Well, the year was packed full of achievements and events. Here is our recap for the 2017-2018 year.

July: In July we had our annual Section Horse Show and the Livestock Fair. Many members competed and it was a very good turnout. Also this month we had members attend both the Illinois FFA Camp and the Washington Leadership Camp. Both of these camps help members expand their horizons and learn how to better their chapters and sections while meeting people from across the state and the nation. 

August: In August the Section found out that Tanner Mickey and Molly Smith were national finalists in Agri-science. Also the section officers and some FFA members from Maroa-Forsyth helped the John Deere booth at the Farm Progress Show. We greeted and directed customers to their desired locations. At the end of the month the section officers wore their official dress and helped at the State Fair Sale of Champions.

September: In the month of September we had our first Section Horse Judging contest. Along with our section, Sections Nine and Fourteen joined us. The event went smoothly and it gave our member’s a realistic practice for State Horse Judging. The top team in our section was Clinton. We also had many teams also compete at State Horse Judging.  This month we hosted another new event. Clinton hosted a CDE night for Section Sixteen. 

This night consisted of seven, ten to fifteen minutes state ions that explained and demonstrated the difference CDEs members can compete in. We had many members and their parents participate. We also had many conferences this month. The section officers attended the STAR Conference. At this conference we worked together as a team to tackle challenges and find new ideas to better the section. Another conference in this month was the Elite Conference. 

This conference was for members who are interested in majoring in Agriculture Education. It gave insight from teachers and activities to get members involved. The last conference was the Greenhand Conference. This conference gives first year members the opportunity to meet new people and see what FFA is about. Such a busy month.

October: We kicked off October not with spooky treats but with our Section Land Use CDE. The top team in this CDE was Okaw Valley. Also this month we had our Greenhand Quizbowl. After that we moved to the 212/360 Conferences. One is for freshman and sophomores and the other for juniors and seniors. Both held next to each other and both with many activities to break members out of their shells and to expand their minds. The other CDE this month was our Section Ag Sales CDE. Our top sales team was Taylorville.  

In our Grain Fair and SAE Expo. also had many participates. Last but certainly not least National Convention. At National Convention we had five people got American Degrees, which is the highest degree a member can earn. Here are the dedicated recipients: Sydney Boehm, Caitlin Haden, Morgan Danielle Hunter, Rebekah Noelle Nash, Alexandra Lauren Ruwe. Congratulations! 

November: We are very grateful for this month. Agronomy was one of our first events. It was very competitive down to the last seed but everyone had fun. The top team was Maroa-Forsyth. Next was our Leadership Training School. It was a huge success and we had many members attend. All the section officers planed the workshops and worked together to make them run smoothly. Better yet we also had our state president Joey Birrittier speak at LTS and accompany us on our Chapter Visits. Such a neat experience! The other CDEs in this month were Section Dairy Foods and Vet Science. In the Dairy Foods CDE the top team was Clinton. The top Vet Science team was Maroa-Forsyth. 

December: December was a nice chilly break from the busy fall. State Dairy Foods, Agronomy, and Meats were held this month. Also Section Sixteen hosted an Etiquette Dinner for its members. There they learned proper dining and tips to help them succeed in their future endeavors. Other CDEs this month were Job Interview, Parliamentary Procedure. The top individual in Job Interview was Reed Jostes and the top Parli Pro team was Blue Ridge.

January: In January we got back in the swing of things. We had two CDEs this month: Food Science and Public Speaking. The top team in Food Science team Central A&M. In Public Speaking there are three areas. There is Creed Speaking for freshmen, Prepared and Extemporaneous Speaking. The last two have a Varsity and JV level. Also this month was State Degree interviews and Star Greenhand interviews. Both of these are hard to achieve but we are so proud of all the members that will receive their State Degree at State Convention and to the Star Greenhands that were recognized at our banquet. 

February: February had few activities but the activities it had were HUGE. The first event was our Section SAE Judging. We had 150 members compete in the section. It was amazing to see how many members care about their SAE and want to prove their book is the best. After that madness it was National FFA Week. All chapters in our Section created crazy, fun days for their schools to show their spirit for FFA. It’s amazing to see members so passionate and creative enough to create something different each year. 

March: March got very serious. This month we had Section Poultry Judging, State Food Science and State Vet Science. Two very challenging CDEs. The top Poultry team Taylorville. Our section triumphed and did stupendous at State as well. Also this month we had District and State SAE Judging. We had twenty members win districts and move on to state. State was hard but five members prevailed and won their areas! Wow congrats to Eston Coe from Sangamon Valley, Ellie Paulsrud from Blue Ridge, Tanner Mickey from Taylorville, Harley Leatherman from Taylorville and Tennyson Kern from Clinton. 

April: April is just as busy as bees! We had Section Livestock, Ag Mechanics, and Horticulture.  At the state level we had State Horticulture, Livestock and Poultry. Many teams competed and many teams succeded! The top team in Horticulture was Clinton. The top team in Livestock was Okaw Valley and the top Ag Mech team was Clinton. Then we went to Section Elections, a very important time in our section. We now have six amazing and qualified members to lead our section. Also we had our Section Banquet. We thanked and awarded all the members who make our Section great. 

That wraps up the 2017-2018 year. We are very thankful for our past year and all the opportunities it brought four our members. We are leaving our legacy with the new officer team and cannot wait to see them flourish in the following 2018-2019 year.