Kyra Bandy, an FFA member from the Orlando-Colonial HS Future Farmers of America, is one of four national finalists in the FFA Small Animal Production and Care Proficiency Award area. With a national FFA membership of over 735,000 members across the country, being selected as one of the four finalists is a great honor.
Bandy’s small animal production and care supervised agriculture experience project involves the care, breeding and raising of reptiles, including the crested geckos and Hainan cave geckos. Her responsibilities include feeding, cleaning and upkeep of the appropriate habitats as well as providing proper care for the gecko hatchlings. Some of these duties also include breeding insects to provide proper food to both the hatchling and adult geckos. Through this project, Bandy has expanded her knowledge of reptiles, geckos in particular, and this project based learning has opened the doors to potential career opportunities.
In October, Bandy will attend the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, representing all of Florida, to compete against the other three national finalists for the top honor in this award area. She will present her project to a panel of judges and answer questions pertaining to her project.
In addition to this honor, three OCPS FFA Chapters will represent Florida in a National FFA Career Development Event: Timber Creek HS FFA (Veterinary Science CDE), West Orange HS FFA (Floriculture CDE), Orlando-Colonial HS FFA (Livestock Evaluation CDE); and two OCPS FFA Chapters have been selected for a national FFA chapter award ranking: Apopka HS FFA (national 3-star ranking) and Orlando-Colonial HS FFA (national 3-star ranking).