TIE BLANKET MAKING … Rachel Dickinson, Grace Serrano, Hailey Smith, and Harley Dombrowski display the tie blanket they made to donate to Christmas for Kids. The fabric for this was purchased using the grant money the chapter received from the Syngenta grant being nominated by Nathan Baker of Xcel Seeds, LLC.
PHOTOS PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FARM TO FORK MEAL … Landon Bleikamp, Colton Ebersole, Eliza Higgins, Tina Dickinson, and Zia Siegel display their prepared Farm-to-Fork meal.
By: Zakkary Cammack
FFA Reporter
November has flown by and the Millcreek-West Unity FFA members have had another busy month.
As they adjusted back into the classroom schedule after thier time at National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, presenters from UNOH spoke with our members about the opportunities that the college has to offer after high school.
They also lead workshops on budgeting, choosing colleges, discovering personalities, and careers they may be best suited for based on their personality type.
The Agribusiness class also had another guest speaker the first week of November. Austin Schaffner (Millcreek-West Unity FFA Alumni) of Pettisville Grain spoke with the class about S-Corporation business structures and the management of a grain elevator.
The Job Interview contest continued from October with the District 1 competition taking place on the evening of November 6th at Bowling Green High School.
Carlee Schaffner placed 5th in Division I Freshmen, Ashtyn Sanders placed 4th and Addison Smith placed 6th in Division II Sophomore, Bryce Peters placed 3rd in Division III Juniors, and Zakk Cammack placed 8th in Division IV Seniors.
The District 1 Food Science contest also took place that same evening. As a team, Zakk Cammack, Rachel Dickinson, Ashtyn Sanders, Addi Smith, and Carlee Schaffner placed 3rd which is one place away from going to state.
Friday, November 7th, the Fruit and Companion Sale ended with a record high number of products sold!
The first-place salesman was Jordan Schaffner, second was Sophia Crossgrove, and third was Myah and Eliza Higgins.
Everyone selling over $1000 will be recognized at the 90th Millcreek-West Unity FFA Banquet on April 18, 2026. The profit earned from the sales goes towards member activities, conferences, conventions, and the annual FFA Banquet.
Millcreek-West Unity FFA chapter members volunteered their time helping the West Unity Lions Club with their annual Feather Party on the 8th by collecting Bingo tickets and assisting with the running of the event.
The community showed great support of this fundraiser with a great turnout for the Lions Club.
Wednesday, November 12th, the Advanced and Novice Parliamentary Procedure Teams competed at the county level at Northwest State Community College.
The Advanced Team placed 1st and the Novice team placed 2nd. This qualified them for the District 1 contest on November 19th.
Both teams placed 6th in District competition, again at Northwest State, a week after the county level competition. Advanced Parli Pro members included: Ayden Bennett, Zakk Cammack, Bryce Peters, Jordan Schaffner, Evan Siegel, Aleigha Sieradzki, and Addi Smith. Novice Parli Pro members included: Tina Dickinson, Seeley Easley, Coleton Ebersole, Reese Eisel, Eliza Higgins, Carlee Schaffner, Zia Siegel, Jacob Stewart, and Avery Thompson.
In mid-October, the chapter was made aware that they were the recipient of a grant from the Syngenta Rising Sun Program, being nominated by Nathan Baker of Xcel Seeds, LLC.
With this grant, the chapter was able to purchase fabric for five tie blankets that were donated to Christmas for Kids during the Hilltop High School Student Council Live Drive, purchase five FFA jackets along with ties and scarves for the FFA closet that members without official dress can use, and begin ordering the ag-focused “goodies” will be used in May for the Ag Awareness Day goodie bags given to each elementary student.
To round out the month and celebrate Thanksgiving Break, the Animal and Plant Science class prepared their farm-to-table chickens on the 25th.
The class hatched 27 Cornish cross chicks at the end of September and then did research on how electrolytes and apple cider vinegar added to water affected the chicken’s growth rates when compared to the control group of water with nothing added.
They wrote a research paper about their findings and then celebrated Thanksgiving early by preparing a homemade meal with the chickens they raised.
They were also challenged to create the whole meal from scratch and for many, this was their first experience baking with yeast! The meals turned out to be delicious, and the students enjoyed eating together.