SANTA MARIA HIGH SCHOOL
Agriculture Education and FFA
Year in Review
(Past Events)
National FFA Week
February 21st - 27th, 2021
One of the most anticipated events that we have yearly, is the celebration of National FFA Week. Its purpose is to commemorate FFA as a whole across the nation. This year National FFA Week proved to be a memorable event among our Chapter's history amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. We started off with National FFA Week with Spirit Days for each day of the school week. The Spirit Days that we had included in order from Monday to Friday were Santa Maria High School gear day, College gear day, FFA gear day, Western attire day, and Blue attire day. During National FFA Week we also had two meetings. Our first meeting was a virtual meeting, while the other one was a Drive Thru meeting. The virtual meeting was held on Tuesday, February 23rd at 4:30 PM in Zoom where we had approximately 80 members present. We continued National FFA Week with our Drive Thru meeting which was held on Wednesday, February 24th at 4:30 PM in the Thornburg Staff Parking Lot. The Drive Thru meeting consisted of different booths and stopping points all designed to inform our members about different parts of the Agriculture Industry. In order, the stops were passing out FFA backpacks and Sign-in sheets, there was a Blanket & Sock Drive Community Service booth, a Ornamental Horticulture booth, an Animal Science booth, an Agricultural Mechanics booth, an FFA Merchandise/FFA Awards and SBCFB Blue Jacket Bonanza booth, and the Sign-in collection booth. In the Drive Thru we had close to 200 FFA members come through. Each member received their Santa Maria FFA back-pack filled with chips, salsa, and a Capri Sun. In addition they also filled their backpacks with goodies as they passed by our booths. Some of these goodies included flavored raisins, flowers, pots with seeds & soil, beef recipes, pencils, stickers, chocolate straws, and much more. These items were all donated by different companies within the Agriculture Industry. The Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau Executive Director Teri Bontrager was also present to pass out FFA Jackets to our Blue Jacket Bonanza recipients. Overall, FFA members had a joyous time seeing all the different booths, especially the animals that we had present. This turned out to be a successful event and a great way to top off National FFA Week for our chapter.
Mr. Luis Guerra
2021 South Coast Region
Golden Owl Award Recipient
During National FFA Week, our very own Mr. Luis Guerra was recognized as the South Coast Region Golden Owl Award Recipient. The purpose of this award is to recognize the top outstanding agricultural educators in the State of California. Mr. Guerra has been teaching in the Agriculture Department at Santa Maria High School for more than 25 years. He is a teacher, a mentor, a advisor, and a friend to many. Mr. Guerra is passionate about the teaching profession, and he is highly committed to the success of his students. It is no surprise that he was selected to receive this prestigious award. Mr. Guerra is now one of 5 finalists in the state that will compete for the title of the California Golden Owl Award. We wish you luck Mr. Guerra!
February FFA Virtual Meeting
February 23rd , 2021
Our February FFA Meeting was held in Zoom on February 23rd, 2021 at 4:30 PM. We had a total of 80 members attend. We started off the meeting with officers conducting Opening Ceremonies and followed with the Presidents' message. After, we went over Old Business in which we discussed State Degree recipients, Blue Jacket Bonanza recipients, the Job Interview contest, the Impromptu Speaking contest, and past CDE Field Days. We then went over New Business in which presenters spoke about upcoming Public Speaking Contest including Creed and Prepared Public Speaking, as well as updates for the Santa Barbara County Fair. At the end of the meeting we announced our Social Media game prize winners. We then concluded our meeting with Closing Ceremonies.
Chapter Public Speaking Contest
Our February 11th, 2021 the Santa Maria FFA Chapter kicked off Public Speaking with its Virtual Job Interview Contest. Members started out by submitting electronic versions of the resumes and cover letters on February 9th. On the day of the event they began with filling out a virtual job application. After, they went through two rounds of virtual interviews with judges. 1st Place was Dana Gomez, 2nd Place was Dennise Bernal, and 3rd Place was Paola Gomez, 4th Place was Jazmin Magana, and 5th Place was Monica Novoa. The top 3 contestants will be moving onto the Sectional level in March. The Impromptu Speaking Contest took place on February 17th, 2021. 1st Place was Stephanie Carrillo, and 2nd Place was Litzy Cortes. Both will be moving onto the Sectional level. The Prepared Public Speaking Contest took place on February 25th, 2021. 1st Place was Rebekah Blackmon, 2nd Place was Odalys Martinez, 3rd Place was Isabel Cruz, and 4th Place was Veronica Garcia. All will be moving onto the Sectional level. The Creed Recitation Contest also took place February 25th, 2021. 1st Place was Cindy Carbajal, 2nd Place was Olivia Venegas, 3rd Place was Melissa Lua, 4th Place was Lorena Velarde, and 5th Place was Vanessa Nunez. The chapter will be sending 13 Creed speakers to the Sectional level. Congratulations to all who competed. We are extremely proud of you for taking the initiative during this unprecedented time.
