HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Bonaire Middle School FFA chapter has the chance to receive a model of excellence award in October, because of all of their hard work.
If you were to ask any of the seven FFA chapter members why they're here, this is the answer you will get.
"To practice brotherhood, honor agricultural opportunities and responsibilities and develop those qualities of leadership which an FFA member should possess," the Bonaire Middle School FFA chapter said.
These Bonaire Middle Schoolers are developing these qualities of leadership at school, within their chapter, and even in the community.
Cheralyn Keily teaches agricultural education at Bonaire Middle School.
"They love to serve in the community. Very often they will choose to do activities that are service based in the community, even when they don't have to," Keily said.
She says her students met last summer to plan out service activities that they wanted to organize for the 2020-2021 school year.
"Each of those activities has to fit into a certain category, such as healthy lifestyles, service in the community and advocating for agriculture,' Keily said.
Some of the activities they did include: hosting an animal shelter donation drive, taking care of and raising bunnies, growing food in the schools' green house and giving it back to the community, and so much more.
"Since I've been in FFA, it's kind of brought out the better person in me. I'm able to do more things, and have more responsibilities than I've ever had," Marlii Swartwood said.
Because of the chapters hard work and dedication when it came to service activities...
"The chapter has been selected as one of the Middle School models of excellence finalists, on the national level," Keily said.
This means that they are eligible to compete for the Middle School Model of Excellence award, the highest honor awarded to a middle school FFA chapter by the National FFA Organization.
"We are so excited and we are blessed to have this amazing opportunity. We literally cannot wait, we are counting down the days until the competition," Camryn Graham said.
Chapter President Camryn Graham and Vice President Marlii Swartwood, both say, they couldn't be more proud of their chapter.
"It's not just us officers that do the work. The whole chapter participates in everything and helps out," Ghraham said.
Bonaire Middle School's FFA chapter is currently working on a presentation that they will present to the judges through zoom, at the end of September.
The FFA chapter that gets the Middle School Model of Excellence award will be announced at the 2021 National F-F-A Convention & Expo in Indianapolis on October 27.