Keystone Degree recipients, from left, are Chad Goshert, Justin High, Katie Huber, Ellie Barley, Katey Bleacher, Joel Burkholder, Sammy Bleacher, Scott Neff, Kara Rohrer, Aiden Kimmett, Emily Ferrick, Cheyenne Ditzler, Nathan Phan and Emily Alexander.

23 Penn Manor students earn FFA awards

Manor FFA member Katey Bleacher was named winner of the Keystone Star in Agricultural Placement at the recent Pennsylvania Farm Show.

The statewide honor is one of several awards earned by 23 Penn Manor High School students during the event.

Katey and 13 other Manor FFA members also received their Keystone Degrees, and nine first-year members from Penn Manor received FFA jackets.

The Keystone Star Award is given to an FFA Keystone Degree recipient who exhibits premier leadership, personal growth and career success as demonstrated through an application and an interview with a panel of judges.

Katey qualified in the agricultural placement category because her supervised agricultural experience program is work-based.

She works for Bleacher Farms LLC, a layer hen farm that has been in her family for generations.

Keystone Degree Winners

Katey also earned her Keystone Degree, along with fellow Manor FFA members Chad Goshert, Justin High, Katie Huber, Ellie Barley, Joel Burkholder, Sammy Bleacher, Scott Neff, Kara Rohrer, Aiden Kimmett, Emily Ferrick, Cheyenne Ditzler, Nathan Phan and Emily Alexander.

The Keystone Degree is the fourth of five degrees FFA members can earn.  Only 387 FFA members out of 10,732 in the state received the degree.

To earn the honor, FFA members must hold the Greenhand and Chapter FFA Degrees; perform at least 25 hours of community service; earn or invest $1,000 or work 300 hours outside of school in their SAE program; participate in 15 FFA Activities, five of them above the chapter level; and demonstrate leadership and advocacy of agriculture and FFA.

FFA Jacket Winners

Nine Penn Manor students earned Manor FFA jackets: Tabitha Swope, Arilyn Tegtmeier, Coty Pike, Cheyenne Evans, Meredith Reed, Jadyn DeFalcis, Luke Frey, Mitch Barr and Bryan Walton.

The first-year member jacket campaign is sponsored by the Pennsylvania FFA Alumni, which provides the jackets and a scarf or tie free of charge.  To qualify, students must write about what the jacket means to them and what they plan to achieve while wearing it.

“I think representing the FFA and engaging in learning opportunities will help me prepare for my chosen career path,” wrote Tabitha. “There is so much I want to do, and the FFA jacket is the key to the door that will help unlock all these opportunities for me.”

Congratulations to all our students for their accomplishments!