PITSBURG — The Franklin Monroe-MVCTC FFA Chapter held its annual parent/member banquet in the high school cafetorium on March 16, 2021.
This banquet served as a great way for the chapter to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year. Members were also recognized for the effort that they put into making this challenging year as successful as possible. Along with recognizing these efforts and accomplishments, the newly elected 2021-2022 FFA officer team was installed.
The evening started off with a wonderful meal that was catered by Mary Bergman and her staff. Although COVID-19 restrictions limited the number of guests invited and the amount of socializing that could be done before, during, and after the event, the parents and members were able to enjoy the nice banquet meal as they sat and talked with their family and neighbors. Upon conclusion of the meal, 2020-2021 chapter president kicked the business session off. He and the other officers gathered at the podiums to recognize this year’s Honorary Degree recipient.
The chapter recognized two very deserving individuals at this year’s banquet.
Matt Lindemuth was the first individual recognized. Over the past four years, Mr. Lindemuth, a local farmer and parent of current FFA members, has been very generous with helping the FFA Chapter. Whether it be through monetary donations to assist with purchasing the supplies to build a storage barn or allowing the chapter to use his forklift to unload the fruit every year, he has always been willing to help. His support over the last four years has really helped the chapter tremendously.
The second Honorary Chapter Degree recipient was Ron Crist. Ron Crist has had several grandchildren who have been active members of the Franklin Monroe-MVCTC FFA chapter over the years. He has been a big supporter of all of the activities that they have been involved with. He has also lent his auctioneering skills to the chapter by serving as the auctioneer for our annual Pie Auction that is held during the banquet. Over the last 5 years, this auction has been a huge success and raised a lot of money that has gone to support the activities of the chapter.
Without the support of these honorary degree recipients, we would not be able to operate the chapter with nearly as much success.
Upon the completion of the Honorary Degree ceremony, the Greenhand and Chapter Degree ceremonies were held. Throughout the year, members have worked towards achieving these degrees and all of their hard work paid off as they were honored with their respective degrees.
The Greenhand Degree recipients were as follows: Sadie Bowser, Wyatt Bubeck, Evan Dowler, Alex Fulton, Luke Garber, Mitchell Garber, Joanie Hall, Jacob Heisey, Avery Hosler, Andrew Kress, Mason Lair, Gabe Longenecker, Paige Luchini, Conner Neitzelt, Layni Norris, Cade Peters, Brandon Rumble, Mason Sackett, Ethan Schatz, Olivia Sease, Lillie Shellabarger, Ethan Warner, Lauren Wholaver, Dalton Winterrowd, Rueben Wray, and Cason Yount.
The Chapter Degree recipients were as follows: Jayce Byers, Karson Beck, Blake Addis, Zach Garber, Zoe Brookey, Jordan Gambill, Jacob BIllenstein, Madison Henninger, and Gavin Tucker.
Chapter awards were also given out that evening. Some of these included participation in career development events as well as other community service projects that were completed throughout the year. Students were also recognized for their efforts in fundraising. This is an important part of what the chapter does because the funds raised through these activities help to pay for the events and trips that the group takes.
The top fruit salespeople this year included Kristen Montgomery, Morgan Baker, Blake Addis, Kim Fourman, and Sadie Bowser. The chapter thanked them for their efforts and also recognized all of the other members who sold over $300 worth of fruit this year.
The evening concluded with the retiring officers installing the new 2021-2022 officers. Current President Walker Lindemuth passed the gavel to Mitchell Schmitmeyer who will serve as the president for the coming year. Vice President Caroline Kress installed Blake Addis, Josie Patrick the retiring secretary installed Mason Lair, retiring Treasurer Mitchell Schmitmeyer turned things over to Andrew Kress, Kim Fourman the retiring reporter handed things over to Dalton Winterrowd, Blake Addis the retiring sentinel welcomed Ethan Warner, and Katie Ressler ended her term as the chapter student advisor. The new officers are excited to get things started as they begin their term as the leaders of this organization.
The chapter would like to thank all of those who helped to make the most of this year. We would like to especially recognize the School Boards and Administrations of both Franklin Monroe and the Miami Valley Career Technology Center for their willingness to work together to provide the best experience possible for our FFA members.
