With 125 Kutztown FFA members, their families, and guests present, more than $3,000 in scholarships and awards were presented to 24 students during the recent 79th Kutztown FFA Banquet held in the high school cafeteria.
“I am tremendously proud of our students and thankful to the community for their support. If it were not for our 30 community sponsors, we would not have been able to recognize these students,” said Victoria Brown, Kutztown Area School District agriculture teacher and FFA advisor. “Thank you to the 30 community sponsors who partnered with us to make this event a success and recognize the hard work of our students. Congratulations to each FFA member on an outstanding year.”
Kutztown FFA members come from a variety of backgrounds. Students in grades 9-12 may take an Agricultural Education class and membership ranges in age and demographic, said Brown.
“After graduation, they take many different paths, some directly related to agriculture and some not,” said Brown.
Kutztown FFA’s nine seniors will be pursuing postsecondary education in animal science, wildlife, business administration, engineering, pre-vet, marketing, two in nursing, and one student will be entering the workforce to continue working on their family dairy farm.
“What brings these students together in FFA is their passion for developing their leadership skills through Agricultural Education,” she said.
Her goal for the FFA Banquet is for students to be given the recognition that they deserve for all of the work that they do in FFA.
“While other school activities such as sports and music have events throughout the year where the community can be present to celebrate the success of the students, the FFA Banquet is the one event for us where our students, their families, school faculty, and community members can truly take time to applaud our members for their success,” said Brown.
Due to COVID, the school was not able to host an in-person FFA banquet since 2019.
“It was especially important to me that we make this year’s banquet the best that it could be and that the students enjoy it and take time to give themselves a pat on the back. It is also an exercise in leadership development as the students work together to plan and host the FFA Banquet and they do the bulk of the public speaking,” said Brown.
The highlight of the evening is the presentation of awards. Each award is given based on different criteria. Some awards are based on academics, some on FFA involvement, for example.
“The purpose of these awards is to recognize those members who have gone above and beyond as well as to motivate others to do the same,” she said. “We also awarded a variety of scholarships to our seniors which are selected based on community service efforts, contributions to the FFA chapter, and academic success.”
The senior awards include a monetary scholarship to support the students in their future endeavors.
“These awards are also given as a way of thanking these students for their dedication to FFA and showing them our appreciation,” she said.
Awards
Greenhand Degree, sponsored by Fegely Signs, was presented to Daniel Valle, Clara LaMastra, Katelyn Heckman, Zoie Jones, Landon Kunkel, Mason Moriarty, William Hugo, Raegan Loeb, Logan Wengert, Emily Mullen, Kayla Brubaker, Dominick Rice, and Hailey Bauscher.
The Chapter Degree, sponsored by Oley Valley Feed Inc., was presented to Kayla Brubaker, Katelyn Heckman, Clara LaMastra, and Landon Kunkel.
Keystone Degrees, sponsored by BAD Farm and Wanamakers General Store, was presented to Tracey Dieter, Sarah Ferber, and Madisyn Schmidt.
The Chapter Leadership Award, sponsored by Silver Maple Veterinary Clinic and C.J. Hummels, was presented to Hailey Bauscher, Katelyn Heckman, William Hugo, Clara LaMastra, Emma Rhode, and Dominick Rice.
The Chapter Scholarship Award, sponsored by Virginville Grange, East Penn Manufacturing, Kutztown Rod and Gun Club, and Sanner Farms, was presented to 9th graders William Hugo, Zoie Jones, and Hailey Bauscher; 10th graders Katelyn Heckman, Emma Follweiler, and Kayla Brubaker; 11th graders Cathlene Moatz, Mikayla Trubilla, and Seth Spaid; and 12th graders Emma Rhode, Sydney Ott, and Taylor Sleboda.
Proficiency Awards, sponsored by Kempton Rod & Gun Club and Kutztown Family Chiropractic, were presented to Cathlene Moatz for Diversified Livestock Production and Entrepreneurship, Kayla Brubaker for Beef Production and Entrepreneurship, Katelyn Heckman for Beef Production and Entrepreneurship, and Tracey Dieter for Dairy Production and Placement.
The Blue Award, sponsored by Haas Financial Group, was awarded to Raegan Loeb.
The Gold Award, sponsored by The Barn at Walnut Grove, was awarded to Katelyn Heckman.
The SAE Grant, sponsored by the Kutztown Hobos, Albright’s Mill LLC, Mr. Randy Schroeder, and Esbenshade’s Garden Center, was presented to Clara LaMastra, Katelyn Heckman, Kayla Brubaker, Emily Mullen, and Hailey Bauscher.
The Top Salesman Award, sponsored by The Barn at Walnut Grove, was awarded to Hailey Bauscher.
Honorary Member, sponsored by Hope Pryde Farm Bed & Breakfast, was presented to Mrs. Ashley Pastor.
CDE/ LDE Recognition was presented to Reece Heckman and Landon Kunkel for Agricultural Technology & Mechanical Systems, to Hailey Bauscher, Katelyn Heckman, Clara LaMastra, and Cathlene Moatz for Dairy Cattle Evaluation & Management, and Tracey Dieter and Sarah Ferber for Poultry Evaluation.
For the Chapter Creed Speaking Contest, sponsored by The Barn at Walnut Grove and Kutztown Folk Festival, 1st place went to Mason Moriarty, 2nd place to Will Hugo, and 3rd place to Zoie Jones.
Student Manager Recognition, sponsored by Kirbyville Holsteins and Weaver’s Hardware, was presented to Tracey Dieter, Sarah Ferber, Madisyn Schmidt, Raegan Loeb, Hailey Bauscher, Kayla Brubaker, Emily Mullen, Zoie Jones, Elizabeth O’Dell, and William Hugo.
The FFA Jacket Scholarship, sponsored by Peters Brothers, was presented to Landon Kunkel.
The National FFA Scholarship – Built Ford Tough Scholarship, sponsored by Haldeman Ford of Kutztown, was presented to Sarah Ferber.
The Donald Reinert Award, sponsored by Kutztown Young Farmers, was presented to Tracey Dieter.
The Future of Agriculture Award, sponsored by the Berks County Department of Agriculture, was presented to Madisyn Schmidt.
The DEKALB Agricultural Accomplishment Award, sponsored by Fleetwood Bank, Joe Jurgeilwiz, and Pioneer Grange, was presented to Sarah Ferber.
The Cougar Award, sponsored by Kutztown Rod and Gun Club, was presented to Tracey Dieter.
The Outstanding Contributor Award, sponsored by Dietrich’s Meats and Country Store as well as Berks County Farm Bureau, was presented to Emma Rhode.
The 2022- 2023 Officer Team Recognition, sponsored by ACEC Farm, recipients are president Landon Kunkel, vice president Clara LaMastra, secretary Katelyn Heckman, treasurer Cathlene Moatz and reporter Hailey Bauscher.
Retiring Officer Awards, sponsored by The Barn at Walnut Grove, went to Tracey Dieter, Sarah Ferber, Madisyn Schmidt, Mikayla Trubilla, and Raegan Loeb.
Source: Berkshire mont
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