November FFA Drive Thru
November 18th, 2020
Our November FFA Meeting was hosted on Wednesday, November 18th, 2020. Our meeting was about recognizing our new Greenhand FFA members! We we had a Drive-Thru and gave out prizes, pastries, Greenhand pins, and lettuce transplants. During our meeting we also had a canned food drive where we received 1500 cans! These cans were then donated to a local Church program and the Salvation Army. We also gave out 75 turkeys to families who were going through hard times due to the pandemic. These students filled out a survey a week prior indicating their need for assistance. We also had a Virtual FFA Meeting where we held our business portion and announced our Social Media game prize winners! Overall we had a successful meeting and members had a lot of fun.
Lompoc Record News Article: Santa Maria High School holds food distributions for families in need
Ocean Breeze Farms Flower Sale
October 31st, 2020
On October 31st, 2020 the Santa Maria FFA Floral Shop volunteered at Ocean Breeze Farms in Nipomo, California where they assisted with their Monthly Saturday Flower Sale. FFA Members in the Advanced Floral Design class put their skills to use by designing and wrapping flower bouquets for customers who purchased flowers. Our members had a fun time designing and socializing with customers. We are looking forward to working with Ocean Breeze Farms again in the future.
October FFA Drive-Thru
October 18th, 2020
Our October FFA Drive Thru was held on October 18th, 2020. This month we had a Halloween themed Drive Thru. We were fortunate enough to pass out over 200 pumpkins to our students and share the Halloween spirit with them. During this Drive Thru Meeting we recognized students that participated in the Sectional Opening and Closing Ceremonies Speaking Contest, in which they proudly to represented our school. Not to mention, this was the first Drive Thru that student officers were able to help participate in the distribution of the items at the Drive Thru. Overall the event was a success, and it was great to see fellow FFA members.
September Virtual FFA Meeting
September 22nd, 2020
On September 22nd, 2020 we held our first FFA Meeting for the 2020-2021 school year. This was our first time hosting a virtual meeting, and the theme was "Ice-Cream Social". In the virtual meeting we welcomed new members to the Santa Maria FFA Chapter, covered business reports and updates, announced Social Media Prize Winners, and showed members how to make ice-cream by hand. Additionally, on Wednesday September 23rd, 2020 Santa Maria FFA Advisors hosted an Ice-Cream Social Drive Thru in which they passed out ice-cream cups to FFA Members and their families. We had approximately 175 members come through the Drive Thru. This was a great way to kick off the school year.
State Degree Spotlight 2020
During the late spring and early summer months, the Santa Maria FFA Chapter utilized Social Media to highlight some of the S.A.E.'s (projects and work experiences) of our 2020 State Degree Recipients. To qualify for the State Degree, a member must earn or invest a minimum of $1000.00 in their S.A.E., have a minimum of 500 hours invested in their S.A.E., have a minimum of 25 hours of Community Service, and be an active participant in the FFA at and above the local level. We are extremely proud of these recipients and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.
National FFA Week
February 23rd - 29th, 2020
We celebrated National FFA Week February 24th - 28th, 2020. As part of this celebration, we had lunchtime and after school activities that took place throughout the week. We also implemented Spirit Days for members to dress up. On Monday we started at City Hall with a Proclamation for National FFA Week; On Tuesday members participated in a lunchtime Ag Relay Race; On Wednesday we held our Annual Sectional Dodgeball Game; On Thursday we had our Annual Got a Buck your in Luck hamburger lunch for FFA members to purchase; and on Friday we held our Annual Tractor Pull competition at lunch. Members also had the option to attend the Sectional Barn Dance on Saturday.
State Degree 2021
Our February 1st, 2021 the Santa Maria FFA Chapter received notice that all 38 of their members who had applied for the California State FFA Degree were accepted to receive the degree. This is a major accomplishment for our members, especially under the current circumstances of a global pandemic. To qualify for the State Degree, a member must earn or invest a minimum of $1000.00 in their S.A.E., have a minimum of 500 hours invested in their S.A.E., have a minimum of 25 hours of Community Service, and be an active participant in the FFA at and above the local level. The application process was incredibly difficult this year, and we are very proud of all our members who stepped up to the challenge. Congratulations!
