Three Crandall High School FFA Students Win District Titles, Advance to Area Competition

Three Crandall High School FFA students captured first-place finishes at the District 1 Leadership Development Event (LDE) contest on Monday, Nov. 9, at Royse City High School, earning spots at the upcoming Area competition.

Guided by Crandall High School Agriculture and Animal Science teacher Courtney Murphey, the students claimed top honors across three Creed Speaking divisions:

• Ciara Negron Pagan – 1st Place, Senior FFA Spanish Creed Speaking
• Jessi Pearson – 1st Place, Senior FFA Creed Speaking (open to returning FFA members)
• Katherina Hernandez Garcia – 1st Place, Greenhand FFA Spanish Creed Speaking (open to first-year FFA members)

In Creed Speaking events, competitors must recite the FFA Creed from memory and answer impromptu questions from a panel of judges about its meaning and how its principles apply to their lives and the agriculture industry.

More broadly, FFA Leadership Development Events challenge students to develop practical public speaking, critical-thinking, professionalism, and decision-making skills through individual and team competitions – ranging from agricultural issues debates and mock business meetings to prepared speeches.

By winning at the district level, Negron Pagan, Pearson, and Hernandez Garcia advance to the Area contest at East Texas A&M University, where they will compete against top qualifiers from across the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Top finishers at Area will earn a berth to the Texas FFA State LDE Contest at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville.