The Southmont FFA Floriculture judging team competed in the State Floriculture Judging Contest on April 23. The team of Levi Brush, Cole Rhoads, Gabriel Little and Caden Sixberry placed first in the contest for the 15th year in a row giving the school its 26th state title in Floriculture Judging. There were 13 teams and 46 individuals competing this year. The contest was held at the Central Nine Career Center located in Greenwood. Each member of the state champion team will receive a $500 scholarship given by the Southmont FFA Chapter.
The Southmont team had the top five individuals in the contest. Individually, Brush placed first, Cole Rhoads placed second, Little placed third, Sixberry placed fourth and Thompson placed fifth. This year Southmont also had a junior high team competing at the state level and they placed first. There were seven teams and 25 individuals competing in this year’s junior contest. Individually, Amarah Shannon placed first, Natalie Rhoads placed second, Helen Butcher place third and Daniel Simpson placed fifth.
This year’s floriculture contest was competitive and tested the contestant’s knowledge and skills. The activities in the competition included a general knowledge exam, identifying 15 plants disorders from a list of 28, a problem solving exam, identifying 40 floriculture plants from a list of 125, and complete a job interview. These members also had to make a floral arrangement, complete a one on one selling activity, and conduct a team activity.
