JRHS, Sowers and Marshall shine at National FFA event

Mason Sowers Named National FFA Champion; Bailey Marshall National FFA Finalist

Indianapolis, IN – Members of the James River FFA Chapter again experienced chapter history being made at the 91st Annual National FFA Convention and Expo held October 24-28, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Heading into the National FFA Convention and Expo, 2017 James River graduate, Mason Sowers, was selected as a National FFA Proficiency Award finalist in the area of Agricultural Sales – Placement. During the convention, Mason interviewed with an eight member panel about the records he kept, skills he gained, and finances he earned and invested as part of his Supervised Agricultural Experience, specifically looking at the time he spent as an employee at Rockingham Cooperative. During the 6th general session, Mason Sowers was named the National FFA Champion of the Agricultural Sales Placement Proficiency Award Area. As a national champion, Mason receives $1,000 scholarship from the National FFA Foundation and becomes James River FFA’s first National FFA Champion in program history!

Also competing and making history at the National FFA Convention and Expo was Bailey Marshall, James River FFA Chapter President. In June, Bailey was named the Virginia FFA State Champion in the Employment Skills Leadership Development Event earning her the opportunity to represent Virginia at the national level. Before competing in Indianapolis, Bailey had to submit a cover letter, resume, and job description for the position she wanted to apply for. She also completed an online job application and preliminary phone interview. In Indianapolis, Marshall participated in a panel interview and completed a follow up letter. At this point, scores were tallied and it was announced that Bailey would be advancing from the 44 participant pool of the preliminary round to the 12 contestant semi-final round. In the semifinals, Bailey participated in three one-on-one interviews. From here, Bailey became James River’s first student to advance to the national final round in a Leadership Development Event and became one of the top eight students in the country in the event. During the final round, Bailey participated in a networking activity and a final job acceptance phone call. At the Employment Skills Leadership Development Event award banquet, Bailey Marshall was recognized as placing 6th in the nation in the event and received a $550 scholarship. 

For the first time in many years, three James River FFA members received their American FFA Degrees, the highest degree an FFA member can receive and an honor that .001% of FFA members achieve. These FFA members include 2015 graduate David Cummings and 2016 graduates Mason Sowers and Davis Fenster.

To round out the history making week, the James River FFA Chapter was recognized as a National 3-Star Chapter, the highest rating an FFA program can receive from the National FFA Organization. Only five FFA programs in the State of Virginia received this honor. This it the second year in a row that James River FFA received a 3-star rating.

The James River FFA Chapter would like to thank all the supporters and volunteers who took time to work with Mason and Bailey to prepare them for the National FFA Convention and Expo. The chapter would also like to thank their officers, members, school faculty and staff, school and county administration, sponsors, and the community for helping the program achieve another 3-Star national rating and an unforgettable, history making year. Stay tuned to James River FFA’s social media outlets to see what this school year has in store! To find out more about the National FFA Proficiency award program or Career and Leadership Development Events, check out the National FFA website at www.ffa.org.

Cutlines:

JRHS FFA at national convention

Mason Sowers and Bailey Marshall

–Submitted by Zach Wakeman and photos by Zach Wakeman, FFA sponsor