Odessa FFA members compete at district

FFA Advisor at OHS

The Odessa High School chapter of FFA sent several students to the District 9 career development events held in Moses Lake the week of March 7.

Food Science & Technology

The Food Science and Technology event provides FFA members the opportunity to gain awareness of career and professional opportunities in the field of food science and technology, marketing and management occupations. Participants take an objective test, practice quality assurance principles, conduct a sensory analysis through taste-testing of food products and identifying their flavor, and applying food safety and sanitation principles related to the food industry. Three sophomores and two freshmen qualified to attend the state Food Science and Technology event this upcoming May. Crab Creek Coffee Haus donated samples of different flavors to help the team practice for their aroma test.

Job Interview

The FFA Job Interview event is designed for FFA members to develop, practice and demonstrate skills needed for seeking employment in the industry of agriculture. Each part of the event simulates, as closely as possible, real-world activities that will be used by real-world employers. Alexis Schmierer qualified to attend the district competition by earning first place in the sub-district north event three weeks ago. She had to create a resume and cover letter for a job she wished to apply for. Those scores, along with her interview, earned her a sixth-place finish in the District 9 competition.

First-year member event

FFA members Kaitlyn Zaeglow, Jakob Starkel and Isabelle Talancon participated in this event.

The First-year Member event provides an opportunity for the youngest FFA members to demonstrate their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success. Through a comprehensive exam on FFA and the agriculture industry, as well as a group problem-solving challenge, participants in this event learn what it takes to serve as leaders in their chapter and beyond. They learned about group cooperation, team participation, as well as getting comfortable with speaking in front of the public during the group problem-solving challenge. Zagelow and Starkel are eighth-graders and Talancon is a ninth-grader. These students will be practicing for the next competition to be held during the 86th FFA state convention in May.

Milk Quality

and Product Evaluation

Sophomore Hannah Sheldon and freshmen Megan Shafer and Jordan Larmer were participants in the Milk Quality and Products Evaluation event, learning firsthand the importance of dairy product quality and testing. Students evaluated defects in the flavor and odor of milk, tested milk acidity and sampled other varieties of dairy foods in order to test their knowledge of spoilage and dairy food grading. A knowledge test challenged the technical skills that each member had to demonstrate that evening. The Milk Quality (formerly known as the Dairy Foods CDE) event qualified these members to go to the state competition to be held on the Washington State University campus in Pullman the second week in May.