Heights takes top spot at Junior FFA State Forestry Contest

Hamilton Heights Middle School won the Junior FFA State Forestry Contest, an historical win three years in the making. The contest consists of a written test over the general knowledge of forestry, 55 leaves, 25 seeds, and 30 insects and disease identification.

“Our journey started in the fall of 2022 when our team members were entering the sixth grade,” Coach Adam Sheller recalled. “I had personally always enjoyed forestry, judging when I was in middle school, and it just made sense that I would pass that enjoyment to my own kids. As luck would have it, Nikki Higgins, Lilly and Maggie’s mother, and I were on the same Forestry Team in middle school at Hamilton Heights back in the mid-1990s. We ended up finishing second in the state in 1995!”

Sheller continued, “As sixth graders, the girls – now in eighth grade – showed promise and improvement. Last year, we placed second in our area and qualified for state, ultimately placing seventh at state. This year, the team won all three invitationals we entered and placed first in our area, taking the top four spots individually. At state, we brought home the state championship. In addition, Annie placed fourth, Lilly placed sixth, and Maddie placed seventh overall.”

The 4-H and FFA Forestry Career Development Event (CDE) is designed to stimulate interest in forestry, to promote forestry instruction in the agricultural education curriculum, and to provide recognition for those who have demonstrated skill and competency as a result of forestry instruction. The CDE consisted of individual practicums that included a general knowledge exam, seed, insect, and disease identification.