On Tuesday, April 23, Coffee County FFA kicked off the 96th Georgia State FFA Convention by sending off Mikayal Hayes and John Johnson to Macon Ambassador Training. These two spent the week serving with the Georgia FFA Foundation in assisting sponsors.
On Wednesday, April 24, the rest of the Coffee FFA “herd” headed up to the Convention. The bus was packed with FFA members from Coffee High, George Washington Carver Freshman Campus, and Coffee Middle School.
Jaxsen Guthrie competed in the State Extemporaneous Speaking Leadership Development Event. FFA members Emma Driggers, Layton Parker, and Kensley Knight competed in the State Marketing Plan Leadership Development Event. CHS didn’t make it into the finals but the club is super proud of the hard work and dedication these students put into their events. The night ended with a cookout at Camp John Hope.
Thursday, April 25 was the first official day of the convention. Students explored the career show where they had the opportunity to talk with colleges from all over the state as well as meet with representatives from the agricultural industry to learn more about careers in agriculture and natural resources.
Grace Barrett, the South Region winner in the wildlife proficiency area, went to her proficiency interview to compete for the state title. Then she got to practice her talent in the arena to find out when she would perform in front of hundreds of FFA members.
During session one of the convention, Coffee FFA members cheered on Jack Lingenfelter who was recognized for winning the national agricultural communications proficiency area this past October during National Convention.
Friday, April 26 started off with the State Degree Ceremony during session two where 14 Coffee High FFA members walk across the state. The Coffee FFA students who received their State Degree this year were:
Hallie Lott
Mikayla Hayes
Grace Barrett
Jaxsen Guthrie
Jake Grantham
Layton Parker
Jerome Coleman
Anna Capps
Emma Driggers
Kensley Knight
Abby Lane Smith
Ethyn Ledford
Madeleine Tuten
Jaycee Rowell
During session three John Johnson was recognized for receiving one of the Georgia Ford Dealers scholarships and listened to Jaxsen Guthrie introduce himself as a state officer candidate after making it through the nomination committee.
The Coffee High delegation tailgated for lunch in the parking lot and enjoyed getting to socialize with one another for a bit.
They eagerly awaited the nominating committees report during session four and ended the night by attending the Heart of Georgia Shootout at the Georgia National Fairgrounds.
On Saturday, April 27, Coffee wrapped up the convention in a big way! During session five Grace Barrett sang and played “What Are You Listening To” by Chris Stapleton on stage. Then they watched as Skylard Barnard from Coffee Middle School was recognized for placing third in the State Lawnmower Operations Career Development Event. Josie Grantham represented the Coffee High State Reserve Champion Senior Horse Judging team consisting of Josie, Grace Barrett, Mikayla Hayes, and Jayla Cobb. During this session Grace Barrett was named 2nd in the state for her wildlife proficiency.
Jaxsen Guthrie was also named South Region vice president on the 2024-25 State FFA Officer team.
During session six, Mikayla Hayes and John Johnson were recognized for serving as Ambassadors during the convention while Jaxsen Guthrie and his teammates were installed as the new State FFA officers.
It was a big convention for Coffee County and members are super excited to keep the momentum going.