Strawberry Crest High School walked away victorious from the 91st National FFA Convention & Expo.
The school’s Agriculture Communication team is comprised of Sydney Swartman, Ayden Kelly, Anna Ress and Priscella Shreve. Led by coach and advisor Susan Mayo, the team won first place in the competition, taking home cash rewards for its hard work. Swartman was also named third high individual and Kelly was named eighth high individual.
“We thought we would do well, I have very competitive, very intelligent students,” Mayo said. “But I don’t think any of us thought we would pull off a national championship. Maybe they did. At this point nothing should surprise me with this group. They overcome every obstacle.”
Each year, teams participating in the Agriculture Communication CDE are tested on their skills and in-depth knowledge in all areas of agriculture communication. During the contest, they have to attend a simulated news conference and complete tests on writing, electronic media and design.
Crest’s team chose to focus part of their project on creating a media plan on Dennis Carlton Jr., a local agriculturist. Before heading to state the team presented their project to Carlton, whom Mayo said absolutely loved what they were able to accomplish. The media plan placed in the top four in the nation and thus the team had the chance to do a live presentation.
The dedication and hard work from the team is undoubtedly what set them apart in the competition, Mayo said. The students were often on campus before 7 a.m. and whenever they didn’t have another practice they would stay after school to perfect their skills. When preparing for the state contest, Mayo said they were easily practicing for 20 to 25 hours a week. After states, that number remained at a minimum of 15 hours, which included essentially memorizing the AP Stylebook and running through editing and communication quizzes.
Mayo said one of the most memorable moments of the convention was the fact that the team was recognized on the national stage during the same session President Donald Trump spoke at. She said it was something none of the students would soon forget. They also were able to attend a Garth Brooks concert as well as some haunted houses during the trip.
Months ago, when the school booked the trip, Mayo said it never crossed their mind they would actually take home the title of champion. So they originally booked their flights during the very same session where they were honored. When they realized they had won nationals they didn’t hesitate to miss their flight back, which led to an “interesting” 24-hour car ride back to Plant City.
The students are all seniors and Mayo said they are already strategizing how they can study and work hard to ensure they compete at nationals again next year. Many are considering pursuing careers in agriculture via science and engineering, Mayo said.
The unending support from parents and the dedication of the Crest FFA students has always helped push Crest to be able to achieve countless victories. At Crest the students know they will be solely responsible for the work, that their advisors aren’t going to hand them anything.
“FFA is definitely about building leaders and we need leaders right now that acknowledge the influence and importance of agriculture,” Mayo said. “Without agriculture, we aren’t eating, we aren’t wearing clothes. It’s so important to our society.”