The Freehold FFA has kicked off a new year in their supersuits! Staying true to their 2014-2015 theme of “Gear Up,” FFA members are showing off their blue and gold spirit.

The Freehold FFA Chapter is comprised of members of the Animal and Botanical Sciences Academy here at Township. The FFA is a national organization that promotes leadership and a future in agricultural studies.

The FFA promotes agricultural studies through Career Development Events. These CDEs are seasonal competitions that help prepare students for jobs in the future. The Fall CDEs are Diary Foods, Fruit and Vegetable, Land Judging, and Turf Management. These events help prepare students for futures in the agriculture industry.

Our Chapter Officers:

Our Officers are President Sydney Gavinelli; Vice Presidents Emily Karr and Gabrielle Galterio; Secretaries Bryanna Dowd and Kayleigh Piccolo; Treasurer Brenda Reyes; Reporter Allie Haggar; Sentinels Alexis Mooney and Masooma Moosavi; Parliamentarian Anna Sophia Fernandez; Historians Matt Bonett and Marie Boyle; and Committee Chair Angela Costello. Our chapter advisor is Mr. Brian Ducey.

SEPTEMBER

September has flown by! We already started using our super powers at our Welcome Back Picnic where we introduced our chapter officers and got to know our new members better. Not only were there fun ice-breakers and pizza, but our Historian, Matt Bonett, gave a great speech about discovering our power, the beginnings of a hero, and the beginning of the heroes in ourselves. We split into groups by grade and came up with team names and superpowers- which will be used in our Battle of the Grades. Battle of the Grades is when each grade competes for the most points by going to events and competitions. Let the battle begin and let the best superheroes win! The Freshman class is team Super Trees; the sophomore class is team Swagriculture; the Juniors class is team Plant Man; and the Senior Class is team Children of the Corn.

September 20^th was the Open Space Pace, an annual parade which promotes our horse industry and open space in New Jersey at the Freehold Raceway. Our chapter had a booth at the event, educating others about the FFA along with a wheel to give out some great prizes. We had so much fun seeing all the animals and great organizations there!

OCTOBER

October was a busy month for our FFA members. On the 2^nd, we hosted our open house. Members spoke to interested middle school students about what our program has to offer and showed them around the school. Sydney Gavinelli, Bryanna Dowd, Mr. Ducey, and Dr. Bleakley all gave speeches about the program.

Our annual Car Wash was on October 18^th! We are very thankful that so many came out to support the Freehold FFA! We had our Homecoming BBQ on Friday, October 24^th. Fun was had by all!

October 28^th was Haunted High School. This was a great event where our members worked together to make a special day for little trick-or-treaters. This year we made paper bag pumpkins and spider lollipops with the kids.

A huge competition on the week of October 28^th was NATIONALS! Our members who won their state CDE competitions are eligible to go to Louisville, Kentucky to compete against other chapters from around the country. Sydney Gavinelli competed in the Job Interview CDE. Matt Bonett auditioned for and was selected to be a member of the FFA National Band on clarinet. He was also selected to be one of the four drum majors for the band. Emily Karr was a member of the Courtesy Corps. Allison Finn competed in the Creed Speaking CDE. Congratulations to Sydney, Matt, Emily, and Allison!

There is so much more to come this year and we can’t wait!

We’re ready for a SUPER year!