January Virtual FFA Meeting
January 27th , 2021
Our January FFA Meeting was held in Zoom on January 27th, 2021. We had a total of 120 members logged in. The meeting was about our FFA teachers introducing themselves by explaining what classes they teach, the CDE/Judging Teams they coach, which livestock projects they advise, and what Public Speaking Contests they are in charge of. Our whole purpose of this meeting was so that our FFA members could get a sense of familiarity with the FFA teachers which would hopefully lead our members to becoming more involved in FFA. Also, during our meeting, we held a Kahoot game based on Football history, in which the first-place winner won a Buffalo Wild Wings gift card, the three winners of our game were Irving Fabela in first, followed by Jazmin Magana in second, Zaira Hernandez in third. Overall, we had a successful meeting, and our members had a lot of fun learning about our FFA staff and playing the Kahoot game.
December FFA Drive Thru
December 9th, 2020
Our December FFA Drive Thru was held on December 9th, 2020. The theme for our Drive Thru was Christmas to get into that Christmas spirit!!! At the Drive Thru we were able to donate 50 Christmas trees and 30 hams to students and their families who had been financially impacted by the pandemic. In order to qualify, those students had to fill out a survey one week prior indicating their need for assistance. We also had the chance to give out mugs filled with goodies, as well as an acorn tree to all the FFA members who attended. Alongside the Drive Thru we were able to hold our virtual meeting for the month of December. During the meeting we were able to discuss our FFA business as well as many activities and opportunities that FFA Chapter members could take part in. Overall, we had a successful Drive Thru and virtual meeting, and FFA members were able to enjoy both and have fun!
Student of the Month Drive Thru
October 28th, 2020
Our Student of the Month Drive Thru was held on Wednesday, October 28th, 2020. Each of the 10 Agriculture Teachers was able to recognize 5 students from their classes (totaling 50 students). These students were chosen because of their positive attitude, class work ethic, and involvement. Students who attended received a certificate of achievement, a full size pizza, and a Santa Maria FFA tumbler filled with goodies.
Chapter Officer Elections
August 25th, 2020
On August 25th, 2020 we kicked off the year by announcing the names of our 2020-2021 Santa Maria FFA Chapter Officers. Members spent the entire week prior voting by google form. Votes with then tallied and announced by our 2019-2020 Santa Maria FFA Officer Team on YouTube and Social Media.
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President: Rebekah Blackmon
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Vice President(s): Monica Novoa & Jimena Zepeda
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Secretary: Odalys Martinez
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Treasurer: Janeyri Antonio
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Reporter: Marisol Ramirez
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Sentinel: Zaira Hernenadez
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Greenhand Officers: Maria Aguirre, Giselle Lazaro, Andrea Martinez, & Elvis Jarquin.
State CDE Finals 2020
Career Development Event’s primary idea is for students to experience growth by working together as one team. CDE's teach students the skills they need in future careers through hands-on activities, clear communication, and effective performance in various areas of Agriculture. On the 29th of May in 2020, our Vegetable Crops Judging Team, coached by Mrs. Powell and Miss. Yamamoto, competed in a Virtual State Finals Competition. CONGRATULATIONS to Veronica Garcia, Jessica Arredondo, and Maria Alvarez for their dedication and performance to be amongst the top teams in California. The team placed 2nd High Team in State and Alvarez placed 3rd High Individual! On the 22nd of June in 2020, our Light Horse Judging team, coached by Ms. Sherry, also competed in a Virtual State Finals Competition. Team members included Belen Perez, Adamari Rodrgiues, and Heriberto Mendez. The team placed 3rd High Team and Perez placed 5th High Individual. Congratulations to all those who participated.
Outstanding Large Agriculture Education Program 2020
The Santa Maria High School Agriculture Program was selected at the Outstanding Large Agriculture Education Program in the State of California for the 2019-2020 school year. Department members include Mark Powell (Department Chair), Marc DeBernardi, Luis Guerra, Clemente Ayon, Melissa Flory-Guerra, Amanda Rodriguez, Shannon Powell, and Sara Araujo.
SLE
February 24th - 28th, 2020
The California Sacramento Leadership Experience (SLE) Conference was held during National FFA Week (February 24th-28th, 2020) in Sacramento, California. Our Chapter President, Belen Perez, was one of the 75 selected students in the State that was given the opportunity to attend the conference. While at the conference, she was assigned a specific California district in which she spent four days learning about government, issues in agriculture and ethics, water and natural resources, food and nutrition, and education.
