Submitted Photo
By Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Four members of the James River High School FFA Chapter– Morgan Marshall, Ellie Holter, Ainsley Simmons and Andrew Newcomb– traveled to Springfield, Mass., earlier this month for The Big E (The Eastern States Exposition). While there, the team placed fourth overall in the Environmental and Natural Resources category and Ellie Holter received second place individual in Environmental and Natural Recourses.
“They sure made us proud,” Kyle Kidwell, the James River FFA Chapter advisor, said of the four students. “Their success is something that their parents and the community should be proud of.”
Billed as “New England’s Great State Fair,” The Big E hosted competitors from the 10 states that represent the eastern FFA region.
“Not many people are invited to compete in this competition,” Kidwell said. “We were one of the few state runners-up teams there. We were basically competing against all state champion teams as a state runner-up, so that makes our accomplishment just a little bit more impressive. To place fourth at The Big E, that’s a phenomenal job by these young people.”
This marks Kidwell’s first year at James River High School. He reported that things are going well with the program. “We have a strong schedule ahead of us,” he said in reference to the annual Day of Service on October 18, various competitions, and the fruit sale in late October and early November. “We’ve got quite a bit in front of us right now.”
