by Alex Griebel
South O’Brien FFA Chapter Reporter
Members from the South O’ Brien FFA Chapter Conduct of Meetings and Chapter Program teams competed in the NE Sub-District Contests held on February 9th, at Iowa Lakes Community College in Emmetsburg. 
Members of the Conduct of Meetings team included: BreLee Rasmussen, Chloe Hustedt, Abby Woodall, Austin Negus, Will Stout, John Puhrmann, and Whyatt Ackerman. Teams involved in this contest performed the opening ceremonies of an FFA meeting, demonstrated two parliamentary procedure abilities, and closed the meeting with the official FFA closing ceremonies.. After the meeting demonstration, members were also required to answer five questions about the FFA organization. Contestant Austin Negus stated, “ To prepare for the contest, we went to North Campus during Discovery time to practice. I was a little nervous for the contest, but I think we as a team did very well.”   The Conduct of Meetings team earned a Gold rating, placed third, and was named the alternate to the district contest.
The Chapter Program team included Brett Evans, Bode Bailey, and Ethan Schwarz. This group put together a powerpoint of what the chapter has done throughout the course of the previous year. Brett Evens stated, “ To get ready for the contest, each day we updated the pictures on the powerpoint. We also read through our lines a lot to memorize them for the contest.”  The Chapter Program team earned a Silver rating.
South O’Brien FFA Advisor, Eric Kumm, noted that, “These two teams really did a fantastic job in their presentations.  These events are a great way for young adults to gain skills in leadership, teamwork, and professionalism.”