Last week found FFA members busy as usual. It started Tuesday with the Opening Closing Competition that was held at Santa Paula High School. The competition is really a Career Development Event or CDE for short. CDE’s help prepare students for the job market by teaching them to think critically, communicate clearly, and to perform effectively. In FFA, there are 24 different CDE’s that cover various job skills. CDE’s are held at the local, state and national levels. Members can participate in CDE’s that cover everything from floriculture to job interviewing. Students compete in some events as individuals and others as part of a team. The objective of the FFA Opening and Closing Ceremony CDE is to develop public speaking skills and promote the proper use of the official opening and closing ceremony. Fillmore FFA members competed against teams from Santa Paula, Ventura, Carpentaria and Camarillo. Fillmore FFA’s officer team placed 3rd and Jennifer Martin, ’13, was awarded Outstanding Vice President for her individual performance.

Saturday the Officer team traveled north to Hollister to attend the Chapter Officer Leadership Conference. The conference is designed to teach team building and individual officer position responsibilities. The team enjoyed the activities that taught us problem solving and communication skills. The team returned home Sunday evening exhausted but excited to put into action the leadership skills they had learned at the conference.

Brooke Aguirre is the Fillmore FFA Chapter Reporter