Media release from Rome, GA City Schools:
The Rome High FFA Chapter and Michael Rios Campos received national accolades at the recent National FFA Convention and Expo.
Rios Campos earned fifth place in the national competition in the Food Products and Processing category.
The National FFA Agriscience Fair recognizes students who gain real-world, hands-on experiences in agricultural enterprises. Students use scientific principles and emerging technologies to solve complex problems related to agriculture, food, and natural resources.
“Saying I’m proud is an understatement. Michael submitted an agriscience research project. I don’t think many people understand the intense writing, data collection, and research that entails. Not only was he evaluated on his research and writing skills, but a presentation of his findings/outcomes, plus questions and responses from the National Agriscience judging panel,” Rachel Dunaway, Rome High School FFA Advisor, said. “He spent around 100 hours on this project. To see his success come to fruition for all his hard work was an amazing thing to experience. I can’t wait to see what else he will accomplish in the future.”
The Rome High FFA Chapter earned the two-star designation in the 2024 National Chapter Award Program from the National FFA Organization. Rome is only one of nine two-star chapters in the state of Georgia.
“One of the best things about our chapter receiving a two-star ranking is that our officer team and members made it possible. Our student organization is 100 percent student-led. Our officer team comes up with the activities, sets goals, and recruits members to take action. Without their leadership and dedication to our chapter, we wouldn’t be successful. I am so thankful to be their FFA advisor,” Rachel Dunaway, Rome High School FFA Advisor, said. “I was beaming with pride to see my current President (Michael Rios-Campos) and Vice President (Emily Blackmon) walk across the stage at nationals to receive our award. They spent countless hours writing our goals, plans, outcomes, calling meetings to get things in order before events, personally recruiting members to show up for events, and blasting the Google classroom page with sign up sheets. A well-deserved award for Rome High FFA.”
The program recognizes outstanding FFA chapters from throughout the country that actively implement the mission and strategies of the organization. These chapters improve chapter operations using the National Quality FFA Chapter Standards and a Program of Activities that emphasizes growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture. Chapters are rewarded for providing educational experiences for the entire membership.
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 1,027,200 student members as part of 9,235 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
