Five NHS students earned FFA distinct honors

It’s the time of year when degrees are topics of conversation, but for five Newton High School students, they’ve had degrees in their hands for several weeks.

Jaci Reeves, Jacob Smith, Logan Zaabel, Brian Bleakney, and Bridget Carson recently earned Future Farmers of America awards called FFA Degrees. The “degree” is given to the small number of students who complete a list of requirements that emphasizes project planning and completion and being of service to the community.

The five Newton students were recognized publicly for their Degrees at the annual state FFA convention, held in Ames in late April.

“It’s a real honor,” said Reeves, a senior who is also the reigning Jasper County Fair Queen and one of NHS’s Class of 2016 valedictorians. “This kind of acknowledgment allows us to spread our love for agriculture.”

Jacob Smith, also a senior, said record-keeping was a key part of earning his degree. The Smith family is heavily involved in agriculture — his parents, Marc and Brenda, were given Honorary Degrees by the Newton FFA chapter this spring — and family support in FFA can be a huge help in achieving goals.

“There is so much criteria to manage,” Jacob Smith said. “And I’m glad I had help. It’s a big accomplishment.”

Carson earned her state degree as a junior. That’s the earliest a student in a four-year high school FFA program can earn one, as 24 months of active FFA membership is one of the requirements.

“Support from family and friends is definitely important,” Carson said. “It’s exciting to get it. It’s an awful lot of hours of work to put in.”

Zaabel, whose grandfather had also earned a state degree when in school, said help with staying organized was a big component of completing the requirements.

“I focused a lot on having a good essay to turn in,” Zaabel said. “One of the biggest challenges, for me, was time management, and getting in all the community service hours.”

Carson and Zaabel will be among the Newton FFA leaders in 2016-17, as Carson was elected secretary and Zaabel was elected sentinel of the chapter.

Bleakney’s brother, Matt, was one of five Newton members to earn Iowa degrees in 2014-15, along with Jarret Horn, Arianna Jamieson, Ronny Clark and Benton Vest. Brian Bleakney, a junior, said working to meet or exceed his brother’s accomplishment meant a friendly family rivalry can be used in a positive way.

“Next year, I want to go for the Star award, which are requirements beyond the state degree,” he said.

Here are some of the basic requirements to earn an Iowa FFA State Degree:

• Two years of agricultural course work.

• Received a Chapter FFA Degree.

• Be an active FFA member for at least two years (24 months) at the time of receiving the Iowa FFA Degree.

• While in school, complete the equivalent of at least two years (360 hours) of systematic school instruction in agriculture education of above the ninth grade level, which includes a supervised agricultural experience program (SAE).

• Earn and productively invested at least $1,000 or work at least 300 hours in excess of scheduled class time, or a combination thereof, in an SAE.

• Participated in at least 25 additional, unduplicated hours of community service activities within at least two different community service activities.

• Demonstrate leadership ability by performing 10 procedures of parliamentary law, giving a six-minute speech on a topic relating to agriculture or the FFA and serving as an officer, committee chairperson, or a participating member of a chapter committee.

• Be in good standing academically.

• Participate in the planning and completion of the chapter’s program of activities.

• Participate in at least five approved FFA activities above the chapter level.

• Meet other requirements as established by the Iowa FFA Association.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at
641-792-3121 ext. 6532
or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com