MOULTRIE, Ga. — Williams Middle School FFA member Raylee Sparkman recently won the Area 5 FFA Prepared Public Speaking Career Development Event. The event was held at Bainbridge High School in Bainbridge on Feb. 7.

Sparkman will compete for state honors April 28 at the Georgia State FFA Convention in Macon. The state winner will advance to southeastern regional competition.

The FFA Prepared Public Speaking Career Development Event is designed to develop agricultural leadership. Participants are required to write and deliver a speech on an agricultural-related topic. The participants are judged on content and composition of the manuscript, voice, stage presence, power of expression, general effect and response to questions asked by a panel of judges.

Sparkman, a seventh grader, is the daughter of Kaci and Ryan Sparkman of Moultrie. Brittany Gibbs and Chad Bass are the Williams Middle School FFA advisors.

The FFA Prepared Public Speaking Career Development Event is sponsored by NationsBank as a special project of the Georgia FFA Foundation.