February was Career, Technical and Agricultural Education month across the state. At Effingham County High School there were many reasons to celebrate accomplishments over the past month. In addition to the boys and girls basketball teams advancing in the state playoffs, the Career Technical and Agricultural Education department is not short of its own achievements.
There are five active career technical student organizations (CTSOs) on campus. These clubs are an integral part of the educational experience and curriculum for all the CTAE pathway classes. All year-round the members, club officers and advisors of FFA, Skills USA, HOSA, FCCLA and FBLA chapters work to accomplish their individual, yet united, purposes. Involvement in these student organizations helps students to build character, leadership skills and share a connection with students from across the state.
CTSOs also focus on helping the community. Several of the clubs on campus are active in the community throughout the year by serving Thanksgiving dinner, adopting a needy family at Christmas, beautifying the school and community, helping with pet adoption fairs, raising awareness of illnesses or diseases, and collecting jackets and blankets in the winter.
The organizations’ latest endeavor was to work together in a canned food drive for the last week of February. More than 1,500 cans of food were collected for the regional food bank in Macon.
During the Georgia FFA State Convention, thousands of FFA members from across state are challenged to bring in cans for the FFA Million Can Challenge. To encourage participation, the winning classes are going to be served breakfast courtesy of the CTSOs.
To show appreciation to the faculty and staff at ECHS, the FCCLA baked cookies shaped as the Effingham “E”, and the FFA provided breakfast one morning.
Parents of Skills USA, HOSA, FCCLA, FBLA, and FFA members will be invited to the upcoming parent/member banquet.
ECHS Skills USA has taken the following students to the Skills USA Georgia State Leadership Conference in Atlanta this weekend:
Tactical Team – Maygen Pritchard, Jacob Dasher, Allan Clairmont, Austin Murray, Dylan Jackson and Brandon Salisbury
Criminal Justice - Shelby Carpenter
Computer Maintenance Technology - Jordan Pickard
Computer Programming - Raoul Rego
Broadcast Journalism - Patrick Fagin, Amira Williams, Kailyn Mikulksky
Video Production - Tyler Ziegler and Rachel Shey
The ECHS FFA chapter will take part in the State FFA Convention in Macon on April 25-27. The following students are commended for their hard work and dedication to the FFA chapter:
Tractor driving - Dalton Shelton, advanced to state competition
EMC wiring - Lawton Roraback
Floral design - Ryley Flathman
Agricultural mechanics - Justin Hinely, Marcus Taylor, Zac Odom and Lawton Roraback, advanced to state competition
Horse rvaluation - Lindsay Alvarez, Stephanie Edwards, Ryley Flathman and CJ Hucks
Job interview - Rajvi Dave
Dairy cattle evaluation - Leslie Hutsell, Julia Gonzalez, and Kaylee Snyder
FFA quiz - Harrison Joyner
Wildlife management - Julia Gonzalez, Kelsie Bennett, Bo Newsome, and Steven Kulp
Parliamentary procedure - Leslie Hutsell, Taylor Johnson, Bayley Morgan, Abby Hutsell, Ryley Flathman and Lindsay Alvarez
Agricultural sales – Annah Shearouse, Sophie Usher and Kaelyn Decker
Floriculture - Ryley Flathman, CJ Hucks and Melissa Turcotte
Livestock evaluation - Kaylee Snyder, Julia Gonzalez, and Austin Dixon, advanced to state competition
Poultry evaluation - Rajvi Dave, Zachary Snow, Kieffer Shearouse, Wyatt Dyches, David Vickery, Courtney Beasley and Trent Dickerson, advanced to state competition.
FCCLA STAR Events Region 9
Illustrated Talk - Phoenix Truitt won gold and advanced to state
Food Innovations - Kalonna Brown, James McDonald and Drashti Patel won gold and advanced to state
Life Event Planning - Joanne Sincavage and Andrew Thompson won silver and advanced to state
Nutrition and Wellness - Natalyn Harris won bronze
Hannah Flewallen is competing in advocacy at state.
