MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Colquitt County High School FFA Livestock Judging team was honored at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting for their state champion placement.

Monday night’s BoE meeting was occupied not by policy updates or budget conversations. Instead, the achievements of the county’s students got the main stage. The board recognized not only the State Champion Livestock Judging Team but also the HOSA State Leadership Conference winners, SkillsUSA Construction Electrical Wiring Champion Jeffrey Cheramie, other FFA state placements and the Future Business Leaders Association regional competition winners. 

The Livestock Judging Team — made up of Carolyne Turner, who placed second highest in overall individual scoring; Laurie Jo Burt; Baylee Tatum and Christie Deariso — presented their trophy to the board alongside South Region Ag Education Director Stacey Beacham of the Georgia Department of Education. 

“It brings me great pleasure to bring this trophy here tonight,” Beacham told the board during the presentation. “There are many categories that these young ladies had to compete in… The competition goes well beyond your skills with the animals but also their knowledge of showmanship, the right qualities you want. There is so much to this competition. You should be very proud of these young ladies.”

The trophy they presented was described by Beacham as a “traveling trophy.” It travels with each champion school until a new champion is crowned the following year. Will Burt, FFA advisor to the team, said during the presentation that in his personal research, “It had been since 1978 since that trophy was in Colquitt County.”

The competition they competed in consisted of eight placing classes, four sets of oral reasons, a keep/cull class, a general knowledge test and a team activity.

The HOSA State Leadership Conference winners were:

1. Hayley Hamm – HOSA Happenings Newsletter Certificate of Excellence.
2. Aralyn Cooper – First Place Physical Therapy. 
3. Amberly Cooper – Second Place Home Health Aide.
4. Ermilo Ocamp – Third Place Medical Assisting.
5. Cammi Ruis & Maahi Patel – Eighth Place Health Career Display.
6. Kamal Patel – Eighth Place Medical Assisting.
7. Tyson Yates – Ninth Place Medical Assisting.

These students are also eligible to compete at the International Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tenn., in June, HOSA program director Melissa Culpepper said during their presentation.

The FBLA state placers who were honored are:

1. Annabelle Kinsey & Manan Patel – First Place in Entrepreneurship.
2. Lily Ren – Second Place in Business Calculations.
3. Shiv Patel – Second Place in Social Media Strategies.
4. Caleb Joiner, Zackery Grier and Travis Crosby – Third Place in Public Service Announcement.
5. Jacob Rogdriguez – Fourth Place in Sports & Entertainment Management.
6. Avery Rivenbark – Fifth Place in Economics.
7. Miya Cardin – Fourth Place in Help Desk.
8. Hannah Hankins – Second Place in Introduction to Information Technology.
9. Jonathan Baltazar-Escobedo – Fourth Place in Introduction to Business Procedures.
10. Travis Crosby – 10th Place in Journalism. 

Other FFA State Career Development Events members were honored including:

Veterinary Science – Seventh Place in State Contest

1. Karson Smith.
2. Lanie Gray.
3. Rylee Wiard.
4. AnnElyse Clements.

Floriculture – Second Place in State Contest 

1. Mason Bass.
2. LeAnna Gay – Second highest individual scorer.
3. Price Jarvis.
4. Alaina Riley.

Ag Sales – Sixth Place in State Contest

1. Laine Weeks.
2. Allison Taylor.
3. Maycey Kight.
4. Baylee Tatum.

Electrical Wiring – Second Place overall winner

1. Jordan Hudson. 

Lawn Mower Driving – Eighth Place overall winner 

1. Daniel Durrence.

Agricultural Mechanics – Third Place in State Contest 

1. Mason Bass – Second highest individual scorer.
2. Gavin Ragland – Third highest individual scorer.
3. Dawson Hurst.
4. West Rountree.

Nursery Landscape – Third Place in State Contest

1. Kale Hopper.
2. Ava Croft.
3. Aaron Carter.
4. Aurora Jones.

In actions taken by the Board, members agreed to reinvest in the Hufstetler Scholarship. More information regarding that will be available during the April 25 meeting’s financial report.

They also approved field trips for:

1. C.A. Gray ESOL Students to Tallahassee, Fl., March 31.
2. C.A. Gray Ladies Club to Tallahassee, Fl., March 31.
3. C.A. Gray Ninth Grade A/V Technology Film Students, Tallahassee, Fl., March 31.
4. Williams Middle School Multi-Club FT, Tallahassee, Fl., April 15.
5. Williams Middle School Sixth Grade Team Bravo, Tallahassee, Fl., April 19.
6. Williams Middle School Seventh Grade Team Tango, Tallahassee, Fl., April 21.
7. Colquitt County High School State Latin Convention, Eatonton, April 22-24.

They also approved the Strategic Map and Vision mission and beliefs. The SMV is part of a plan the Colquitt County School District wishes to undertake to identify strengths and weaknesses in the curriculum throughout the county. The results will affect later policies.