More
than 350 New Jersey FFA members, advisors and guests
are expected to attend the 70th Annual State FFA
Convention in Hickman Hall at the Cook College
Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
The annual convention starts Tuesday, May 25 and
runs through Thursday, May 27. During the convention,
FFA members from across the state will hold business
sessions and honor fellow members for their achievements.
More than $7,000 in college scholarships will be
awarded to State FFA members with an additional
$3,000 in awards presented to FFA chapters and
individuals. Scholarships and awards are sponsored
by the State and National FFA Foundations, the
State FFA Association and other agricultural organizations.
Special convention speakers at Tuesday evening's
8 pm opening ceremonies will include Dr. Bruce
Carlton, Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural
Resources at Cook College, Rutgers University,
and Jose Santiago, National FFA Southern Region
Vice President, followed by Patrick Grady, Vice
President of Tomorrow's America Foundation. New
Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Art Brown, Jr.,
will open the evening session on Wednesday at 7
pm. Among the events of special interest are:
Tuesday
8 pm * 1999 New Jersey FFA Scholarship Presentations
Wednesday
1:30 pm * Public Speaking Awards
* Chartering of the Somerset County FFA Chapter
* H.O. Sampson Award for excellence in career development events
7:00 pm * Honorary State FFA Degree Presentations
* New Jersey FFA Agri-Science Teacher of the Year Award Thursday
8:30 am * State Proficiency Awards Presentations
10:00 am * State FFA Distinguished
Service Awards
* Election of the 1999-2000 New Jersey State FFA Officer Team
State
FFA membership has grown to more than 2,000 members
this year, a record in the 70-year history of
the organization in the Garden State. This year
seven new chapters were chartered including two
in the City of Paterson, one in Jersey City and
one each in Bergen, Cape May, Hunterdon and Somerset
Counties. FFA is a national organization of more
than 452,000 members who are preparing for leadership
and careers in the science, business and technology
of agriculture. More importantly, FFA makes a
positive difference in the lives of students
by developing their potential for premier leadership,
personal growth and career success through agricultural
education.
|
