Students from the Penn Yan FFA chapter earned multiple top finishes and advanced competitors to the state level. At the Western Substates Leadership Development Events (LDEs) held recently at Alfred State College. Leadership Development Events are designed to help students build critical leadership, communication, and teamwork skills while showcasing their agricultural knowledge and public speaking abilities. Penn Yan students competed in several events against chapters from across the region.
Leading the way for Penn Yan was Lizzie Lilyea, who captured first place in Senior Extemporaneous Public Speaking, earning a spot at the upcoming state finals. In the event, students are given a limited amount of time to prepare and deliver a speech on a current agricultural topic, demonstrating both subject knowledge and strong communication skills.
Penn Yan also earned second place in the Parliamentary Procedure Team event, with team members Lizzie Lilyea, Claire Sandstrom, Sarah Hall, Rachel Dann, Chloe Hinkal, and Alyssa Smith. The team’s strong performance secured them advancement to the state finals, where they will compete against top teams from across New York.
In addition, Jordan Beauman placed third in Junior Prepared Public Speaking, where students deliver a researched speech on an agricultural issue.
Several other Penn Yan FFA members represented the chapter in competition as well, including Meggie Pratt in Senior Extemporaneous Public Speaking, Zoe Zeigler in Senior Creed Speaking, and Claire Sandstrom in Senior Prepared Public Speaking.
With their regional success, Lilyea and the Parliamentary Procedure Team will represent Penn Yan at the New York State FFA Leadership Development Event Finals later this year.