On Jan. 10, Garden Spot FFA members took a trip to Harrisburg for the Pennsylvania FFA Mid-Winter Convention, which is a state event held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show to recognize those who have received scholarships, awards, and degrees. During the convention, three Garden Spot FFA members and Lampeter-Strasburg High School seniors - Owen Risser, Kyra Benner, and Melanie Cox - were awarded sKeystone degrees.

Receiving the Keystone degree is considered one of the most precious moments a Pennsylvania FFA member will have because the Keystone degree is the highest award achievable in FFA at the state level. Members are evaluated on their supervised agricultural experience (SAE) projects, FFA involvement, and community service. To receive this award, students must invest $1,000 or 300 hours toward their SAE and participate in 25 hours of community service, among other requirements.

Owen served as a maintenance technician at his family's business, Risser Grain, for his SAE. According to Owen, FFA has given him experiences and opportunities that helped him develop his career plans and his future.

Kyra noted that she had no intention of joining FFA until her sophomore year, when the state officers came to her class and gave a presentation. The same year that Kyra applied to FFA and was accepted, she ran for office and served as historian for the 2020-21 academic year.

"I love everything about FFA," she said. "FFA members aren't just your friends; they treat you like family. I feel very comfortable, and the environment is so welcoming."

Kyra based her SAE around her Market Dairy Beef Steer project. She raised a calf to a steer, which she exhibited and sold at the 2021 West Lampeter Community Fair.

"It's every FFA member's dream to walk across the stage and get a Keystone degree," commented Kyra. To current FFA members, she said, "Definitely don't give up. A lot of times, I felt like I was not good enough to continue FFA or my SAE wasn't good enough, but just keep pushing through and have perseverance. Eventually you will get to that goal."

Much like Kyra, Melanie did not have any interest in joining FFA until after she saw a presentation. "I was like adopted by the group, and they made me feel like I was part of something good," she explained.

For her SAE, Melanie trained her horses. She competes in rodeo and is currently training her mare, Maisy. "You learn more in FFA than you think," stated Melanie. "You learn so many valuable and useful skills. Everyone says, 'Whatever you learn in high school, you're never going to use again,' but I think the skills that we learn in FFA, we will definitely use all of the time."

To learn more about Pennsylvania FFA Association, visit https://paffa.org.