XENIA — Allison Rapp’s final year in FFA poultry is off to a flying start.
The Xenia High School senior was among the best in Ohio during the state finals — finishing fourth — and then teaming up with Sarah Harner, she was first in the environmental/natural resource competition at the state Agriscience Fair.
Throw in a first place at the Miami Trace District and a first place at Mt. Gilead and that makes for a fun final year. It’s Rapp’s first time placing in Agriscience, while Harner has placed third.
“I am so excited,” Rapp said after being recognized by the Xenia school board at its May 8 meeting. “I think it is a really good project.”
She hopes the judges at the National FFA Convention feel the same way, as Rapp and Harner qualified for the Oct. 25-28 event in Indianapolis. For their project, according to FFA advisor William Hawkins, they basically the constructed a battery out of mud. Judging is based in-part on knowledge gained, scientific approach, experimental research and an interview.
The poultry finals were similar to what an FFA member encounters at the county fair.
“There were a couple hundred kids,” Rapp said. “Being fourth in the state is pretty good. I put in a lot of time for that. It definitely gives you poultry industry experience.”
While she admitted she would have like to have equalled last year’s third-place finish, she said she spent a lot of time on the agriscience project as well which could have taken away from her poultry preparation time.
One of 15 graduates of distinction at Xenia, Rapp plans to attend The Ohio State University as an animal science and pre-veterinary major.
Having served in several leadership roles with Xenia FFA and the Greene County Junior Fair Board, Rapp will be missed when it’s all over.
“She’s gotten me through more than a student should,” Hawkins — in his first year — said at the school board meeting. “She’s been a great leader.”
