The Urbana FFA submitted their final video presentation for the state Agricultural Communications competition on Feb. 19. Participants in this event work as a team of communication consultants to develop a written media plan and distribute the plan to a panel of judges by submitting a video of the team presenting. Participants must communicate effectively while advocating to consumers about agriculture. This year students were challenged to tell the story of agriculture by highlighting an FFA Advisor and how they are impacting the lives of their students and the community in which they live. This can be a made-up FFA Advisor or a real one, but use the media plan to get the word out on how FFA makes an impact in the lives of FFA members and communities.
Students use a variety of media in their plans like social media, broadcast and print advertising, press releases, fliers, and more. At the state contest, individuals participated in individual contests called practicums. These practicums included Journalistic Writing and Opinion Writing.
After a long 3 months of waiting for the scores to be released, the team finally got their scores back on April 20th, 2021. This year, the team consisted of Gatlin Ridgwell, Hailey Combs, Ashley Gemienhardt, Faith Denkewalter, and Kendra Baccus. At the state competition, the team placed 2nd. Individually, Gatlin Ridgwell placed 4th, Ashley Gemienhardt placed 5th, Hailey Combs placed 20th, and Faith Denkewalter placed 28th. Communication, collaboration, creativity, and presentation skills are all important to success in future endeavors. Congratulations to all participants!
