FORT LORAMIE — Fort Loramie UVCC FFA members attended the 91st FFA Convention in Columbus from May 2-3. The FFA members attended five sessions throughout the convention including keynote speakers who shared motivational and life changing stories with FFA members throughout Ohio.
One exceptional speaker the students listened to was Chris Koch. Koch shared his story of learning how to navigate life differently, as he was born without arms and legs. He had aspirations of being a farmer. Despite his challenges Koch always seemed to find a way through his determination to succeed. He always abides by the words “If I Can.” Koch uses this phrase to demonstrate that there is a way to push through the hardest challenges. Everyone has different challenges; for Koch, it was having no arms or legs. Many people may identify Koch’s situation as a major setback, but on other hand, Koch sees this as no different from any other challenge that people face on a daily basis.
At the last session, the Ohio FFA Association recognized six Fort Loramie-UVCC FFA members as State FFA Degree recipients: Justin Putoff, James Keller, Nora Beresik, Mark Seger, Hannah Siegel, and Jenna Pleiman. To receive the degree, members had to maintain an exceptional Supervised Agricultural Experience and participate in numerous FFA contests and leadership activities. Their experiences on the road to obtaining their State Degrees will help them in their future endeavors.
On May 2, Fort Loramie-UVCC members competed in the Agricultural Mechanics Engineering contest. In this contest, FFA members are faced with the task of designing and creating a bench for the Cleveland Metro Park. This past fall, the team members began the designing process, making a custom CAD design of the bench as well as a cost analysis sheet. On the day of the contest, team members had to demonstrate their ability to SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Weld) weld as well as their ability to GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Weld). In addition, the team had to be able to demonstrate their ability with an oxyacetylene torch and fabricate the correct dimensions of the bench pieces before the competition began.
Fort Loramie-UVCC FFA’s Agricultural Mechanics Engineering team included Justin Putoff, James Keller and Adam Siegel. After competing against other teams across the state, the team placed second. Participants emphasized the contest’s role in improving welding techniques, applying problem solving skills, and fabricating metal.
The Fort Loramie-UVCC FFA chapter was also represented by Nora Beresik at the 91st Ohio FFA Convention. Beresik competed in the Veterinary Science Proficiency Award Area and secured the spot of fourth overall in the state of Ohio. In the Veterinary Science Proficiency competition, FFA members had to explain how their current jobs in the veterinary field shaped their personal agricultural experience.
The Fort Loramie-UVCC FFA Chapter is a satellite program of the Upper Valley Career Center.
