Parke Heritage High School
Parke Heritage FFA members participated in the Area V Livestock Skillathon contest on Tuesday, September 10.
Members took an industry quiz, a quality assurance exam, identified breeds of livestock, feedstuffs, livestock equipment and cuts of meat during this contest.
In the senior division which consisted of 35 teams, Treyton Burgess, Stormi Swaim, Sarah Thom and Hayden Holcomb finished as the Third High Team FFA Division, Fourth High Team Overall and qualified for state. Individual results were Treyton- third high; Lane Helderman - 11th high; Stormi Swaim- 13th high and Sarah Thom- 14th high. Other team members were Klayton Burgess, Noelle Blake, Kenleigh Berry, Bradley McElheney, Whitney Swaim, Emmylou Rader, Raegan Ramsay, and Lydia Jeffries.
In the junior division there were 21 teams. The team consisting of Kennedy Mitchell, Cohen Berry, Hadley Grubbs, and Julia Helderman placed third overall. The team consisting of Eli Seay, Max Jeffries, MaKenna Mager, and Emma Pezan placed fourth overall.
Out of 70 individuals, FFA members who placed in the top overall individual category were Eli Seay who placed third overall; Kennedy Mitchell, seventh; Cohen Berry, twelfth; and Hadley Grubbs fifteenth overall.
Parke Heritage Middle School
Every week, students from Parke Heritage Middle School dedicate their time to volunteer at the Parke County Food Pantry and the Sugar Creek Resource Center. As part of their commitment to community service, PHMS students participated in the Students Feeding Families program during the week of September 9.
Students Feeding Families is a statewide service-learning partnership between Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, its member food banks, and professional education associations to help ensure no family experiences hunger this school year.
Despite the hard work of many families to provide for their loved ones, food insecurity remains a significant issue, affecting one in seven Hoosiers in every community. Through their volunteer work, PHMS students play a role in supporting the efforts to alleviate hunger in Parke County. Each week, students from a different first period class assist at the Parke County Food Pantry with Ashley Dooley. Students in Natalie Newnum’s resource also volunteer at Sugar Creek Resource Center on Thursday afternoons.
The students’ contributions are highly valued by the staff at both food pantries. Their dedication not only provides much-needed assistance but also fosters a sense of pride among the volunteers, knowing they are making a tangible difference in addressing food insecurity within their community.
