Contributed by Zakya Misallati

The Cedarcrest FFA chapter sent the floral design and national chapter teams, along with FFA advisor Sarah Thomas, to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, Oct. 14 to compete in the floral design event and to accept a two-star National Chapter Award.

Students on the floral design team were seniors Nicole Ballard, Alice Ish and Zakya Misallati, and junior Kendra Mutch. Members of National Chapter were seniors Nicole Hagens and Margaret Knox.

The floral team, one of 43 teams participating in the national FFA Floriculture Career Development event, was awarded a gold emblem.

Members also competed for individual awards with 167 other participants. Ballard and Ish received gold emblems and Misallati and Mutch received silver emblems.

In the competition, members tested their knowledge and skills in the production and retailing of flowers, plants and foliage.

They completed a general exam on the floriculture industry, identified plant materials, demonstrated problem solving and decision-making skills, employment and customer service skills, technical floral skills and the ability to work as a team.

It was the first time Cedarcrest FFA members competed at the national level.

“It was an honor to get that far; we had worked so hard to get there we just had a fun time. It was just the icing on the cake to know that we got such good scores on top of it,” Mutch said.

Students also visited the Kennecott Brothers wholesale flowers and volunteered with the organization, Random Acts of Flowers, in which they made flowers past their sell by date into arrangements for people in the hospital.