Students in FFA went to an area convention at Carthage High School on February 26. They competed, and although no students proceeded to the state competitions, Lindale won first in the district. A student from the Paris District was selected to represent the area at the state competition. 

“The most rewarding part about FFA is the experience and the people I meet along the way,” sophomore Bekah Soriano said. “FFA is such a great community, because in FFA we just make a lot of connections all over Texas, and everyone is just really nice.”

All of the different portions of FFA were represented at the Area Convention. This includes a talent portion, a livestock portion, and a leadership portion that students compete in at the various competitions. 

“I was a part of the talent portion,”  junior Lane Olds said. “I was in a group and I played the guitar.”

Students in FFA participate in several competitions throughout the year, including regionals, area, and sometimes state competitions. Sprinkled throughout these competitions are various other conventions during the school year.

“In FFA, it’s different from football and everything,” Soriano said. “We don’t really have districts, like 4A or 5A.”

Different districts are represented in the competitions, including the Paris district, the Longview district, and others that students also travel from.

“We won the district competition, that’s why we were at the area competition,” Olds said. “We didn’t do as good as we wanted to, but we’re going to come back harder next year.”

FFA students also competed in the Houston Livestock Show, bringing home several wins. Students showed animals and submitted different projects for them to be judged on. 

         “People think that animals are all that FFA is, when really it’s so much more than that,” Soriano said. “You can show, but there’s also a talent part and a leadership part, or even a career development part.”