MARIPOSA FFA OFFICERS ARE PICTURED, FROM LEFT, SECRETARY COURTNEY DAYHOFF, PRESIDENT RICHARD BALLINGER, TREASURER MEYER JAY, SENTINEL CODY PETERSON, VICE PRESIDENT CATHERINE CHASE AND REPORTER BROOKE EARLING. Mariposa High School ASB and FFA President Richard Ballinger, and five of his FFA officers: Vice President Catherine Chase, Secretary Courtney Dayhoff, Treasurer Meyer Jay, Reporter Brooke Earling and Sentinel Cody Peterson, along with their ag teachers and advisors Wayne Forsythe, Buz Arnold and student teacher Patrick Smith, put the Mariposa Rotarians to a test during their breakfast meeting last Thursday at the Senior Center.

During a power-point presentation by the ag students, the Rotarians were entertained by a little game known as “Are you smarter than an FFA member?” The Rotarians attempted to defend their honor by taking a 112- point test given by the students.

Continuing with a more serious aspect of the power-point presentation, Jay shared aspects of their October trip to the FFA National Convention in Indiana where some of our students serving on the National Resource Team placed tenth in the nation during competition. Also, Peterson continued, in January our FFA students attended a field trip to Yosemite in order to learn about the vast number of summer employment opportunities in the Park. Dayhoff noted that on Feb. 9, Forsythe will be taking FFA students to the Tulare Farm Exposition.

Chase thanked the Rotarians for their continuing support each year at the county fair livestock fund raising program and invited Rotary members to attend the upcoming dinner/dance on April 24 at the fairgrounds, noting that the raffle grand prize to be awarded that evening will be a riding lawn tractor donated by Rotary’s own Troy Foster of Foster’s True Value Hardware.

During the closing question/ answer part of the program, Rotarian Kevin Cann commended both FFA teachers for the outstanding job that they do with their students. He noted that the night before he had had the pleasure of attending the Merced/Mariposa FFA Sectional Project Competition banquet and that each of the high school’s six participants, Mikaela Williams, Jocelyn Barrington, Tim Andre, James Palmer, Carly Bryson, and Amber Kaus received Gold Awards, with Mikaela Williams receiving the award for being the “Most Outstanding Freshman.”