Santa Fe High School’s (SFHS) Future Farmers of America (FFA) Food Science Team is preparing to compete at the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo after earning a win at the state level.
The team, which consists of SFHS seniors Sam Nichol, Taylor Batten and Jerick King, and junior Naomi Cooper, took first place in the Florida Food Science and Technology Career Development Event (CDE).
According to the FFA website, the Food and Science Technology competition “focuses on developing skills needed in the food science and technology industry through various individual and team activities.”
While competing at the state contest, the SFHS team had to create and present a food product, complete food quality and safety activities, and demonstrate their knowledge of food science, safety and product development. The students came up with Rip+Run, a package of four individually wrapped trail mixes, which they then presented to a panel of judges from the University of Florida’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.
According to an Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) press release, three team members were among the top six highest-scoring students at the state competition. This included Cooper (second), Batten (third) and King (sixth).
Nichol, Batten, King and Cooper are all enrolled in SFHS’s Academy of Veterinary Assisting, “one of the district’s highly successful career technical academies,” the release said.
In practice sessions leading up to the national competition, the students will continue to develop sample food products and hone their presentation skills. That includes team members who will be graduating from SFHS this year. The students have been working with local food scientist Molly Sims to prepare.
“This type of success doesn’t just happen,” Brian Skipper, director of the Academy of Veterinary Assisting and SFHS’s FFA Advisor, said in the release. “Students work countless hours to make this happen under the direction and advising of talented ag teachers who go above and beyond the call of duty to prepare their students.”
The National FFA Convention & Expo will take place Oct. 21-24 in Indianapolis.