HOWARD — Nine members of the East Knox FFA recently competed in the District 7 FFA Food Science Career Development Event held at Centerburg High School before Christmas break on Dec. 11 where they finished first place out of seven teams.
Team members were Mackenzie Wilson, Dylan Springer, Aiden Kapper, Hayden Baker, Hayden Garman, Wyatt Baker, A.J. Salmons, John Schillinger, and Braydon Moran.
The top four individual scores from each FFA make up the team score and the top two teams in the District advance to the state competition on Jan. 25 at The Ohio State University.
District 7, which consists of Knox, Licking, Franklin, Fairfield, Pickaway and Ross counties has 30 schools with FFA chapters.
Individually, Mackenzie Wilson placed second, Dylan Springer finished third, Aiden Kapper was fourth, and Hayden Baker finished 14th out of 60 contestants. These four East Knox FFA members will comprise the State team that will compete on Jan. 25.
In the contest, team members complete an online test on the basic principles of food science and technology, find correct responses to customer problems, identify food safety and sanitation problems by finding violations to good manufacturing practices (GMPs), identify equipment used in food processing, complete math practicum problems, and complete sensory evaluations by doing taste tests and aroma identifications.
The purpose of the Food Science Career Development Event is to stimulate learning activities in food science and technology related to the food industry and to assist students in developing a good working knowledge of sound principles used in a team decision-making process.