To prepare for the competition, she studied various exams and practiced identifying aromas. During free time on the trip, Partida said she enjoyed getting food and spending time with her roommates.

The second student interviewed was sophomore Maura Rockers, who competed in the milk quality and products contest. Rockers had an impressive performance, placing 4th individually out of 152 competitors. As a team, the milk quality group earned 1st place overall. Rockers shared that her favorite part of the trip was “getting to hang out with people outside of school and winning our contest.”

Sophomore Lilly Kent, who was also a member of the winning milk quality team, placed 6th individually. Kent said she felt she performed well considering the circumstances. During her free time, she enjoyed “walking to Scooters and Walmart, running around hotel rooms, and just having a lot of fun.” She also said one of her favorite memories from the trip was staying up late studying for the contest with her teammates.

Once again, Anderson County FFA had a successful showing at the state competitions, with every team placing in at least the top 10. The chapter continues to represent the school well and shows dedication through hard work and preparation.