A dozen Kingfisher High School seniors will add their names to the list of State FFA Degree recipients this year.

The Oklahoma FFA Association recently announced 826 seniors earned their degree this year.

Kingfisher’s 12 recipients is the most of any program.

“This year’s senior class is really strong,” said Kingfisher FFA co-Adviser Megan Thormodsgard. “We are very proud to have had so many work to meet these qualifications over the past 4-5 years as well as completing the application process.”

Earning their State FFA Degrees are Tyler Cowdery, Kyle Fahlenkamp, Victoria Gerken, Max Hartman, Thomas Himes, Kaci Jackson, Kaden Mueggenborg, Elizabeth Perdue, Noah Shepard, Jentry Squires, Catherine Stangl and Harrison Themer.

Recipients were set to receive their degrees April 29 at the 94th State FFA Convention in Oklahoma City, but that event was canceled due to COVID-19.

There are more than a dozen minimum qualifications to earn the State FFA Degree, which include:

• Received the Chapter FFA Degree;

• Must have been an active member for at least two years at time of receiving State FFA Degree;

• Must have completed at least two years of agriculture education at or above the ninth grade level;

• Must have a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) earning of at least $2,000 net profit as well as other requirements regarding that SAE;

• Demonstrate leadership ability by competing in a minimum number of livestock show activities, career development events or leadership camps or activities;

• Have three letters of recommendation;

• Submit an Official FFA Scrapbook or Official FFA Portfolio;

• Participate in at least 25 hours within at least two different community service activities.

“Earning the State FFA Degree is not something you can pull together at the last minute or even the last year of FFA,” Thormodsgard said. “Students earning this degree have been actively involved in their chapter, SAE and their community for the past four to five years depending if they were in ag their eighth grade year or not.”

On top of earning the state degree, Squires and Themer will also be recipients of the Academic Excellence Award.

They had to submit supplemental applications that included their transcripts, ACT scores and other information that was certified by their high school counselor.

“It’s pretty uncommon to have two winners in the same year, but both of them are obviously outstanding,” Thormodsgard said.

The Kingfisher chapter also has two Proficiency Award finalists, meaning they were among the topthree in their respective areas in the state.

Gerken is a finalist in Diversified Agriculture Proficiency and junior Braden Burns in Sheep Production Proficiency.

The winners in each proficiency area will be announced virtually May 12.

Squires was also recently named the Northwest Area Agriscience Star and is competing on the state level this week.

Winners of that competition will also be announced May 12.