To participate in any Ag contests, students must be members of the local FFA Chapter. The team contests available to FFA members are livestock judging, farm management, meats, FFA Creed speaking and other speaking events on various topics. The teams and individuals meet with the FFA advisor, Mr. Kuster, and study the material covered by the contests. The Ag department also competes in county, district, and state fairs in crops and mechanics.
ACADEMIC CONTESTS
Ag Contests
Art Contests
District Art Contest: To attend Art Contest at UCM in the spring, students must be a junior or senior enrolled in an Art Class. There are a variety of studio categories from which to choose.
CAC Art Show/PGHS Art Show: Middle School and High School Art students participate in two art shows each year. The Cooper County Activities Association holds a judged show at the end of January in conjunction with the CCAA Basketball tournament. Fifteen pieces are entered from each school with awards presented in various media in both Junior and Senior High divisions. Each spring all students are required to show pieces of their work in a school-wide show.
FBLA Contests
To participate in FBLA contests, students must be members of the local FBLA Chapter. Individual and team events are available in which members can compete. The teams and individuals meet with the FBLA advisor, Mrs. Munden to study the material covered by the contests.
FCCLA Contests
To participate in FCCLA contests, students must be members of the local FCCLA Chapter. Individual and team events are available in which members can compete. The teams and individuals meet with the FCCLA advisor, Mrs. Nave, and study the material covered by the contests.
Music Contests
Music students participate in conference, district, and state music contests. Band students, choral students, and Select Choir members are eligible to participate in these contests. There are both individual and group events. Students meet with the music instructor, Mrs. Shroyer, to practice for these contests.
Academic Team
The Academic Team was started in 1991. The team members volunteer to be on the team, but if more than eight people volunteer, an elimination process may take place. We practice Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 7:00 a.m. for academic matches.
At our academic matches, we compete against other schools and demonstrate the skills we have learned from our practice. Our sponsor makes sure we have excellent doughnuts so we won’t be hungry after our morning practices. It’s a lot of hard work, but the practices and matches are fun. Also, the information learned at morning practices comes in handy for schoolwork.
Band
High school band counts as a fine art credit. This year’s band has been really fun. We have approximately fifty members consisting of middle school and high school students. Being a member of band does not just mean attending class every day. We participate in many activities including: band clinic, band contest, Christmas program, and spring concert. Other activities this year include playing at ball games and pep assemblies.
Lettering: Band members receive points for every band activity attended. The points are totaled at the end of the year. If a member has enough points, he/she letters in band. Lettering is not difficult as long as one attends all of the activities.
The Grading System: The grading procedure in Band consists of class participation, performances, and quizzes. Band is enjoyable, but it is also a lot of work. We would love to have new members.