FFA Students Find Success at Nationals

Four members of the Nooksack Valley High School FFA team competed at the National FFA Livestock Judging competition in Indianapolis last week, resulting in “an amazing job,” according to Rhonda Juergens, FFA advisor. 
 
The team of Avery Juergens, Jaclyn Newhouse, Will Lowe and Braden Kooiman earned designation as a silver division team, which Rhonda Juergens calls “a huge accomplishment since this is their first year judging together as a team.” The team was coached by Whitnee Denson and Trent Van Dyken. 
 
Kooiman placed 10th individually in the sheep/goat judging and received a gold emblem. Lowe, Newhouse and Avery Juergens all received silver emblems, with Avery Juergens placing in the top 60 individually. In the beef division, the team finished No. 14, good enough for 21st overall in the nation.
 
“This is the first national team Nooksack Valley has had,” Rhonda Juergens says. “This is a huge accomplishment for a young team consisting of a sophomore and three juniors.”