Sleepy Eye High School honored Kayden Klein and Taylor Berkner (Above photo)  as their 2024-2025 ExCEL winners. Both are juniors and now compete at the state level.

ExCEL – Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership – is a unique recognition program designed exclusively for Minnesota high school juniors who are active in school activities, who show Leadership qualities, and who volunteer in their communities. Every member school of the League is invited to nominate one girl and one boy for the ExCEL Award. Nominees must:
a. be a junior in high school
b. make satisfactory progress toward graduation requirements
c. participate in a MSHSL fine arts and/or athletic activity
d. hold a leadership position(s) in their school
e. work voluntarily in their community.

Mary Hoffmann, Sleepy Eye Ag. Teacher and FFA Advisor, attended the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) and Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Conferences in San Antonio, Texas the week of Dec. 2^nd.

As part of Hoffmann’s responsibilities on the National Council for Agricultural Education Board, she helped to conduct the Agricultural Education Summit on the forefront of the conferences. This summit was attended by high school and postsecondary agriculture teachers, state staff, postsecondary faculty, and others interested in advancing School Based Agricultural Education.

Hoffmann has been on The National Council for Agricultural Education board since 2020 and began as the National Association for Agricultural Educators (NAAE) representative. In 2021, she served as the Secretary for The Council, 2022 served as the Chair Elect, followed by Chair in 2023, and Past Chair in 2024.

The National Council is made up of representatives from all Ag. Ed. Related Organizations (AERO) including: organizations and entities representing students, teachers, teacher educators, state leaders, alumni, industry, state and national foundation and government.

The National Council for Agricultural Education’s Vision is to create an intentional direction for the Agricultural Education Model by: connecting leaders, fostering collaboration, and driving action. Their Mission is to lead the future of school-based agricultural education by: identifying opportunities and resources, providing a forum for thought and direction, and focusing on academic and career success for all students.

Hoffmann’s role for the Summit was to help plan and prepare for the event, introduce the Summit break out groups, and lead a group on the Vision for School Based Agricultural Education for 2040 as well as help work The Council Booth at the Partner’s Reception. Council projects that have come from the conversations at the Summit include the National Standards for Ag. Education and the National Quality Program Standards Revisions as well as an Administrator Guide for Ag. Education which Hoffmann is currently the Project Lead for.

Hoffmann is definitely a leader in Ag. Ed. in the nation and is an integral part of coordinating conversations and the work that helps Ag. teachers, not only in Minnesota, but nationwide. She is now wrapping up her term as Past Chair of The Council this December.

“I have truly enjoyed my time on The Council. Being a catalyst for work at the national level to keep Agricultural Education relevant and moving forward as well as being part of the collaboration that is taking place with the AERO groups around the country has been super rewarding. I will definitely miss being part of this amazing team.” Hoffmann stated.

Congratulations to St. Mary’s Students of the Day for the month of November.The virtue for this month was Stewardship and each of these students displayed it in  extraordinary ways. Congratulations to (back row) MJ Wagner (4th grade), Josie Pelzel (4th grade), Emmalyn Berkner (3rd grade), Lynnette Seidl (2nd grade), Peyton Rothmeier (3rd grade), Laney Folkens (3rd grade) and Avery Cook (4th grade). Front row; Raegan Cook (2nd grade), Brooklyn Braulick (1st grade), Joseph Buckley (kindergarten), Toby Schwartz (kindergarten) and Kolson Brandl (1st grade).

October’s Motivated Members of the Month

Kayden Klein is a junior at Sleepy Eye Public School and has been in FFA for five years. Kayden joined FFA because it seemed like fun and he can participate with his friends. His favorite FFA activity is the National Quiz Bowl Contest. Kayden is the Chapter Student Advisor and he enjoys working with the younger FFA members and his teammates with this role. Kayden’s SAE is working at Dairy Queen. He is looking forward to competing in the Fish & Wildlife CDE competition this year. While being in FFA, Kayden has learned about all of the amazing opportunities you can participate in through FFA all year round. An award Kayden is most proud of is winning the National Quiz Bowl Competition in Indianapolis this year.

Rachel Portner is a senior at Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s and has been involved in FFA for four years. Rachel joined FFA because it is a family legacy. Rachel is on the Dairy Evaluation CDE team. She likes the team because it’s fun and she gets to be around cows. Rachel’s SAE involves working on the farm at Port Haven Dairy. Her favorite FFA activity is the Dairy Competitions. Since joining FFA, Rachel has learned better communication skills and to be open to new opportunities. The achievements Rachel is most proud of are earning first place team and individual at the Region VI Dairy Contest in Pipestone.

