By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays High School FFA chapter was recently awarded a three-star national designation.
This is the highest award for a FFA chapter, and the first year the chapter has earned the award.
Students traveled to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis to receive the award.
"It was a really neat experience I'll never get again because I'm a senior now ," Ross Eckroat, senior and FFA reporter, said of accepting the award. "Getting to go up on stage in front of 55,000 people and it being televised on live TV, it was a pretty neat experience to be able to do that."
Some of the community service projects in which the chapter participated in 2020-21, included volunteering at the St. Joseph Food Pantry and packing Meals of Hope at the high school.
The students also participate in a Christmas leadership lock in and tour farms and agriculture businesses in the spring.
The FFA chapter will be assisting with the Pack the Pantry food drive this weekend.
Karli Neher, junior and FFA president, said FFA is important to her because it is preparing her for the future. She is considering a career in ag marketing.
"We're learning leadership, communication skills and teamwork that's going to stay with us for the rest of our lives," she said.
Eckroat is also considering a career in agriculture, and he said FFA has helped him learn about possible career paths.
Alexxandra Malchow, daughter of Dustin and Wendy Armbruster of Hays, received her American FFA Degree at the same conference. She is a graduate of Tri-County High School in Nebraska.
Disclosure: Dustin Armbruster is an employee of Eagle Radio, which owns and operates the Hays Post.