Jefferson County Schools FFA students had a strong showing at the 97th Annual West Virginia State FFA Convention, held July 8–12 at Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Ripley. Members from middle and high school FFA chapters across the district took part in leadership workshops, competitions, and service projects—and came home with top awards and new honors.
Both Jefferson and Washington FFA earned the Superior Chapter Award and were recognized as Gold Emblem chapters, placing them among the top nine FFA chapters in West Virginia. As a result, both chapters will represent the state this fall in the National Chapter Award Program at the National FFA Convention.
JCS FFA students earned awards, leadership positions, and special honors across multiple areas:
Charles Town Middle School
CTMS students Annabelle Bethke and Ryder Stolipher earned 1st place in the Quiz Bowl.
Piper Stolipher placed 4th in the Middle School Tractor Driving Contest, and Ryder Stolipher placed 9th. Piper was also named State Champion in the Middle School Prepared Public Speaking event for her speech on vanishing farmland in Jefferson County.
Harpers Ferry Middle School
The HFMS team placed 3rd in the Middle School Scrapbook contest and 5th in the Conduct of Chapter Meetings. The team included Cali Raley, Abigail Daniel, Julie Athey, Ella Hillman, Sophie Sepulveda, Audrey Milner, and Sadie Ward.
Jefferson High School
JHS placed 4th in the Parliamentary Procedure event with a team that included Abigail Blue, Morgan Grove, Grace Ott, Hailey Owens, Hannah Storey, and Jess Toms.
Grace Ott placed 2nd in the Employment Skills Leadership Development Event and was elected to serve as the 2025-2026 Central Region West Virginia FFA Vice-President At-large. “Being elected to state office is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she said. "I can’t wait to serve the great state of West Virginia and give back to the organization that has given so much to me.”
Briley Bauer and Garrett Glassford received their State FFA Degree, the highest honor a state FFA association can bestow on its members.
Lastly, Collin Engle performed on the saxophone in the State FFA Band.
Washington High School
The WHS Land Judging and Homesite Evaluation team placed first at regionals and qualified for the state contest. Team members included Hunter Braithwaite, Sean Burton, Kohlton Dailey, and Mason Friend.
National Honors
Additionally, JHS student Hayden Jeffries and WHS student Lexi Masters were named American FFA Degree candidates, the highest honor awarded by the National FFA Organization. They will officially receive their degree at the National FFA Convention in October.
"Jefferson County should be extremely proud of the young people who are FFA members here,” said Katlin Grantham, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at Washington High School. “Their success is the result of hard work, commitment, and strong community support.”
“I am so proud of all of our members,” added Kristin Friend, agriculture teacher and advisor at Charles Town Middle. “They’ve represented Jefferson County Schools very well this week.”
For additional photos from the 97th Annual West Virginia State FFA Convention, visit the JCS Facebook page!