A Sherrard High School senior achieved the nation’s highest individual honor in Environmental Natural Resource Systems at the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis last week.
Will Ahrens earned a Gold rating and placed as the number one overall individual after practical skill performance activities, while competing against other state champions from around the country.
Ahrens’ individual victory capped off a successful national run for the Sherrard Ag Mechanics Team, which earned a National Silver Team Ranking while representing the state of Illinois against forty-six competing state teams.
The team’s journey to the national stage began by winning their regional section contest April 17 and advancing to the Illinois State Ag Mechanics Competition. In May, they faced the top twenty-five teams in Illinois, where Sherrard earned second place overall. When the first-place Illinois team (Newton) was unable to attend the national event, Sherrard stepped in as the official state representative at the national convention.
Ahrens spoke with WRMJ on Monday.
The Sherrard High School Spotlight is presented by COUNTRY Financial representative John Waugh and Weihler Wellness Chiropractic.