On Saturday, February 1st, nine Camden FFA members took the opportunity to compete at the annual New York State FFA District 5 Leadership Development Events (LDEs). This year’s event was hosted by the Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville School District.
LDEs are a highlight of the FFA calendar. They are annual events used to promote personal growth and career success of FFA members through public speaking events. Students also compete in CDEs (Career Development Events) each year, which are dedicated to hands-on activities.
In the lead-up to LDEs, Camden FFA members spend several weeks choosing and preparing for their events. They are all based on public speaking skills that can be used later in life, regardless of their career pathway.
The following students from the Middle School and High School portions of the chapter participated in this edition of LDEs.
Prepared Public Speaking - Alexis Albrecht
Extemporaneous Speaking - Autumn Porter
Senior Creed Speaking - Matthew Albrecht
Employment Skills - Patrick Eveleth
Senior People in Agriculture - Abigail Conover, Mary Hall, Kayla Winn
Junior People in Agriculture - Kiersten Hall
Each student above went into their various contests with confidence and passion, and many took the time to assist each other in their preparation.
When the scores were tabulated, freshman Kayla Winn continued on from last year’s success in the Junior People in Agriculture event with a great performance in the Senior People in Agriculture event. She was one of the top two finishers against a field of 18 competitors from other chapters across the District.
As part of the competition, she had to prepare a six-to-eight minute presentation and be prepared for questions at the end. A lot of careful preparation went into this endeavor, including a last minute two-hour preparation session the night before. But at the end of the day, it was passion, dedication, and ongoing commitment that took her to the top.
With her recent result, Winn has earned the opportunity to move on to the regional level event on March 16th. It will take place in Boonville and be hosted by the Adirondack Central School District.
Advisors Karly Marshman and Erin Curtis couldn’t have been prouder of the effort from their students, and are excited for what comes next for this group in their second school year as a re-organized and recognized chapter.
“Every year students amaze us by their dedication and hard work leading up to the LDEs,” they said. “They leave competition with a new spark that ignites their passion to become better for the following year’s events.”
