SFHS FFA team wins gold at national FFA convention

Press release from Alachua County Public Schools

ALACHUA, Fla. – A team of students from Santa Fe High School’s FFA chapter is one of just eight across the nation to win a coveted Gold Emblem at the national FFA Agricultural Issues Forum Leadership Development Event in Indianapolis recently.

It’s the first time a team from Santa Fe High School has earned a gold emblem in a leadership development event since 1990. The students had to develop a presentation and answer audience questions on a local agricultural issue from a panel of expert judges. 

The SFHS team members, including Taylor Batten, Leila Ceilley, Savannah Eckert, Bryli Kuhn, Layla Parris, Alana Seals, and Taylor Trosper, chose to focus on the impact bottling water has on agriculture in our area. 

Team members conducted numerous local forums, presenting to interested community stakeholders, including the Alachua County Farm Bureau, Alachua County Department of Environmental Protection, and Florida Springs Institute.

The SFHS students qualified for the national competition by taking first place in the state competition in June. 

Brian Skipper, FFA sponsor and director of Santa Fe High’s Academy of Veterinary Assisting, says winning the national Gold Emblem was the culmination of a lot of hard work. 

“The students put in countless hours researching their topic, creating a script, developing their presentation, and practicing answering questions,” he said. “Because of this contest, they are all able to find reliable sources on topics, speak in front of large groups, and write academic papers. They will be better prepared to participate in all aspects of our society as adults because of the experiences they had working on this team.”