Bowling Green FFA members, parents and community supporters were able to come together and celebrate 92 years of Bowling Green FFA in March. The chapter had the opportunity to celebrate the fact that the Bowling Green FFA Chapter was named a top chapter not only in the state of Ohio, but a top chapter in the nation.
The banquet consisted of a meal and an awards ceremony. The meal for this year’s banquet was catered by BGSU Catering Services.
The awards ceremony started with announcing the honorary degrees, with a total of four degrees awarded. The first honorary degree recipient was Dave Stacklin, the supervisor for agriculture programs at Penta Career Center. In his role, Stacklin has supported the FFA chapter by providing resources for the department as well as the opportunity to attend FFA activities and events.
The next recipients were Scott and Bethany Eschedor, who have been strong supporters of the Bowling Green FFA for many years. They have not only encouraged all three of their children to be involved in the program, all serving as chapter presidents, but have always been more than willing to volunteer their time to help. Specifically, for the last two years, Bethany has coordinated the silent auction at the FFA banquet which has provided valuable scholarship money for FFA seniors.
The third recipient was Josh Iler, who has helped the program with everything from supporting fundraisers by sitting in the dunk tank to helping unload fruit during an unexpected 2-hour delay. Iler is appreciated as a champion for the program in the school.
The final recipients were Bill and Melanie Ferguson. From volunteering their time to serve cake and drinks at the Greehand Ceremonies to getting dunked at the tailgate, Bill and Melanie Ferguson never hesitate to volunteer their time to help FFA members accomplish their goals. They truly epitomize the “Doing to Serve” line of the FFA motto. They are appreciated for their consistent support.
This year’s Blue and Gold award was given to Bowling Green High Schools Transportation Director Toby Snow. His support of the FFA chapter is appreciated. Coordinating transportation and making sure members make it safely and on time to all of FFA events makes Snow’s support essential to success. He may not always be front and center but his presence never goes unnoticed. Members thank him for his extra time and effort he puts into making sure we can attend all events, even if he has to drive the bus himself.
The ceremony also allowed the chapter to recognize Proficiency Award winners. Proficiency Awards are given to members in recognition of outstanding Supervised Agricultural Experience projects. This year’s winners were:
- Agricultural Mechanics Design and Fabrication-Cole Brokaw
- Agricultural Mechanics Repair and Maintenance-Easton Schick and MJ Walters
- Ag Processing-Natalee Harris and Drew Thomas
- Ag Services-Tanner Steffan and Ashton Studer
- Beef Production-Madison Carrillo (Brian and Stacie Anderson-Sponsor)
- Dairy Production-Laney Crawford and Eddie Eschedor
- Diversified Horticulture-Gretchen Germann
- Diversified Livestock-Easton Schick and Kenzie Spangenberg
- Food Science and Technology-Peyton Bosworth, Lindsay Eisel, Emma Ferguson, Audrey Geyman, Cece Marovich, and Emma Thompson
- Equine Science-Torie Rosales
- Landscape Management-Ethan Helvoigt and Hunter Sockman
- Outdoor Recreation-Layne Mangette
- Service Learning-Caden Wisniewski
- Sheep Production-Drew Thomas
- Small Animal Production and Care-Cece Dye
- Vegetable Production-Eddie Eschedor
- Turf Grass Management-Evan Romero
The next award that was presented this year was the Jamie Belleville Beef Award. Jamie Belleville was a four year member of the Bowling Green FFA and held the office of President his senior year, 1964-1965. Agriculture was a huge part of his life, and he co-owned the family farm with his brother Mike. They raised beef cattle and owned a meat processing plant and a retail market, Belleville Brothers Market, in Bowling Green. Jamie would be honored to support a member of Bowling Green FFA who is taking a beef project to the Wood County Fair. The “Jamie Belleville Beef Award” is a $300 scholarship awarded to a deserving student in his honor. The recipient of this year’s Jamie Belleville Beef award was Madison Carrillo.
The members were also presented with the Chapter Awards. These are presented to members who excel in the areas specified by each award which are:
- Star Greenhand- Grace O’Connell and Gavin Roessner
- Star Agriscience-Lindsay Eisel (Wood County SWCD-Sponsor)
- Star Chapter Farmer-Drew Thomas (Mark and Melissa DeSmith-Sponsor)
- Star Ag Placement-Hunter Sockman (Germann Family Enterprises- sponsor)
- Star Ag Business-Evan Romero (Gene and Rita Klotz-sponsor)
- Ag Credit 110% Award-Peyton Bosworth and Kenzie Spangenberg (Ag Credit- sponsor)
- Outstanding Senior Award-Emma Ferguson and Eddie Eschedor (Mike and the late Mary Lou Shertzer-sponsor)
- Star Accounting Award-Madison Carrillo (Premier Bank- sponsor)
Spirit of FFA Awards were presented to:
- Freshman- Shawn Carney, Angela Ducat, Addison Schurger, Kate Howick
- Sophomore-Averie Crawford, Audrina Layfield, Addie Naus, Annie Urban
- Junior- Wyatt Bechstein, Zack Bechstein, Cece Dye, MJ Walters
- Senior- Easton Schick, Laney Crawford, Audrey Geyman, Ethan Helvoigt
This year’s Senior Scholarships were awarded to eight deserving students of the graduating class of 2023. The Bronze Scholarship was awarded to Ethan Helvoigt, Kenzie Spangenberg, and Laney Crawford. The Silver Scholarship was awarded to Madison Carrillo, Emma Ferguson, and Peyton Bosworth. Finally, the Gold Scholarship was awarded to Eddie Eschedor and Lindsay Eisel.
The night ended with the induction of BG FFAs 2023-2024 officer team:
- President- Addie Naus
- Vice-President- Drew Thomas
- Secretary- Averie Crawford
- Treasurer- Aiden Meyer
- Reporter- Annie Urban
- Historian-Kate Suter
- Sentinel- Cole Brokaw
- Student Advisor- Cece Dye
The banquet is the last big FFA event for the school year, therefore the last for the seniors. As it is sad to see them go they have all contributed so much to the FFA Chapter, and the new officer team is ready to continue the traditions and carry on the legacy to take the Bowling Green FFA to the next level.
Bowling Green FFA is a satellite program of Penta Career Center.
