The beginning of a new year is always exciting, a means for a fresh start and the continuation of activities from the year before. Gustine FFA started 2025 off with exciting events and accomplishments.
January 9th was the Sweetheart Balloon Meeting. The 3 girls who chose to run were Natalie Ventura, Madeline Alves, and Kaylee Giles. The Sweetheart fundraiser is used to ensure there are adequate funds to send members to conventions and conferences. Congratulations to Madeline Alves for being crowned as this year’s Sweetheart and Natalie Ventura for being first runner-up.
On January 14th, the monthly FFA meeting was held where members were notified of upcoming activities they could participate in. It also gave the students time to prepare their show supplies. This was also a meeting where every student who was participating in a speech contest was told about the local contest, where they would compete locally to gain feedback from judges in preparation for Super Saturday.
The nerve-wracking day of super Saturday was on January 25th. Gustine FFA was represented by various of their members in competitions such as Creed, Spanish Creed, Impromptu, Prepared Speaking, Job Interview, and Extemporaneous. These students studied hard with their advisors to compete. Speaking competitions help with career development and ensure that students are knowledgeable about their given speech contest. Congratulations to Carson Bell and Juliana for moving on to the regional speaking competition. Oscar Vergara and Isabella Cortez are also moving on to the regional competition. Congratulations to Baylor Bloom for moving on to the regional speaking contest. These students will continue to flourish throughout their speaking journey and represent Gustine FFA.
On the same day as Super Saturday, January 25th, the FFA Dinner Dance was held in the Al Goman Center. This dinner dance is put on by the Ag Booster committee. Throughout the night, there was delicious food served and music, and as the night went on, the moment everyone was waiting for arrived. The auction. Various Items were auctioned off, including valuable items like lamb feed, firepits, and even a guitar signed by Taylor Swift. A big thank you to all those who helped. The Ag Boosters, parents, and FFA members were efficient in putting on this event. Thank you to the community of Gustine FFA as well for always showing support for our FFA chapter.
A common quote used is “breakfast is the most important meal” well, for Gustine FFA, a strong start to a new year is the most important way to set the tone for the rest of the year. This was seen in the way Gustine FFA’s prideful members put effort into any activity they participated in.
