East Hampton Agriculture Students Win National Bronze Medal

MIDDLETOWN – Two area youth, Nathaniel Trojanoski and Kacey Reinholtz, represented the state of Connecticut in the 2012 National FFA Livestock Evaluation Career Development Event held October 23-26 in Indianapolis, IN.   The students earned individual and team bronze medals.  Trojanoski, son of Richard and Alison Trojanoski of East Hampton, is currently a senior in the Middletown Agriculture Science and Technology program located at Middletown High School.  Reinholtz, a 2012 graduate of the Middletown Agriculture Science and Technology program, is currently attending Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, PA studying Animal Science.  Reinholtz is the daughter of George and Kathy Reinholtz of East Hampton, CT. 

            The pair were accompanied by teammates, junior Jaimie Simmons and 2012 graduate Casey Nielsen, both of Middletown.  The team was coached by agriculture teacher Amanda Thomson, of Colchester. The National FFA Livestock CDE is a competitive event that tests the student's ability to select and evaluate livestock. Event components include eight evaluation classes of beef, sheep, swine, and goats; oral placement reasons on four classes; and a written exam on livestock production. A team

activity, utilizing reproductive and marketing information, demonstrates the teams’ livestock selection ability. The team qualified for the privilege of representing CT at the National FFA Convention by winning the state contest held at UCONN last fall.

All students are members of the Mattabeset FFA Chapter, the youth leadership organization associated with the Middletown Agriculture Science and Technology program based at Middletown High School. The Middletown Regional Agriculture Science & Technology Program is available to high school students from Chester, Clinton, Clinton, Deep River, Durham, East Hampton, Essex, Guilford, Haddam, Killingworth, Madison, Middlefield, Middletown, Portland, Rocky Hill, Old Saybrook and Westbrook.  The National FFA Organization is the nation’s leading agricultural youth leadership organization with over 7,000 FFA chapters in the United States, serving 540,379 FFA members.  For further information about the program, please call (860) 704-4599 or on the web at www.middletownschools.org .