Students Compete in Career and Leadership Development Events

by JADYN DAVIS, Polk County FFA Federation Officer

       Polk County FFA members have been very busy this month studying for and competing in CDEs and LDEs. A CDE — or a career development event — is a competitive event designed to educate students on different sectors of the agricultural industry. Whether this be completing practicums, identifying specimens, or judging classes, they give FFA members a glimpse into jobs in a specific agricultural field. An LDE — or a leadership development event — is a competitive event more focused on leadership roles and public speaking. There are competitions ranging from memorizing material and reciting it to having to extemporaneously come up with speeches that help students with communication and leadership abilities.

       One level of competitions for CDEs and LDEs is referred to as sub-districts. This is the first level of competitions, and only those receiving first place will go on to compete at the district level. There are six different contests for these students to compete in; some are individual and for others, students must work as a team. 

       Of the six contests, there are two that require a team effort. The first is a middle school-specific contest called Opening and Closing Ceremonies. For this contest, students memorize and recite the official opening and closing ceremonies script and then answer oral questions. The second is a contest for both middle and high school students called Parliamentary Procedure. Students demonstrate their knowledge of parliamentary law through a written test, oral questions, and running through a mock meeting using motions and debates. Those moving onto districts include:

Opening and Closing Ceremonies:

North-                                                                                    South-

1^st place: Kathleen Middle                                           1^st place: Bok Academy North

Middle School Parliamentary Procedure:

North-                                                                                    South-

1^st place: N/A                                                                      1^st place: Bok Academy South

High School Parliamentary procedure:

North-                                                                                    South-

1^st place: Auburndale                                                     1^st place: Davenport Sr.

       The next two contests are the only two individual contests where students prepare a speech to recite themselves. The first is called Prepared Public Speaking, which is a speech prepared previously to the contest date written about any agricultural issue that the speaker desires. The next contest is called extemporaneous public speaking, where students are assigned a random topic, and they are allotted 30 minutes using pre-prepared materials to completely write a speech. For both contests, students will recite their speeches to judges and answer oral questions pertaining to the topic. Those moving on to districts include:

Middle School Prepared Speaking:

North-                                                                                    South-

1^st place: Chloe Dennard, Lake Gibson Middle  1^st place: Mya Sullivan, Bok Academy North       

High School Prepared Speaking:

North-                                                                                    South-

1^st place: Jadyn Davis, George Jenkins Sr.            1^st place: Zibe Stein, Frostproof

Middle School Extemporaneous Speaking:

North-                                                                                   South-

1^st place: Richard Decker, Blake Academy          1^st place: LaRae Lawson, Bok Academy North

High School Extemporaneous Speaking:

North-                                                                                   South-

1^st place: Jessie Whitehead, Lake Gibson Sr.      1^st place: Laila Armstrong, Fort Meade Sr.

       The final two contests are also individual contests, but they differ from the others. The first contest, which is a high school-specific contest, is a CDE rather than an LDE. The Tractor Operations CDE offers an opportunity for high school students to be introduced to correct and safe operation of a tractor. This practicum is done by completing a practice course, answering oral questions, and taking a written test. The final contest is the Creed Speaking LDE. This contest is a great introduction to public speaking for middle schoolers as well as ninth-graders in high school. Competitors will memorize the FFA Creed and recite it in front of a panel of judges as well as answer oral questions based on their knowledge of the creed, leadership, and the agricultural industry. Those moving on to districts include:

Tractor Operations:

North-                                                                                   South-

1^st place: Brody Simmon, Auburndale                   1^st place: Juan Penaloza, Frostproof Sr.

Creed Speaking:

North-                                                                                   South-

1^st place: Mattie Fountain, Lakeland Christian  1^st place: Maci Hill, Fort Meade Middle

       Congratulations to all those who won in their contests as well as those who placed! We’re wishing the best of luck to those that are competing at districts, as well as those who make it to the state level.