FFA members attend national convention
Peabody-Burns FFA members attended national FFA convention Oct. 25-31 in Louisville, Ky.
Members left Oct. 25 and traveled to St. Louis, Mo. Tuesday, members toured Anheuser-Busch and learned the history of the company. They were able to see the Clydesdales that pull the wagon. Then they traveled to Louisville.
On Wednesday, the environmental science team and Leann Spinden, job interview contestant, began their events. Members of the environmental science team were Michael and Jason Unruh, Derek Benson, and Ben Jantzen. That evening the group attended the opening session of the convention and heard from Joe Theisman, ESPN Sunday night NFL commentator and former Washington Redskins quarterback.
Thursday morning events began early as competitors began their second phase of competition. Ryan Johnson, Jessica Gillet, Hollie Holdeman, and sponsor Sonya Roberts spent the day attending the career show of more than 240 exhibitors. That evening the group went out for supper and attended a movie.
The group traveled to the country around Louisville Friday for a private tour of Classic Star Thoroughbred Horse Farm. They returned to the convention for the Kansas state photo and the evening session where FFA members heard from keynote speaker Linda Larson, a professional actress.
The awards breakfast was Saturday morning. The environmental science team received a silver medal. Michael Unruh placed in the gold division, Derek Benson placed in the silver, while Jason Unruh and Ben Jantzen both placed in the bronze division. Leann Spinden placed seventh overall in job interview competition and received a $750 scholarship from national FFA.
The Peabody-Burns students then attended the final two sessions of convention with more than 53,000 members, a record-setting number.
The group also heard from Dave Roever, a Vietnam survivor, who gave a motivational message to the group.
The final session included the announcement of the new national FFA officers. Justin Sterling from Kansas is the new central regional vice president.
