Lebanon Regional FFA Chapter

05/27/2026

Future Vet Techs in Action: Final Visit to Lebanon Vet! 🩺

For their 6th and final visit, Mrs. Grogan's Vet Tech class teamed up with Vet Tech Courtney to master the basics of phlebotomy and lab diagnostics!

Here is what they learned:

🩸 Venipuncture: How to safely draw blood from lower-pressure veins (jugular, cephalic, and saphenous) using alcohol to visualize the site.

🧪 Tube Science: Identifying how different additives separate blood into serum (red top) or plasma (purple top) for testing.

🦠 SNAP Testing: Detecting heartworm and Lyme disease. They learned that Lyme can cause kidney damage, requires a month of Doxycycline, and is best prevented with annual vaccines!

⚠️ Safety First: Practicing strict OSHA guidelines and mastering the "one-handed scoop" method to recap needles safely.

Thank you, Lebanon Veterinary Hospital! A huge shoutout to Courtney, Dr. Molter, Dr. and Mrs. Zickmann for sharing your expertise and inspiring the next generation of veterinary heroes!

05/08/2026

05/08/2026

On Wednesday, Mrs. Grogan's Vet Tech students headed over to Lebanon Vet to learn more about the "how" and "why" behind pet safety and diagnostics:

🔬 Sterilization Science: Students learned that “tools” are actually instruments. They stay surgery-ready thanks to the autoclave, a 20-minute to 1-hour process using distilled water and specialized wraps.

💊 The “M&M” Rx: Students used the clinic software to write a mock prescription for Dr. Zickmann’s dog, Binx. They learned that clear, specific directions (like TID!) are vital for accurate communication. The best part? Picking up their “M&M” prescriptions at the end!

☢️ X-Ray Vision: Students explored how different materials show up on film and how positioning helps identify foreign bodies. They also suited up in lead-lined aprons, gloves, and thyroid shields to protect against radiation scatter.

Another incredible day of hands-on learning at Lebanon Vet! As always, thank you to Dr. Zickmann and the staff at Lebanon Veterinary Hospital for providing these amazing learning opportunities for our students!

05/08/2026

We are incredibly proud of our students for earning full-time positions with Electric Boat after graduation!

Six of the students hired are graduating from the Ag program and will be putting the skills they learned over the last four years to use!

Lyman Memorial is proud to announce that our new partnership with Electric Boat has resulted in the following 8 students being offered full-time employment at the premier submarine builder in the world! These 8 students applied and were interviewed and came away with great paying jobs following graduation in June. All of us at Lyman greatly value the relationship established with Electric Boat and look forward to working together with EB as we roll out the new welding program in the Fall of 2026!

Madison Ayer - Shipfitting
Ethan Apicelli - Design
Ben Christiansen - Pipefitting
Aiden Raulukaitis - Pipefitting
Aaron Rodriguez - Electrical
Kaden Sorits - Electrical
Anthony Mathieu - Welding
Lexie Theriault - Welding

05/01/2026

Today, six students represented our program by showing school-owned animals at TAC against students from across the state.
Here are the results:

Junior Equine
Haylee Tromza – 1st place

Beginner Rabbit
Keira Strumskas

Senior Sheep
Mackenzie Christensen – 1st place

Beginner Sheep
Phillip Mills – 3rd place

Sabrina – 4th place

Addison Gilleese – 5th place

Great job to all of our students for their hard work today!

04/23/2026

Lebanon Regional FFA was proud to host the District 5 Public Speaking and Tractor Driving contests this year. We welcomed FFA members from Killingly, Ledyard, and Ray FFA Chapter to compete. Great job to all participants!

Here are the results:

Creed Speaking
1st: Keira Strumskas (freshman)
2nd: Haylee Tromza (freshman)
3rd: Natalya (Killingly)

Extemporaneous Speaking
1st: Ezekiel (Killingly)
2nd: William Wildes (sophomore)
3rd: Nick Slater (senior)

Prepared Speaking
1st: Isaiah (Killingly)
2nd: Aaron Rodriguez (senior)
3rd: Austyn Ross (junior)

Tractor Driving
1st: Ryan W(Killingly)
2nd: Ryan (Ledyard)
3rd: Kaden Sorits (senior)

The top two competitors from each category will move on to compete at the State level. Congratulations and best of luck!

04/09/2026

Mrs. Grogan's Large Animal Vet Science students just wrapped up an awesome 2-day session with Sara Tomis from UConn Extension!

The class dove deep into the world of One Health, learning how to keep our animals and community safe.

Students learned how to stop pathogens in their tracks and build custom biosecurity plans for livestock operations. They also tackled the risks of animal exhibitions, mastering how to protect our herds before, during, and after the show.

Finally, they explored how UConn Extension turns research into real-world ag careers.

Huge thanks to Sara for sharing her expertise and helping us become better advocates for animal health! 🐔🌾

04/08/2026

Ag 1 students are getting some shop time and learning how to use lots of new tools.

04/08/2026

Our Vet Tech class returned to Lebanon Vet Hospital last Thursday for a deep dive into ultrasonography with Dr. Molter! 🩺✨

We moved beyond the basics to master "seeing with sound." Here’s the recap of what students learned:

Physics of Sound: We explored how waves create images. Liquid (blood/urine) appears black, while gas creates "dirty shadowing."

The Grey Scale: Mastering echogenicity and echotexture to identify different tissue types.

Orientation is Key: Learning to keep the probe marker toward the head while navigating sagittal and transverse planes.

Hands-on Tech: We practiced ultrasound-guided needle sampling using Jell-O and Metamucil "phantoms."

Huge thanks to Dr. Molter for showing us how high-frequency probes and precise imaging save lives! 🐶🐱