Matthew Sellner

Parent(s) Name(s): Bryan and Sara Sellner

Siblings: Mason, Megan

Activities: Football, Baseball, Basketball, FFA, NHS, Student council, Play.

Future Plans: Attend college and pursue teaching.

If you got to relive a moment in high school what would it be? Spending time with my classmates everyday.

Advice for underclassmen: Enjoy high school, work hard, and make relationships to last a lifetime. All your hard work will pay off.

Favorite quote: “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

Karen Okerman is getting a wall at Sleepy Eye High School ready for students.

The Retiring Officer Team for 2019-20 included: L to r – front: Cali Rossbach (Reporter), Kalli Christensen (Vice President), Maranda Braulick (President), McKenna Dockter (Secretary), Morgan Hoffmann (Student Advisor). Back: Sandy Flores (Officer-at-Large), Maddison Helget (Reporter), Brennen Meyer (Student Advisor), Mike Ludewig (Sentinel), Trey Heiderscheidt (Treasurer), Presley Bauer (Historian), Edwin Flores (Historian), Isaac Huiras (Vice President).

This year, the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter published all of the member successes and chapter awards through social media posts and websites. It was a way to honor the members and supporters of the Sleepy Eye Chapter for 2019-20 under the Stay at Home Order.

Successes this year for the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter include: 44 Discovery Degrees (7th & 8th Grade Members), 25 Greenhand Degrees, 30 Chapter Degrees, and 12 State Degrees.

The Sleepy Eye FFA members who participated in at least 6 of the programs they were named a Star Leader. 26 members will be presented with trophies for being a 6-12 Star Leader. They participated in at least 6 of the service events and activities our chapter conducted throughout the past year.

The Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter recognized five Platinum Level and five Diamond Level Sponsors for their amazing support of the Chapter and its members. The Top Level Platinum Awards went to Edward Jones (Bill & Julie Ries), Central Region Cooperative, CoBank, CHS Inc., and Mary Ann Christensen. The Diamond Level Award Sponsors included: Cunningham Seed Farm, Miller Sellner Implement, Ronald G Remus, Schwartz Farms Inc., and Sleepy Eye Sportsman’s Club. We truly appreciate their support because without them we could not achieve the successes that we do!

Each year, top scholar awards are presented to one active FFA member in each grade who has the highest GPA in their respective class. These members will receive a plaque and a scholarship pin: Brooke Arneson, Gunny Coulson, Jade Sellner (freshmen), Mason Sellner (sophomore), Kadon Strong (junior), and Cali Rossbach (senior).

The Honorary Chapter Degree award is presented to individuals who support the Sleepy Eye FFA in exceptional ways throughout the year. This year’s Honorary Chapter Degree was presented to an individual who is a huge supporter and promoter of our chapter, and has helped out in the past several years. The Honorary Chapter Degree went to: Christi Gemmill.

There were two community members who were presented with an Appreciation Award for 2020: Central Region Cooperative and Ronald G Remus. These are huge supporters of our Ag. program and we truly appreciate them! Not only did CRC donate to the program this year, but they did two matching grants where an extra $5000 was donated!

The fruit sale was a successful fundraiser for our FFA Chapter this year.  A great deal of thanks goes to our 4 top sellers who sold $5400 of products for the fruit sales. The Top Junior High Fruit Seller was Nathan Rathman, with Nora Coulson being second. Our Top High School Fruit Seller was Mike Ludewig, with Abby Ring being second.

The leadership awards are presented to FFA members from each class who displayed tremendous amounts of leadership skills throughout the year and who participated in numerous FFA events. The freshman leadership winners were Alex Joramo and Gracie Sellner. Trey Heiderscheidt, Maddison Helget, and Presley Bauer were the Sophomore recipients. The Senior Leadership Award Winners were Isaac Huiras and Cali Rossbach.

The Phoenix Awards are presented each year for Students who are upcoming leaders. These 4 individuals got involved, got others involved, and showed true enthusiasm for the FFA. This year’s Phoenix Award Winners were Jade Sellner, Katelyn Capacia, Nayzeth Luna, and Jake Price.

The Star Greenhand Award goes to the most outstanding Freshmen Greenhand degree participant for the year. This award is presented to a first year member who is active in the chapter, who has demonstrated leadership, and has a strong Supervised Agricultural Experience or SAE program in place. This year’s Star Greenhand was Adam Johnson.

