Oxford, Mississippi (October 14, 2024) — Oxford High School is excited to announce that four dedicated members of the Oxford Horticulture program will be traveling to Indianapolis, Indiana, to represent the state of Mississippi at the 97th annual National FFA Convention & Expo.
Oxford High School students Lilly Ambrose, Uno Estialbo, Meghan Goins, and Anastasiia Sikorska will be competing in the Floriculture Career Development Event, showcasing their skills as both individuals and as a team. They will have to identify various plants, craft flower arrangements, take a general floriculture knowledge exam, and engage in a collaborative team activity that highlights their knowledge and skills of the floriculture industry.
In April, the team competed and excelled in the state FFA competition, held at Mississippi State University, by winning first place in the Floriculture Career Development Event. This fall, they have been diligently working and practicing multiple times a week to prepare for the prestigious national convention. A special thank you to Oxford Floral for generously donating supplies to the FFA team for practice, as well as Danielle Ambrose, David Naron, and Elizabeth Bryant for providing additional floristry instruction and their professional expertise.
Mr. Ken Hearn, Oxford High School horticulture teacher, said, “Having students compete in FFA Career Development Events (CDEs) is one of my favorite aspects of my job. Not only is it rewarding when they do well, but as an educator, it enables me to truly measure the progress of my students.”
Additionally, Mr. Hearn explained, “By competing in CDEs, students demonstrate the knowledge and skills that they have learned throughout my program and match them against students from across the state and nation. It’s really impressive what these students are able to accomplish, and there is no doubt that they will benefit from this experience, regardless if they decide to pursue a career in the horticulture industry or go into an unrelated field.”
The FFA convention, taking place October 23-26, brings together members from across the nation. For additional information regarding the Oxford Horticulture program, please contact Mr. Hearn at kthearn@oxfordsd.org.
About the National FFA Organization
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 945,000 student members as part of 9,163 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