Mateo Hornsby is a junior at Sleepy Eye Public School and has been in FFA for five years. Mateo joined FFA because there were so many opportunities available to participate in. His favorite FFA activity is the National Quiz Bowl Contest. Mateo’s SAE is working at Dairy Queen. He is looking forward to competing in the Fish & Wildlife CDE competition this year. While being in FFA, Mateo has learned a great deal about FFA history and trivia. An award Mateo is most proud of is being on the 2^nd place team at the National Quiz Bowl Contest.

Wyatt Feucht is a junior at MVL this year and has been in FFA for three years. Wyatt joined FFA to be involved in an activity where he can showcase his knowledge of agriculture. His favorite FFA activity is the Soils Team. Wyatt’s SAE is working on his farm raising crops and livestock. The activity Wyatt is looking forward to most is the State FFA Convention. While being in FFA, Wyatt has learned about all of the opportunities you can participate in through FFA and a lot about judging soil. The achievements Wyatt is most proud of is winning are earning first place team and individual at the Region VI Soils Contest in Sherburn.

The FFA Greenhands presented the emblem and it’s meaning at the Annual Crop Show Greenhand Night. The greenhand presenters included l to r- front: Kenedi Wersal, Millie Lax, Paola Gonzalez, Kamille Capacia, Camryn Maher, Maddy Goldschmidt. Back: Jared Portner, Ava Sellner, Breanna Lopez, Kenley Jensen, Makayla Strong, Isaac Christensen.

The Sleepy Eye Trap Shoot Team Members were presented with their awards on Monday, November 18. Pictured l to r- front: Rylan Trebesch, Jared Trebesch, Aiden Krzmarzick, Kyle Nelson, Graysen Evers, Grayson Hansen, Noah Rossbach. Back: Kayla Hecht, Davin Suess, Trevor Rathman, Gavin Fischer, Caleb Suess, Shea Evers, Logan Ludewig, Jax Como, Carsten Nienhaus, Jaxon Steffl, Jacob Fulmer, Wyatt Feucht.

The Sleepy Eye FFA Crop Show Junior High Top Ten Award Winners include l to r: Karina Martinez, Ethan Feucht, Alannah Urbano, Arianna Moore (Champion), Carson Sellner (Reserve), Grayson Hansen, Nevaeh Moore, Jaxon Steffl. Not pictured: Graysen Evers and Sophia Mendiola.

The Sleepy Eye FFA Crop Show High School Top Ten Award Winners include l to r: Makayla Strong, Cameron Moore, Noah Rossbach, Jasmine Petermann (Champion), Ava Sellner (Reserve), Paola Gonzalez, Carter Lazatin. Not Pictured: Lydia Helget, Izzy Kunkel, Alexis Martinez.

The Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter held its annual Crops Show/Trap Shoot Awards/Greenhand Night/Parents Night Program on Monday, November 18^th at the Sleepy Eye Public High School. It was a chance for us to highlight the fall events, the greenhands, and announce the winners of the 2024 FFA Crops Show and Sleepy Eye Trap Team.

222 FFA members, including 81 Junior High and 141 High School students, exhibited a total of 806 samples of corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, miscellaneous, and forage crop samples at the 2024 Sleepy Eye FFA Crop Show.

The purpose of the crop show is to exhibit a sample of a crop that will be judged on appearance: uniform color and size as well as having no defects or unwanted debris. Making a crop sample for the show involves a lot of patience and attention to detail. The longer amount of time you spend preparing a crop sample, the more success you will have in the end. After the crop show, the crops are stored until the county and state fairs the following summer.

The 2024 FFA Crop Show was a huge success, and would not have been possible without the involvement of the community!  Thank you to everyone who contributed including donating and judging the crops.

The results are as follows- CHAMPION SAMPLES

Jr. High Champions:

Soybeans Champion: Isabella Campos

Oats Champion: Sophia Mendiola

Wheat Champion: Arianna Moore

Combined 7th – 12th Grade Champions:

Shelled Corn Champion: Noah Rossbach

Miscellaneous Champion: Jasmine Petermann

Ear Corn Champion: Makayla Strong

Silage Champion: Noah Rossbach

Hay Champion: Ruby Tauer                                      

Combined 7-12^th Grade Organic Champions:

Organic Crops Champion: Ava Sellner

Organic Oats Champion: Sophia Mendiola

Organic Ear Corn Champion: Jasmine Petermann

 Sr. High Champions:

Wheat Champion: Arianna Ochoa-Lopez

Oats Champion: Alexis Martinez

Soybeans Champion: Ava Sellner

Next are the results of the overall placings for the 2024 Crop Show.

