Oregon FFA CEO Phil Ward congratulates the new crop of state officers for the organization on Sunday, March 24.

REDMOND — The main lights went dark in the First Interstate Bank Center in Redmond and spotlights traced through the crowd clad in blue jackets.

“Sirius” by the Alan Parsons Project — the iconic music used to announce the starting five for Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls — pumped through the sound system, its riff repeating, the anticipation building.

And then a winner was declared to cheers, hugs and a few tears.

The Oregon FFA 2024 state convention wasn’t short on spectacle as delegates voted in a new crop of state officers the morning of Sunday, March 24.

On the 2024-25 Oregon FFA state officer team are President Dale Nelzen, of Molalla; Vice President Spencer Romans, of Nyssa; Secretary Hunter Bingham, of North Powder; Treasurer Vivian Seaholm, of Tillamook; Recorder Julie Amos, of Camas Valley; and Sentinel Taft Rice, of Madras.

Oregon FFA CEO Phil Ward congratulated the new faces of the organization in a private meeting.

“Now it’s not about you anymore. It’s about those 16,500 members around the state. … It’s a big responsibility,” he said.

The high school seniors expressed sympathy for those who took a risk, put themselves forward and weren’t elected. Winners were chosen from a pool of 10 finalists. Officers also were somewhat shocked by their good fortune.

“Give me two to four business days and I’ll try to comprehend what happened,” Nelzen quipped.

“I’m so happy for this opportunity,” Romans said.

Nelzen said he hadn’t been sure he wanted to join the organization until the end of his freshman year. He determined he wanted to be an officer last summer and started reaching out to past officers for guidance.

Romans had known he wanted to be an officer since seventh grade, when he went to the state convention with his older brother. He said he tried to become the best version of himself and get closer to God since he set his goal.

Amos said being elected an officer was surreal, in part because she joined FFA as a sophomore when Camas Valley added its chapter.

Oregon FFA officers will take a gap year and work together, traveling around the state for 265 days of the year to the 120 schools with an FFA chapter.

By being elected, the teens become role models and something akin to celebrities for FFA members throughout Oregon.

REDMOND — Julia Scolari said Coquille used to have an FFA chapter until the 1980s, when it fell victim to budget cuts.

“I’m teaching in the same high school I graduated from. It was an opportunity I never got,” Scolari said.

The program returned this year, however, thanks to a push from the community and the district’s new superintendent.

“Students were beyond excited. They thought there was something missing from their education,” said Scolari, an ag teacher and FFA adviser.

Coquille and four other new chapters — Alsea, Condon, Creswell and Helix — were welcomed into the Oregon FFA during the organization’s 96th annual convention the weekend of March 23 in Redmond.

Oregon FFA CEO Phil Ward said the five new chapters are more than has been chartered in recent years.

“It’s an indicator there’s a lot of demand for high school ag programs in the state,” Ward said.

And he expects the organization, which now stands at about 120 chapters, to continue to grow in the coming years.

Oregon has a record 16,600 FFA members, a 55% increase since 2019. Ward said he expected membership to increase to nearly 17,000 for the official count at the end of the school year.

Ward said there’s been a renewed emphasis and investment on career technical education in Oregon, and students who take CTE courses have higher graduation rates.

“I think there’s a really strong future ahead for these types of programs in Oregon,” Ward added.

Helix Charter School ag instructor and FFA adviser Cassie Castle said it was important to bring FFA back to the Umatilla County town because agriculture is so important there.

“The community wants ag, and the kids want ag, too,” added the first-year teacher. She said the impact was immense, with students loving hands-on learning.

Patrick Doyle, Creswell High School teacher and FFA adviser, said there was plenty of interest from students to start a chapter, so he got an ag teaching endorsement.

Doyle sees the benefits of the organization. “It creates a culture, a culture of belonging. Kids that might not have a connect through other aspects can thrive in FFA,” he said.

Isabel Machado, a Creswell freshman, said FFA is fun and it feels like being part of a family. “Part of a school-family kind of thing,” she clarified.

Angelina Bunch, a Coquille High School freshman, wants to become a veterinarian, and said FFA will help her pursue her career.

Classmate Hudson Fisher joined FFA for other aspects. “We live in a rural town, so I feel like it helps you friendship-wise,” said Fisher, who lives in Myrtle Point.

Colter Raymond, a sophomore in Helix, said almost all the high school students there participate in FFA, even though it’s new.

Ethan Reeder, president of Helix FFA, said he joined to get more social and leadership skills, and he may go into agribusiness.

Classmate Cameron Weidert of Pendleton has a precise focus for his ag learning — his family farms about 1,500 acres of wheat, and he said he hopes to take charge of the operation one day.