The Sophomore Achievement Award states, “Overall Success is Achieved through Hard Work and Dedication.” The Sophomore Achievement Award Winner for 2020 was Morgan Hoffmann.

McKenna Dockter received the Outstanding Junior Award, called the Blue and Gold Award. This award acknowledges someone for overall achievement in the FFA.

The Star in Ag. Placement Award is presented to a member who has an outstanding placement SAE program and who is involved in all areas of the chapter’s activities.  A placement SAE program means that you have a project where you work for someone in production agriculture. This year’s winner of Chapter Star in Ag. Placement was Martina Nienhaus.

The Star Farmer Award is presented to a member who has an outstanding production SAE program and who is involved in all areas of the chapter’s activities. This year’s winner of Chapter Star Farmer was Mike Ludewig.

The Star in Agribusiness Award is presented to a member who has an outstanding SAE program at a business and who is involved in all areas of the chapter’s activities. Kalli Christensen was named the Sleepy Eye FFA Star in Agribusiness.

This year’s recipient of the Dekalb Agricultural Accomplishment Award was Maranda Braulick. This award is presented to the most outstanding senior in the areas of scholarship, leadership, and supervised agricultural experience.

The 2019-20 Retiring FFA Officer Team was recognized for their exceptional efforts in leading the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter for the year. The award posts ended with the new 2020-21 FFA Officer Team being announced.

Mrs. Hoffmann commented on the year, “The Sleepy Eye FFA is about students developing leadership skills, experiencing personal growth, and serving the Sleepy Eye Community. I am very proud of what the members of the Sleepy Eye Chapter accomplished this year and look forward to many great years to come!”

CAPTION 1: FFA Stars
The FFA Stars for 2019-20 include: Freshmen – Adam Johnson; Sophomore – Morgan Hoffmann; Junior – McKenna Dockter; and Seniors – Maranda Braulick, Kalli Christensen, Mike Ludewig, and Martina Nienhaus.

Asha Schmid

Parent(s) Name(s): Dan and Sheila Schmid

Siblings: Shelby

Activities: Going to the lake, swimming, golfing, traveling, listening to music, hanging out with friends.

Future Plans: Work

If you got to relive a moment in high school what would it be? Dances and FFA nights.

Advice for underclassmen: Stay positive and bring people joy.

Favorite quote: “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” -Dr. Suess

Cali Rossbach

Parent(s) Name(s): Wayne and Gwen Rossbach

Siblings: Courtney, Jacob, Noah

Activities: FFA, Knowledge Bowl, MHS

Future Plans: Attend a 4- year college

If you got to relive a moment in high school what would it be? The first day of school.

Advice for underclassmen: Work hard, it pays off.

Favorite quote: “ Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” -Helen Keller

Martina Neinhaus

Parent(s) Name(s): Wayne and Gina Neinhaus

Siblings: Kolten, Winsten, Carsten

Activities: SDSU: Volleyball, Softball, FFA, 4-H, NHS, Play

Future Plans: SDSU: Major in Ag. Business, Minor in Ag. Communications and Animal Science.

If you got to relive a moment in high school what would it be? Homecoming.

Advice for underclassmen: Enjoy it before it’s gone.

Favorite quote: “ Great moments are born from great opportunities.”

Jaclyn Nessett

Parent(s) Name(s): Greg and Sheila Nesset

Siblings: Jesse Widmer, Jacob Widmer, Sam Liete, Dean Nesset, Christ Nesset

Activities: Dance, Volleyball, Softball, Cheerleading, Three Act Play, One Act Play, NHS

Future Plans: University Of Minnesota Duluth, majoring in dance and minoring in business.

If you got to relive a moment in high school what would it be? Very first football game I cheered at freshman year.

Advice for underclassmen: Don’t be afraid to be yourself and be confident with yourself.

