Leaders from the Marysville High School FFA chapter watch as Cooper Woodson, left, and Libby Ramge, right, unveil a sign at the city entrance on Delaware Avenue. The sign lets travelers know that Marysville is home to one of the top FFA chapters in the country.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Mac Cordell)
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City officials want local residents and anyone traveling through to know that Marysville is home to one of the top FFA programs in America.
Marysville High School’s FFA was recently honored as a top-10 program nationwide.
To commemorate that, the city of Marysville has erected a series of signs at six entrance points to the city, letting travelers know about the honor.
Shari Anderson, one of the program advisors, explained that FFA, Future Farmers of America, is “a leadership organization that uses student interest in animals, plants, mechanics and environment to teach leadership and career skills.”
She said she had contacted city officials about honoring the students and the achievement in some way. In November, city council issued a proclamation to “commend the Marysville High School Chapter of the Future Farmers of America for its national recognition.”
Anderson said that when she and chapter leadership learned that signs would be placed at the city entrance, “We were like, ‘Is this real?’”
After the ceremony unveiling the sign, Anderson said it was “wonderful to get this opportunity to highlight what these student were able to do.”
Anderson said that every year the leadership team has officer training and sets goals for the year. She said the 2022/2023 officers wanted to be a nationally ranked chapter.
“That was the goal that officer team had — they wanted to get back on top,” Anderson said, noting that in 2012 the chapter was also ranked top-10 nationally.
The advisor said last year’s leadership group was “very intentional” in selecting projects and activities that would score well on the application and get noticed.
“It’s based on an application we filled out,” Anderson said.
She said there is a scoring system for things like student leadership, building communities and career success.
According to the national organization, in order to qualify for a state or national award, a chapter must complete at least 15 activities: one for each of the five quality standards in each of the three divisions. Additionally, the chapter must meet the minimum requirements as outlined in the group’s National Quality Chapter Standards.
Madeline Young with the national FFA organization explained the national chapter award program is “designed to recognize FFA chapters that actively implement the mission and strategies of the organization.”
“These chapters improve chapter operations using the National Quality Chapter standards and a Program of Activities that emphasize growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture.” Young said.
She explained that while the chapter leadership may be guiding the process, chapters are rewarded for providing educational experiences for the entire membership.
Anderson explained that chapters are first judged against other chapters in the state.
She said the local chapter was top 10 in Ohio, “in every single category possible, which had never been done before in our chapter history.”
Marysville FFA qualified as a gold emblem chapter in the state of Ohio for 2023, one of 34 Ohio FFA chapters to receive this distinction.
“Across the board, they maxed out at the state level,” Anderson said. “Because of that success, that application was sent forward to the national level.”
Young said that after state qualification, Marysville was awarded a 3-star rating, “the highest rating at the national level.”
She said chapters that receive a national 3-star chapter rating are eligible to compete for the National Premier Chapter Awards. Marysville was selected as a Premier Chapter finalist in the area of Building Communities.
Young said that honor was earned through the chapter’s protein donation activity.
“Chapter members were aware of the inflated meat prices and the growing poverty in their community, and sought to aid residents in needs,” Young said,
Kristy Meyer, communications manager for the national FFA organization said Marysville FFA members donated nearly 117 pounds of pork, chicken, beef, peanut butter and canned tuna to help the local food pantry.
She said through the donation, the chapter was able to help the local food pantry feed 1,500 people with a free protein source.
FFA officials said last year 698 chapters from 42 states submitted applications submitted from 42 of 52 state associations. Marysville was one of 45 chapters selected as finalists in the national chapter award program.
She said the local chapter is fortunate to be in a community that is both agrarian enough to value the FFA mission and progressive enough to embrace new ideas.
“I think we are blessed to live in a part of the country where we are able to explore a variety of opportunities both in the traditional agriculture community but also in some emerging ag technologies,” Anderson said.
She said that balance is reflected in building, district and city leaders.
“That’s really what has let us be successful for so long and allows us to do the things we do and jump on some innovative and crazy ideas,” she said.
Anderson said the local chapter leadership “hopes to continue the success” and is actually in the process of completing the paperwork for the 2024 competition.
“The biggest challenge is that the amazing things we did to get here are not good enough moving forward,” Anderson said. “You always have to be trying to raise the bar, which is exciting but also a challenge.”
Even so, when the city contacted chapter leaders about the sign, the advisors had a request — leave room on the sign for future honors.
“I said, ‘We are not done yet.’ Marysville has a long-standing tradition of excellence going back to 1940,” Anderson said. “What our students are doing now is amazing. What our students did 10, 20, 30 years ago was amazing. We have no intention of moving away from hat tradition of excellence in the future. Our students rise to the challenge and we hope to fill that sign and need another one.”