PVHS hosts annual FFA banquet

ANDOVER – As an organization, the Future Farmers of America aims to help students to gain valuable skills they can use throughout the rest of their lives.
The Pymatuning Valley High School FFA program excels in that aim and honored the students who participate through the 66th Annual PV FFA Banquet on Thursday, April 23.
“This organization doesn’t simply encourage kids to go out of their comfort zone, but it forces them to,” guest speaker and PV FFA alumni Allison Magyar said. “Students are required to attend events designed to build relationships and leadership skills. Students are taught a variety of subjects that range from environmental science to economics and business. They do classes on public speaking through animal science, they’re then given the opportunity to put that knowledge to the test in the real world through competitions and their fair projects. The list goes on – they get to see the true worth of everything they learn in the classroom and that’s why projects at the farm being built behind us are so important. These give students the opportunity to challenge themselves and learn everything they possibly can with a program like this.”
The FFA program shaped the future for Magyar, who works at Kalmbach Farms, as it will for the current students.
“In a world where few people speak the truth, I am so glad that the FFA is living up to their time honored motto, ‘Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live and living to serve,’” Magyar said. “This design was not by mistake. This has been the intention and the reason the FFA was founded. I believe in the future of agriculture with a faith born not of words, but of deeds. While that first half of the phrase is very impactful, I think it’s the second half that is more important, with a faith born not of words, but of deeds.”
“To this day, that phrase lives in my head,” Magyar continued. “It’s a reminder the talk is cheap. Respect, success and dependability require action, consistent and reliable action. That means that everyone here in attendance tonight cannot be satisfied with simply saying the right things, they need to prove them through their actions every single day. Whether it’s in the classroom, on the farm or in the community, dependability is built by showing up and following through, doing work even when no one is watching. We must be the kind of people that hold others accountable and that we can count on, because at the end of the day, it is not our words but our deeds that define us.”
Honored during the banquet were students earning the state degree, including Julia Hitchcock, David Sharpe, Grant Corson, Sophia Young, Rylee Young, Michael McNish and Mackenzie Martin. Students who earned the American degree included Kelsie Britton, Taryn Tisch and Miley Edelman.
David Sharpe earned a gold rating for his secretary book and Alyssa Bullard and Violet Luce each earned silver ratings for their reporter and treasurer books, respectively. Katelynn Konopinski was honored for earning first place for Creed Speaking at the chapter contest.
The Star Greenland Award winner was Ben Zaebst.
“Our FFA chapter has proven its worth year after year with a reputation of producing bright young men and women who go on to achieve excellence in whatever they set their mind to do,” Magyar said. “You should all be proud of the role that you play in this organization. Many forget the FFA is run by the students. They are the ones who make the decisions. The advisors are just here, merely as a guide. The FFA is what it is today because of all of you and those who have come before you.”
PV FFA Advisor Tom Mazzaro expressed his gratitude to his students as well as the Pymatuning Valley Local School District’s administration.
“It’s a great honor for me to teach them every day, spend time with them, help them grow as individuals, and share my passion for agriculture with them,” Mazzaro said. “The board of education and (Superintendent Christopher) Edison support our kids in our program.”
Mazzaro closed by telling the students what they mean to him.
“Finally, to the senior class, it’s hard to put into words what this moment means,” Mazzaro said. “Watching you grow over the last four years from your first days in the Ag class to where you stand now has been one of the most rewarding parts of my job. We share a lot of great memories.”
Those memories also gave the PV FFA students a foundation for the future.
“There have been trips and activities where learning went far beyond the classroom,” Mazzaro said. “Each experience helped shape your knowledge. Along with plenty of moments filled with laughter, sometimes together and, yes, sometimes at each other, but those are the memories that last the longest. In the classroom, in the shop, in the barns and beyond, you were challenged to try new things and step outside of that comfort zone.”
“If you remember, those were some of the first words I said on Day 1,” Mazzaro continued. “There were times I pushed you, not to make things difficult, but to help you grow into a stronger, more confident individual. What you may not realize is that you pushed me to be better, to do more and to give you the very best I could as your teacher. Each of you is leaving with more than just knowledge. You’re taking with you work ethic, responsibility, resilience and the ability to face challenges head on. Those are the lessons that carry you far no matter what path you take.”