Favorite quote: “ Success isn’t defined by those who fought and never fell, but by those who fought, fell and then rose again.” -Nastia Luikin

Member of the Month

Matthew Sellner is a senior at Sleepy Eye Public School and has been in FFA for five years. He joined FFA to learn more about the ins and outs of agriculture and farming as well as to be in the fun activities FFA has to offer. Matthew’s SAE is working at Schutz Family Foods, bagging groceries and loading them into customer vehicles. His favorite FFA activity is State FFA Convention and he is looking forward to receiving his State FFA Degree. Matthew was on the Fish and Wildlife CDE Team. He enjoyed learning about different animals, insects, and birds that live in Minnesota. He has learned many useful skills while being in Ag. Classes and FFA including: cooking, woodworking, electrical wiring, teamwork, and leadership. Matthew is proud of qualifying for State for the Fish & Wildlife CDE every year since 8^th grade. The award that he is the most proud of is earning his State FFA Degree. He and the other seniors will be honored with this degree in an online celebration during the Virtual Minnesota State FFA Convention May 19-21.

Member of the Month

Juan Cortez is a senior at Sleepy Eye Public School and has been in FFA for six years. He joined FFA to try something new. Juan’s SAE was working at Hackers Tree Farm and Nursery where he did shearing, planting seeds, did cuttings, landscaping, and planting trees in the summer. In the fall, he was loading and unloading trees, selling trees, filling and moving pots, pruning, and shearing trees. His favorite FFA activity is the Animal Carnival where he loved to be around all the animals and the elementary kids. Juan was on the Forestry CDE Team. He enjoyed meeting new people and learning new things. He has learned many useful skills while being in Ag. Classes and FFA and that teamwork is essential. The awards that Juan is the most proud of are the Phoenix Award for a rising student in FFA and the State FFA Degree.

Member of the Month

Jacob Meyer is a senior at Sleepy Eye Public School and has been in FFA for six years. He joined FFA to try something new. Jacob actually has had 4 parts to his SAE. At Chuck Spaeth Ford, he detailed cars. At Hackers Tree Farm and Nursery, Jacob loaded and unloaded trailers, Moved/Filled pots, and helped with customer orders. At Paul’s Electric, he mowed the lawn, did prefab work, delivered parts, and dug trenches. Finally, at Schwartz Farms, Jacob checked sows, fed piglets, and did sow records. His favorite FFA activity is Animal Carnival where he loved working with his friends while teaching kids about animals. Jacob learned throughout high school how fun the Ag. Classes are to be in and that learning can be fun. He has been part of the Soils CDE Team and liked helping the team qualify for state. The award that Jacob is the most proud of is earning his State FFA Degree.

Member of the Month

Evan Fischer is a senior at Sleepy Eye Public School and has been in FFA for six years. He joined FFA because his family has always been involved with FFA and he wanted to be a part of it as well. Evan’s SAE is working at Hackers Tree Farm and Nursery where he unloaded and loaded trailers, moved trees, moved pots, made wreaths, cleaned greenhouses, and completed other tasks as assigned. His favorite FFA activity is State FFA Convention and he is looking forward to receiving his State FFA Degree this year at the Virtual Convention. Evan was on the Forestry CDE Team. He enjoyed learning about different trees and tools. Evan says while being in Ag. Classes and FFA, he learned a lot about leadership. Evan is proud of qualifying for State for the Forestry CDE and the award that he is the most proud of is earning his State FFA Degree.

Morgan Hoffmann, Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter Student Advisor, was able to make all of the goodie bags for the families enrolled in the Weekend Backpack Food Program with 12 different items inside.

This week, the Sleepy Eye FFA is able to utilize funds from a National FFA Mini Grant to provide a bag of goodies to the families in the Weekend Backpack Food Program. This bag contains: a box of cereal and crackers; toothpaste, toothbrush and holder; napkins; dish soap, towel, and cloth; lotion and body wash; and a Smarties treat bag.

Originally, the Sleepy Eye FFA applied for this grant to do a workshop at the State FFA Convention. Since the State Convention is going virtual, the funds could be utilized in a different manner. Mrs. Hoffmann asked permission to do this bag of goodies for the families and received approval from National FFA.

Morgan Hoffmann, Chapter Student Advisor, was able to make all of the bags for the families. The SE Public School Staff and Bus Service will be delivering the bags. Thanks to all who helped in the process. We love to serve and sometimes it takes a chain of people to make it happen!

More about the Backpack Food Program- The Backpack Program is a collaboration between Sleepy Eye Elementary, Trinity Lutheran Church and others in the Sleepy Eye community supplying students with nutritional support by providing weekend meals each Friday. Each backpack provides the equivalent of two weekend meals and snack.