Pitman FFA started out the month of March with a friendly volleyball competition.
Fifteen members of Pitman FFA attended the sectional volleyball tournament on March 3 at Central Valley High School in Ceres. Pitman had a team of 10 members who played their very best, winning their first two games against Waterford and Newman FFA. These two wins advanced them to the championship game against Hughson FFA. After a tough match, with a lot of action and back and forth with the score cards, Pitman FFA was defeated and brought home second place. Members had a lot of fun playing the game and cheering on their team, and they can’t wait to fight for first place again next year.
On March 6, Pitman FFA competed in the regional speaking competition at Modesto Junior College. Three contestants participated: Kiara Velazquez for the El Credo Oro Division, Anette Carrillo for the El Credo Azul Division, and Madison Stanley for the job interview. Madison placed first in the job interview, and Anette placed fourth in El Credo Azul. Both girls will be moving on to compete at the state level next month in Fresno.
The club’s monthly meeting was on March 12 at the Turlock Get Air trampoline park with FFA members and sectional officers in attendance. There were over 100 members who joined for the meeting, where they were able to jump, play fun games, talk with friends, and have a good time. All the members had a lot of fun springing into action with their fellow members.
Pitman FFA participated in a Spring Basket Drive from March 13-27. Members donated bags of candy and plastic eggs in order to be donated to churches to use for holiday activities. There were hundreds of items donated by the members, and they were given to All Saints University Parish and Jessica’s House.
On the March 18, Pitman FFA had four members receive scholarships from the Turlock Chambers of Commerce. These students were Hannah LoForti, Tori White, Kiara Velazquez, and Maritza Jimenez. They were able to attend a lunch along with the other recipients in the community to accept this reward. We are proud to see the recognition for their dedication to the program and can’t wait to see what they do next.
Pitman FFA had 11 members attend the State Convention in Ontario March 19-24, where all the chapters in California were in attendance with the state officers. These members were able to meet other members from all over the state, learn leadership skills, attend workshops, meet business owners as well as colleges, and hear the retiring addresses from our past state officers, get to vote for the new officer team, and see them announced. Pitman FFA also had a scholarship finalist who was the chapter’s very own chapter president, Maritza Jimenez, who walked the stage at the State Convention to receive first place for this scholarship from Ron Schuler. The chapter's first vice president, Kiara Velazquez, and Treasurer, Yosgart Toledo, enter their Agriscience project of “Bacterial Growth in Pickled Cucumbers Exposed to Different Preservation Solutions,” where they became finalists and brought home fourth place out of the entire state. Last, but not least, Kiara Velazquez ran for the state office and advanced to the top 40 round, making the chapter proud with her hard-fought run.
Ten members attended the Regional meeting at Central Valley High School in Ceres on March 28, where they met the Regional Officer candidates, one of them being the chapter’s very own Treasurer, Yosgart Toledo. They were able to hear these candidates' speeches and why they want to be in office, and lastly, they voted in the new officer team.
As of late, both the Advanced Science class and the Advanced Floral class were given the chance to participate in a class field trip. The field trip for the Advanced Science class consisted of students going to the school farm to collect fecal samples for their animal systems unit. These samples were then placed under microscopes to see if any parasites were able to be spotted and or identified. The Advanced Floral class took a trip to the school’s flower supplier, Flora Fresh, over in Sacramento, to learn more about the supplies they were receiving and additional in-depth details about what they’re working with. The chapter’s welding classes had the opportunity to tour Wilkey Industries, where they were able to get hands-on experience of a day in the life of this occupation. Meanwhile, engineering classes have been perfecting skills while designing their very own race car to be raced during class. Lastly, welding and fabrication students have been hard at work on their fair projects for the summer. In the Agricultural Chemistry class, students have been learning all about atoms and elements. Recently, students selected one element of the periodic table and constructed an atom of said element. Their Bohr Model project allows them to show their knowledge on subjects such as atomic number, protons, neutrons, electrons, and shells, while incorporating an eye-appealing design. In Vet Science, students have the chance to hatch quails and chickens. For the past couple of weeks, they have learned about embryo development, how they hatch, and what problems may happen during development. This week, they will be putting eggs in incubators and trying to hatch some eggs. Vet Med students dissected a sheep heart this month. They got sheep hearts and observed all the different parts, identifying how it works. In return, students were able to have a better understanding of how the heart works and the functions of the body. Being a student enrolled in Ag Bio means learning about Punnett Squares. Students have been learning about dominant and recessive traits, and homozygous and heterozygous dominant. Discovering the outcome of an offspring, also using real-world examples. Students compare traits such as the attached/free earlobe, eye color, and freckles, and how these affect living things.
The Pitman FFA Ag program has an upcoming plant sale scheduled for 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 24 and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 25. Those interested in purchasing a plant, can come to the back of the Ag Department off of Mountain View Road to pick up some herbs, flowers, house plants, student projects, and more.
Stay up to date on Pitman FFA events on Instagram and Facebook at pitmanffa02.
Authors: Aryanna Hernandez, Khloe Hernandez, Annette Carrillo, Ayanna Ruezga, Nataly Becerra, Isabella Chapa-Diaz, Khloe Hernandez, Leo Quadros, Clara Fey, Isaias Diaz, and Brianna Olson
