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!”
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.
