CASTLE ROCK – Five Cheney High School girls won Future Farmers of America awards for their floriculture group presentations Nov. 6.
The girls are 15-year-old sophomores Madison Hekimian, Mallari Gonzales and Grace Klinkenberg; and 16-year-old juniors Rubie Loughery and Jaden Miller.
"We are just really proud of each other and I think we are all excited to continue to do this," Gonzales said.
School Agriculture instructor Heather McLagan said the contest is designed to give students career skills in the floral industry.
There are several components to the contest, including general knowledge, plant identification, problem solving, team activity, she said.
Students have individual presentations.
"I am really proud of us, because most of us – all of us – are rookies at this," Miller, who made and packaged a corsage, said. "We are not even country kids for the most part; we just jumped right into FFA and I am really proud of me and my friends that we were able to do this together."
Hekimian made and priced a flower arrangement and Gonzalez took plant cuttings as part of greenhouse operations,
Loughery made a dish garden with succulents, and Klinkenberg participated in a mock job interview for the floral industry complete with a resume and an application.
"Our instructor just kinda came up and was like, hey, I think you'd be good at this. Let's run with it," Klinkenberg said. "I think we did a great job with going along with it and just doing it and it shows."
The girls competed against eight teams and won third overall.
They took second place in problem solving and third in individual presentations.
"This one was really important because after COVID and all of our time off, we haven't done any activities for almost two years, " McLagan said. "And this was really, like, our first activity."
McLagan said she was really impressed with the girls, due to this being their first year.
"They are completely novice at this contest," she said. "A lot of other teams have been together for a long time, these kids are brand new. So, to perform so well at their very first contest is really encouraging."
She said the students didn't know problem solving was going to be a part of the contest.
"They just showed up and nailed it, So, I am really proud of them and it makes me feel really good to get back to FFA activities," she said.
Floral design is taught every semester and can lead to a variety of careers in the industry such as greenhouse operations and floristry, McLagan said.
"A lot of the skills taught have to do with problem solving and thinking on your feet," McLagen said. "And those are skills that apply to any job."
Features reporter Sarah Stephens can be reached at [email protected].
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