Crestwood FFA gains 1st state officer in school history, places 1st in Parliamentary Procedure

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Members of the Crestwood FFA Chapter participated in the 93rd South Carolina FFA State Convention via a virtual platform.

While the convention was different this year, students still participated in a variety of activities. Allison Foxworth, a 2020 Crestwood High School honor graduate, ran for a 2020-21 SCFFA state officer position against 16 other students across the state, and other Crestwood members participated in the Parliamentary Procedure LDE and the Forestry CDE (Leadership and Career Development Events).

Allison, who had to complete an extensive written application, prepared speech, role-play scenario, interviews and a written exam to compete for the position, was elected the 2020-21 SCFFA State Secretary on June 11. She is the first-ever SCFFA state officer to be elected from the Crestwood FFA Chapter. Before her election, Allison served as the Crestwood FFA president for the 2019-20 school year. During her time as a member, she participated in the soil judging, wildlife and forestry CDEs, as well as the prepared public speaking LDE. While serving as an SCFFA state secretary, Allison will attend the University of South Carolina, where she will major in nursing with her freshman year fully funded.

CDEs and LDEs build on what is learned in agricultural classes and encourage members to put their knowledge into practice. The purpose of the Parliamentary Procedure LDE is to allow students to conduct a mock chapter meeting to demonstrate knowledge of basic parliamentary law and the correct use of parliamentary procedures. The purpose of the Forestry CDE is to stimulate student interest and to promote the forest industry as a career choice. It also provides recognition for those who have demonstrated skills and competencies as a result of forestry instruction in the agriculture education classroom.

Crestwood FFA placed first in both of these events. This is the second year in a row the chapter has placed first in the Parliamentary Procedure LDE and the first time the chapter has placed first in the Forestry CDE.

Parliamentary procedure team members are: Caleb Buford, Ryan Martinez, Kelsey Morrissey, Alisa Sawyer, Alexis Sugg and Lillian Tillman. Forestry team members are: Nathan Clement, Raven Dorio-Howard, Allison Foxworth and Sydney Maynard.

In addition to these major accomplishments, the Crestwood FFA chapter received a Gold ranking. The ranking of Gold means that the Crestwood FFA chapter is among the top 10 chapters in South Carolina. This is the second year in a row the chapter has received this honor.

South Carolina agricultural education serves more than 12,000 students across the state. Students receive instruction in one of five different pathways within the agriculture, food and natural resources career cluster. The South Carolina FFA Association has more than 7,000 members across the state. The mission of the S.C. FFA Association is to develop premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.