Representing the Lometa FFA at the State FFA Convention in Lubbock last month were, from left, Jessica Brooks, Chris Scarborough, Dalton Parsons, Kylie Bradley, Josh Logsdon, Marcy Garcia, Colt Maldonado, Josepha Romero and Cassidy Wienecke. While some FFA chapters haven't even begun to dust off their jackets for the upcoming year, Lometa is still glowing from the success of July's State FFA Convention. The FFA chapter met with a host of success at the Lubbock event.

Lometa sophomore and FFA president, Kylie Bradley brought home the state title in the Soil Stewardship Prepared Public Speaking contest. Her speech centered on the importance of preservation in today's environmentally conscious society.

Miss Bradley had taken first place at both the district and area competitions to qualify for state competition. "The whole thing was just unreal," she said. "I didn't even realize I had won until all the other contestants were congratulating me afterwards. I think one of the coolest things was winning in front of 10,000 fellow FFA members who all shared a common belief with me.

"Winning state and all the entertainment, and just the convention itself...my favorite part of the State FFA Convention was listening to the retiring officers' speeches. They were all sincere, passionate and motivating."

Miss Bradley said she owes a lot to Brad Barnett (Lometa ISD ag instructor and FFA adviser) for introducing her to the world of FFA. "I never would have thought it could be so amazing."

Also garnering recognition was Lometa sophomore and FFA vice president Cassidy Wienecke, who placed second in the State FFA Agri-Science Fair with her animal behavior project. A new endeavor for the Lometa program, Miss Wienecke's project was based on research relating to the effectiveness of chute design when handling goats.

"Usually when I think of science, I groan inwardly at the idea of chemical equations and dissections, but now I think of science as a chance to find out new things that excite me, like animal behavior.

"The State FFA Convention was the opportunity of a lifetime," she said. "I never thought I would find so many people who liked the same things I did. I feel so fortunate that our chapter has Mr. Barnett in our corner cheering us on, prodding us when he needs to, and always, always believing we can succeed.

"He is definitely a tremendous blessing not just to Lometa but to the FFA organization as a whole," Miss Wienecke added.

Having wrapped up his first year as the Lometa ag science instructor and making successful state appearances for both the fall and spring competitions, Barnett is prepared to continue the tradition of excellence he is building in his program.

"We've served notice that we're here and we will be coming back for more," said Barnett.

In addition to Miss Bradley and Miss Wienecke, a number of other Lometa FFA members attended the convention. Josh Logsdon, Jessica Brooks, Josepha Romero, Dalton Parsons, Marcy Garcia and Chris Scarborough also were on hand for the event.

With the books closed on his first year at Lometa, Barnett is looking forward to continued success with the FFA program.

"We are building a program here, and what we have accomplished already is only the beginning. With this past year's outstanding freshmen and younger kids coming up, we look forward to a bright future."