05/10/2025
Twenty Two of our members and two advisors departed school on Wednesday morning with a destination of Syracuse for the 100th New York FFA Convention. Although the weather was not stellar we did not allow the cold and rain to damper our spirits or drive for success in our competitions. We had several of our members recognized on stage for proficiencies, competition results, and even an Empire degree!
We are so proud of our FFA members for their outstanding achievements at this year’s New York State FFA Convention!
Team Placings:
• 2nd Place – Meats Evaluation and Technology 🥩 🥓 🍖 Team Members: Breanna Unruh, Allie Erhart, Dannie Snyder, and Maddy Meyer
• 2nd Place – Parliamentary Procedure 👩🏻⚖️ 📖👨🏼⚖️ Team Members: Breanna Unruh, Allie Erhart, Dannie Snyder, Nolan Emborsky, Tayla Kuhaneck, and Brooklyn Orefice
• 3rd Place – Marketing Plan 📈 📑 💻 Team Members: Amelia Wolf, Nolan Emborsky, and Mike Lee
• 3rd Place – Conduct of Chapter Meetings 👩🏻⚖️ 📖 👨🏻⚖️ Team Members: Makayla Wolfe-Widrig, Liam Manning, Maddy Meyer, Eden Miller, Bella Hegner, Bekah Risley, and Leah Lincoln
A special congratulations to Breanna Unruh, who earned 1st place individually in the Meats Evaluation and Technology contest—an incredible accomplishment reflecting her dedication and expertise! Breanna has also received a SUNY Cobleskill scholarship for her achievements, although she is committed to Alfred University for the fall.
Individual Recognition for Achievement not relating to contests:
• Breanna Unruh was awarded the top proficiency in the state in the area of Agricultural Services for her Photography SAE and will be moving onto the National level!
• Allie Erhart's proficiency in Sheep Production earned her a spot on-stage as well. Allie has spent years raising and breeding sheep- it is rewarding to see all of her hard work being recognized!
• Dannie Snyder was awarded her Empire (State) FFA Degree—the highest honor the NYS FFA can bestow on a member—recognizing her commitment to FFA, agricultural education, and community involvement.
• Our FFA Advisor Katie Mitrowski was recognized as the 2025 District 10 Golden Owl Award Recipient, honoring her dedication and impact as an outstanding agricultural educator.
• Breanna Unruh also concluded her year of service as District 10 President, representing our chapter with pride, professionalism, and heart across the state.
Other teams we had that did not place in the top 3 or Top 10 individually:
• Veterinary Science team (Members: Breanna Unruh, Dannie Snyder, Tayla Kuhaneck, Cayla Otto)
• Jr Quiz Bowl (Members: Eric O'Brien, Ryder Oakes, Brooke Hess, and Courtney Hess)
• Tool ID 1 (Leah Lincoln and Ryder Oakes)
• Tool ID 2 (Abbi Horning and Courtney Hess)
• Farm Business (Members: Eric O'Brien, Eden Miller, Cayla Otto, and Brooke Hess)
• Floriculture (Members: Brooklyn Orefice, Lexi Hilliard, Allie Erhart, and Amelia Wolf)
• Maple (Members: Makayla Wolfe-Widrig, Bekah Risley, Bella Hegner, and Maddy Meyer)
Congratulations to all our members on an unforgettable convention! Your hard work, leadership, and passion continue to make Cattaraugus-Little Valley proud.
A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Mitrowski and Mr Busekist for all of your countless hours of work spent preparing our teams for success! We would not be able to do it without both of you and we are so appreciative of what you do for us every day, in addition to all of the knowledge and guidance that you provide!
And now we have four more banners to hang on the walls in the barn this week, and more plaques for the display case!
*We are still missing some team photos that we will snag this week- so if you were in Farm Business Management or Quiz Bowl, please bring your official dress this week!*
