Stanley FFA Hosts Annual Banquet
By Erika Littlefield, MCP Intern
The Stanley FFA Chapter held its annual banquet on Thursday, March 27, at the Mountrail County South Complex. This event serves as a way to recognize the hard work and accomplishments of FFA members over the past year. The evening featured a guest speaker from the state FFA officer team, keynote speaker John Miller, and the highly anticipated Cake Wars auction.
Chapter officers opened the evening with the traditional ceremony, followed by a welcome from Chapter President Tylie Johnson. Landon Hunting led a table prayer before dinner was served, which included hams cured by the Ag 2 class.
Bailey Urlacher, North Dakota State FFA Vice President, was a special guest at the banquet. She congratulated Stanley FFA members on their dedication and shared an inspiring message about living in the present. “There is nothing more important than what you are doing right now,” she said, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the present instead of worrying about the past or future.
The keynote speaker for the evening was John Miller, a lifelong beekeeper whose family has been involved in agriculture for over 130 years. Founder of Honey Stinger, Miller shared the history of his family’s beekeeping legacy, tracing back generations. “My grandfather was in it, my dad, me, my son, and now my grandson as well,” he said. He also discussed the lessons he’s learned in agriculture and entrepreneurship, leaving the audience with a powerful closing statement: “Before you decide what this thing you are going to do, find out what it’s not going to do.”
The evening continued with the presentation of degree awards. This year, 25 Greenhand Degrees and 21 Chapter Degrees were awarded, along with the recognition of twelve Ag 3 students and numerous members who competed in various events throughout the year.
The prestigious Honorary Chapter Degree was awarded to Beth Wilhelmi for her outstanding contributions to agricultural education and continuous support of the FFA organization.
The banquet also recognized the graduating seniors for their dedication to the program: William Nelson, Kade Snyder, Trey Bohmbach, Halle Larson, Jordan Skaar, Trenedi Barstad, Richard Moreno, Sereiba Gauthier, Aubrey Jordan, Casyn Bieri, Harley DeTienne, Ella Mortensen, Avery Ellis, Logan Neset, Katie Roise, Madilyn Hunting, Jack Evans, Griffin Wilhelmi, Jonathan Chavez and Cody Newell.
Bailey Hawbaker and Rivers Bachman then presented the Outstanding Member Awards to one student in each grade level:
• Discovery: Trinity Hynek
• Freshman: Landon Goettle
• Sophomore: Rebecca Littlefield
• Junior: Drew Pennington and Tylie Johnson
• Senior: Madilyn Hunting
Hawbaker also recognized her officer team, presenting plaques and graduation cords to the senior officers.
The banquet wrapped up with the Cake Wars auction, featuring cakes designed and baked by FFA member Natalia Rodriguez. John Woodbury led the auction of two standout cakes: a corn cake made of cupcakes and a John Deere-themed cake. The event concluded with the announcement of silent auction winners, followed by closing ceremonies.
This year’s FFA banquet was a celebration of dedication, leadership, and community support, showcasing the impact of agricultural education and the strong bond within the Stanley FFA Chapter.