Sonoraville High School’s FFA brought home first place in the senior division and second place in the junior division from the Northwest Georgia nursery landscape career development event recently at North Metro Tech in Acworth. Sonoraville High FFA, coached by agriculture education teacher Sara Clark, took home first place in the Senior Division and had the top overall individual Amber Kay. Sonoraville’s team members include Amber Kay, Taylor Fain, Clay Hilgeman, and Layson West.

Sonoraville also received the second place trophy in the junior division. Sonoraville team members are Jared Bunch, Sabrina Lynch and Savannah King. Both teams have won the right to represent their schools at the state career development event in March 2011.

The FFA Nursery Landscape competition consists of a written exam, identification of plants, disorders and equipment and hands on skills in problem solving and landscape design. The competition is based on the educational objectives of the Georgia Agriculture Education horticulture curriculum and standard practices in the horticulture industry.

The purpose of the career development event is to connect students from what is taught in the classroom to practices utilized in the nursery and landscape industry. Moreover, the competition promotes academic achievement and skill competence for students who seek a future horticulture program of study and career.

This event is one of the many educational activities in which the FFA members apply classroom knowledge to real-life situations. The Georgia FFA Association has the third largest FFA membership in the nation with over 30,000 members. FFA strives to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.