FFA qualifies more students, teams for state

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook FFA program is growing leaps and bounds compared to where it was last year.

Lauren Miller, hired this year as the FFA instructor at McCook High School, is the engine behind the once-sluggish program. The program this year has produced a number of students ready to compete at state competition, according to McCook Schools superintendent Grant Norgaard.

There will two teams, juniors and seniors, competing at livestock judging, as well as more qualifiers in other FFA areas, Norgaard said during ‘Positive Comments” Monday night at the regular McCook School Board meeting.

In addition, five students have qualified for their state degree. “This is a big improvement from last year,” Norgaard said.

A total of 16 students are going to state this year, Miller confirmed, in floriculture, livestock management, ag demonstration and agri-science.

For her, students being engaged and committed is the key to success in FFA, Miller said, who taught FFA for three years before coming to McCook. “I appreciate other activities the kids do, like sports and National Honor Society, but I want to see my students actively participate in our program.” This means students are involved in a number of activities in and outside the classroom.

Agriculture must be in her DNA: her uncle, Greg Ibach, was recently appointed as the USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs and before that, he was the director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

Other positive comments cited Monday night by McCook Board of Education members and administrators included:

— board member Brad Hays: thanked Jeff Gross and others for helping in the process of student-athletes being recruited.

— board member Brian Esch: thanked administrators for their research on Chromebooks, and coaches and others who help out in extra-curricular activities.

— board member Bob Elder: thanked the maintenance staff for all the extra work they’ve put in this year in removing snow from school grounds, keeping it safe for staff and students.

— board member Loretta Hauxwell: complimented the organizers of the recent Color Day Dance, who included several games and activities for those who didn’t want to dance. Student Council representative JoAnn Neel, who was not present at Monday’s meeting due to a home basketball game, said in a report sent to board president, Tom Bredvick, that the Color Day Dance was attended by 175 students.

— board member Tom Bredvick: thanked those within the school system and community members for being engaged with the school and ready to step up when needed.

— McCook Schools business manager Rick Haney: new guidelines for accounting are going into effect, which means a new set of coding will have to be done on all the accounts. Haney thanked his office staff for having a good attitude about the time-consuming change.

Board member Teresa Thomas was absent from Monday’s meeting due to being ill.