Northeast Kansas District FFA students gathered Wednesday, Apr. 8, at the Walters Wellness Center in Highland to compete in a variety of Career Development Events (CDE).

Riverside and Hiawatha High Schools co-hosted the competition. Staff and students from both schools worked hard to get everything setup before the event kicked off. Almost 300 high school students attended the day and tested their knowledge in floriculture, milk quality, wool, vet science and food science.

An FFA advisor from the high schools in charge ran the following competitions: Floriculture: Royal Valley & Marysville Milk Quality: Rock Creek Wool: Sabetha Vet Science: St. Marys & McLouth Food Science: Centralia

When talking with Kallie, Riverside High School FFA president, she said, “I love to grow my future in agriculture especially in floriculture. I believe in the future of ag, so I’m also here to support my teammates in other events. And that's what I love so much about the opportunity we have today.”

Stephenie MacPherson, Hiawatha FFA advisor, added, “It's not something you can do in an average classroom. Bringing all of these schools together allows not only networking, but each school brings their unique talents and builds these future leaders' skills.”

Beyond FFA competitions, students were invited to learn more about Highland Community College and the Technical Center in Atchison, play corn hole and HCC admissions gave away free t-shirts to commemorate the day. Lentz Express Food Truck was available for students to purchase lunch.

HCC is proud to support the growth of these future leaders and looks forward to having them back on campus soon.