WOODBURY — The Woodbury FFA’s CDE teams returned home from Indianapolis after competing at the National FFA Convention in late October, ending months of anticipation following their state wins earlier in the year.
The event was especially victorious for the floriculture team, which consisted of Amy Byler, Lillian McDonald, Hannah Searles, and Samantha Kostka, who took home gold.
The team competed against other state teams, testing their knowledge and skills in the production and retailing of flowers, plants and foliage, general knowledge on the floriculture industry, identifying plant materials, technical floral skills and the ability to work as a team.
For the team, this win follows years of preparation.
“Three of the kids have been practicing for the floriculture contest for over two years, because they didn’t win states the first year,” explained Nonnewaug floriculture teacher Eric Birkenberger, who also served as the CDE’s coach. “They won second place, so technically they’ve been preparing for two and a half years.”
Hannah Searles, a 2024 graduate of Nonnewaug, was one of those students.
“We studied and went over everything with Mr. Birk so we felt well prepared,” Searles said. “It was a great experience. I got to see a bunch of my old friends and come back to high school again. I didn’t realize how much I missed it, so it was nice to be back for a week.”
The CDE team spent the week in Indianapolis together, reviewing before and after the competition.
“My team met for a few nights in our hotel room before the competition. We studied and went over everything with Mr. Birk so we felt well prepared,” said Searles. “I had also put in study time beforehand, so I did feel confident going into the competition.
The amount of preparation the team put in as a group and individually helped them succeed, although the experience wasn’t without challenges.
“The only thing is we had a last-minute substitute,” said Birkenberger. “We had one of the students back out and Sam [Kostka] took their place. So I was super surprised and excited for us to have that happen three days before the convention, and we still placed 10th in the country.”
Kostka, a senior, filled in as the team’s fourth member. Searles said that her addition especially benefited their team.
“She picked it up so quickly, and we all worked together to get gold,” Searles said.
Birkenberger explained that a significant factor in the team’s ability to place so highly comes from the amount of effort students put into their work in classes, which makes participating in these Career Development Events a valuable and rewarding experience for FFA members.
“I think if you ask any of the students, they’ll tell you that the contest does reflect stuff that we learned in class,” he said. “Just being in the class can help prepare you for the contest.”
