Wednesday, 24. In February, the SLO Creed FFA contest was held in conjunction with the COVID-19 pandemic, and Atascadero High School freshman Carly Dabbs won. Dabbs will be joined at the regional races in April by Greyhounds Kensington Witt, who finished fifth, and Mackenzie Tucker, who finished eighth out of about 40 competitors.
The contest, which is open only to first-year high school students, requires students to memorize and recite five paragraphs of the FFA Suffrage in front of a panel of judges and answer three random questions about agriculture and all things FFA.
Students are given four minutes to perform and the judges look at memorization, stage presence, interpretation and pronunciation, among other things. Points are deducted for each word added or changed, and for each second the time limit is exceeded.
It was a very nice experience. I’ve never done anything like this before, Dabbs said. It was a real shock. Earlier this month I went to a Google meeting with my FFA advisor and we practiced Credo and he asked me questions. He told me I had done well and should make it to the competition, but I certainly didn’t expect to come in first because there are so many great people in the district doing FFA. It was just great to know that my hard work paid off.
The SLO department is made up of students from seven schools in the district: Atascadero, Templeton, Paso Robles, Morro Bay, Coastal Union and Shandon. Dabbs, Witt and Tucker will compete in the regional at 1. April against the San Jose students in Los Angeles.
The FFA Statement of Faith, written by E.M. Tiffany, is below:
I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith that comes not from words but from deeds – the gains made by current and previous generations of farmers; the promise of better times on better roads, even though the best things we enjoy today came from the struggles of years past.
I find living and working on a good farm or other agricultural enterprise not only enjoyable, but stimulating; for I know the joys and discomforts of agricultural life and have an innate love for these associations that I cannot deny even in hours of frustration.
I believe in leadership by myself and respect by others. I believe in my ability to work effectively and think clearly, with the kind of knowledge and skills I can offer, and in the ability of forward-thinking agronomists to serve their own interests and those of the public by producing and selling the product of their work.
I believe in depending less on begging and having more power to bargain; in having abundance in life and enough honest wealth for people to love me; in having less grace and more when I need it; in being happy in myself and being open-minded to those on whom happiness depends.
I am confident that American agriculture can and will remain true to the best traditions of our national life, and that I can be an influence in my home town and community that will advise and assist me in this inspiring task.
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