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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. David Kessler D-Berks |
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Kessler honoring Oley Valley national champs Tuesday
OLEY, Nov. 23 – State Rep. David Kessler will present House of Representatives citations to four members of the Oley Valley Future Farmers of America for winning the designation of the top FFA environmental and natural resources team in the nation.
The presentation will take place at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24 at Oley Valley High School. Media coverage is invited.
The members of the winning team are Taylor Helbig, Amelia Howe, Kellsey Turner and Damian Oswald. They placed first at the Pennsylvania FFA state competition in June and won the national title in a competition that included 36 state teams at the national FFA convention in Indianapolis. Each member of the team received a $1,000 scholarship and the top individuals received additional scholarships. Helbig, a senior at Oley Valley, placed second and Howe, a junior, placed third. Dr. James Howe, FFA advisor at Oley Valley, coached the team.
The two-day competition focuses on testing students' problem-solving and decision-making skills in environmental and natural resources management, giving them the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to real-life situations. These areas of concentration include soil profiles, water and air quality, waste management, environmental analysis, and global environmental issues such as alternative energy and genetically modified organisms. The Oley Valley team practiced and studied throughout the summer and into the fall to prepare for the event.
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