TOP TEN SR. HIGH

Champion- Jasmine Petermann

Reserve Champion- Ava Sellner

3rd place- Noah Rossbach

4th place- Cameron Moore

5th place- Izzy Kunkel

6th place- Alexis Martinez

7th place- Carter Lazatin

8th place- Makayla Strong

9th place- Paola Gonzalez

10th place- Lydia Helget

TOP TEN JR. HIGH

Champion- Arianna Moore

Reserve Champion- Carson Sellner

3rd place- Alannah Urbano

4th place- Nevaeh Moore

5th place- Sophia Mendiola

6th place- Karina Martinez

7th place- Graysen Evers

8th place- Jaxon Steffl

9th place- Ethan Feucht

10th place- Grayson Hansen

Congratulations to all 222 FFA Crop Show exhibitors and good luck at the County and State Fairs!

FFA Trap Shoot Awards:

Our first trap award is called the Steady Shot Award! These individuals had great scores every shoot to help the team succeed.

The recipients of the Steady Shot Award were Kaden Braun, Oliver Trebesch, Logan Ludewig, Noah Rossbach, Caleb Suess, Kayla Hecht, and Jared Trebesch.

The Top Shooters Awards are for those Sleepy Eye members that had the highest score at each shoot. The recipients of the Top Shooter Award for the 4 shoots were:

• Springfield Shoot – Gavin Fischer
• Mt. Lake Shoot – Wyatt Feucht
• Sleepy Eye Shoot – Trevor Rathman
• Windom Shoot – Gavin Fischer

Our Overall Trap Awards:

The Top New Shooters are:

• Kyle Nelson, Grayson Hansen, Briella Walser

The Most Improved Shooters are:

• Jaxon Steffl, Graysen Evers, and Jax Como

Congrats to all 23 of our Trap Team members for a great season.

Greenhand Member Presentation and Recognition:

All of the Greenhand members were recognized while nine Greenhands presented the FFA emblem and its meaning.

The 2024 Greenhands include: Kamille Capacia, Jaiden Chavez, Isaac Christensen, Mia Davila, Hayden Domeier, Heath Eckstein, Callie Evers, Yessenia Fernandez, Maddelyn Goldschmidt, Paola Gonzalez, Karter Haala, Nickolas Hale, Lilah Hein, Delaney Hernandez, Rylee Hertling, Ethan Hinderman, Jon Hulsey, Kenley Jensen, Liana Kimbrough, Ava Kunkel, Millie Lax, Richard Livingston, Breanna Lopez, Connor Mack, Cesar Martinez, Madelyn Martinez, Jaslyn Meyer, JP Montemayor, Braylon Nelson, Keeyan Netzke, Chloe Okerman, Caleb Oscarson, Michael Pool, Mason Poole, Jared Portner, Candy Regules Castorena, Aaron Riederer, Alyza Rivera, Luis Rodriguez, Colton Romberg, Ellie Rosales, Ava Sellner, Makayla Strong, Davin Suess, Dominick Swinford, Aranza Tovar Garces, Riley Voigt, Karly Wendinger, Kenedi Wersal, Brianna Ziegenhagen.

It was a great evening to celebrate so many successes of our members already this fall for 2024!

Five Sleepy Eye FFA members competed in the Region VI Leadership Development Competition in Heron Lake on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Pictured l to r – Anna Johnson, Alex Confer, Lily Kallevig, Taylor Berkner, and Camryn Maher.

On Tuesday, November 12^th, the regional competition was held in Heron Lake for all Leadership Development Events (LDE’s).

Camryn Maher competed in the FFA Creed Competition. She placed 1^st out of twelve contestants and advanced to State Competition.  In this contest, members are judged for their ability to present the five paragraphs of the National FFA Creed from memory and answer questions related to it.

Taylor Berkner earned 1^st place in the Employment Skills competition out of eight contestants and advanced to State Competition. This LDE simulates real-world activities used by employers and tests students’ ability to perform effectively throughout the employment process. Students submit a cover letter and resume; complete an application; and participate in face–to–face interviews. They complete the process by writing a follow up thank you letter.

Lily Kallevig competed in the Prepared Public Speaking Competition and placed 2^nd out of five participants, advancing to State in December. Student contestants write and deliver a six to eight minute speech related to agriculture. Speakers are judged on content and composition, delivery of the speech, and their ability to answer questions from the judges.

Alex Confer and Anna Johnson were contestants in the Farm Bureau Discussion Meet Competition.  The Discussion Meet is an activity designed to build basic discussion skills while developing an understanding of important agricultural issues and exploring how groups can pool knowledge to reach a consensus and solve problems. The four fundamental bases of general discussion are: constructive criticism, cooperation, communication, and problem solving.

Good luck to Camryn, Taylor, and Lily as they will compete at the State LDE Competition in December at St. Cloud.