Gilmer Future Farmers of America’s (FFA) graduating seniors hung up their corduroy jackets, marking the end of their time in the program, but not before sharing what it meant to them.
At the end-of-year banquet at the Gilmer County Agricultural Education Center last Thursday, seniors and competitors were recognized with award certificates and rounds of applause from supporters, friends and family in the crowd.
A total of 141 students competed in FFA career and leadership development events, and 22 teams and individuals competed at the state level during the 2024-25 school year.
Marketing Plan and Parliamentary Procedure were state-winning teams, Senior Poultry Evaluation and Conduct of Chapter Meetings teams won runner-up at the state level, Dairy Production Entrepreneurship and Michael Bushey won a state proficiency award, and the 2024 Conduct of Chapter Meetings team was a national silver emblem winner.
This year, 67 first-year agricultural education students who completed all requirements received their Greenhand Degrees, 25 second-year students got Chapter Degrees, 14 third and fourth-year students received State FFA Degrees and 16 middle school students got Discovery Degrees.
Supporters of the program, Terri Bushey and Amy Keener, were awarded with Honorary Degrees, recognizing their time and commitment to FFA.
“These two are always the first to show up to help and the last to clean up and leave,” FFA Advisor Shelby Merrell stated. “Even though most of your work is behind the scenes, we want to express our gratitude for the countless hours you both take to help organize the food, awards and payouts for our livestock shows, running last-minute errands any time we need and always being there to encourage our members.”
Some graduating seniors won scholarships to help them obtain a higher education. Madison Chastain, Bailey Horton, Jack Keener and Charles Norman received Farm Bureau scholarships.
Jack Keener was also recognized as the winner of the Little Brooks Beef Scholarship, as well as the Billy Burnette Award, which is given to an outstanding show team member that demonstrates excellence both in the show ring and in life.
Seniors had the opportunity to give retiring addresses before hanging up their blue FFA jackets and receiving their graduation cords.
Madison Chastain plans to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and double major in livestock production and soil science.
“FFA has given me more than just certificates, ribbons, plaques, banners, belt buckles, chairs and blue corduroy jackets,” Chastain shared. “It gave me a family. Not the kind you are born with, but the kind you find in the showroom, in late-night trailer talks and in the bleachers after a long day showing livestock.”
Senior Hunter Hamrick plans to attend Chattahoochee Technical College and major in welding technologies, following graduation.
“I’ve never been one to really like school … but whenever I started taking ag. classes, it really made me want to be there,” Hamrick said. “I found out that I really enjoyed doing contests my freshman year, and I’ve been doing them ever since. This program has been a major part of my life since the 5th grade, and I couldn’t be more thankful.”
FFA President Aliza Chastain will be attending Piedmont University to major in speech and language pathology.
“What makes FFA so special is that it doesn’t just teach you about agriculture,” she explained. “It teaches you about life. It teaches you how to work hard, how to be a good teammate and how to stand up and lead when it counts. These lessons have shaped my goals and given me the confidence to take on whatever comes next.”
A major takeaway from the seniors’ speeches is that many of them are looking forward to graduating to “best friend” status with teacher Emily Farist. Thank yous were sentimentally shared with all advisors and teachers within the agricultural program, including Shelby Merrell, David Bushey and Mike Bushey.
FFA chapter officers closed out the banquet by presenting program leaders end-of-year gifts, showing their gratitude for all their support. They also presented a Georgia Bulldogs-themed gift to Gilmer High principal Derek Bowen, as he’s resigning to start a new career.