Marble Falls FFA students, educator earn Lone Star Degrees
Four Marble Falls High School students earned their FFA Lone Star Degrees during the state convention July 10-14 in Corpus Christi. To be eligible for the honor, students must have met a number of qualifications. Students are (clockwise from top left) Amber Fearn, Madeline Holder, Benjamin Sconci, and Holly Atkinson. Courtesy photos
FROM STAFF REPORTS
CORPUS CHRISTI — Despite it being the middle of summer, four Marble Falls High School students and one Marble Falls Independent School District faculty member earned their “degrees” during the Texas FFA 89th State Convention in Corpus Christi on July 10-14.
FFA leaders presented FFA Lone Star Degrees to students Holly Atkinson, Amber Fearn, Madeline Holder, and Benjamin Sconci. MFISD Director of Career and Technology Education Bruce Peckover earned the Lone Star Honorary Degree.
“I was excited to see so many of our students earn their Lone Star Degrees,” Peckover said, “and I was very honored to have received the Honorary Lone Star Degree on behalf of Marble Falls FFA sponsors, students, and community.”
FFA students must complete specific agricultural instruction requirements, earn recognition at the chapter level, attain investment goals, and complete community service to be eligible for the Lone Star Degree.
The Honorary Lone Star Degree recognizes individuals who work to help advance production agriculture and agribusiness education. It’s the highest state-level degree of honorary FFA membership a person can earn. Marble Falls High School FFA sponsors Mike Rempe and Dawn Stratton nominated Peckover for the honor.
“The State Lone Star Degree is a terrific endorsement of our community’s investment in career-focused facilities for all our (Career and Technology Education) students,” Peckover said. “It is also a wonderful way to recognize, on a state level stage, the hard work of our FFA students and sponsors (Rempe, Stratton, Shawn Reed, and Leonard Venghaus) as well as the dedication of our long-term volunteers.”
During the state convention, Marble Falls FFA officers voted on state constitutional amendments, state officers, and national convention representatives. Officials estimated that more than 12,000 FFA students from across Texas packed the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi for the convention.
“We are proud of our students in our agricultural science classes,” Rempe said. “They have had the opportunity to learn skills for career success through our classes because of Mr. Peckover’s leadership of our ‘Workforce Ready’ model. Our FFA motto is ‘Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, and living to serve.’ The advisors feel that Mr. Peckover is the epitome of our FFA motto, so we were happy to recommend him for the Honorary Lone Star Degree.”
Go to marblefallsisd.org for more information on the district’s Career and Technology Education programs and opportunities.