Read Mountain FFA

08/26/2026

RMMS has a lot planned for August 31!

Students interested in learning more about FFA this year should plan to attend the Ice Cream Social after school until 5pm!

Parents with students interested in FFA opportunities for this school year should plan to be at the parent meeting at 5:15 in the forum.

If a student plans to participate in any FFA contests, the student and parent need to have attended a county Random Drug Testing Policy Meeting before participating in a contest. The last meeting for the fall will be at LBHS on August 31st at 6:00 pm.

**repost because times were wrong on the original**

07/21/2026

Just a reminder that if you plan to participate in any FFA Contests during this next school year, you must attend one of these meetings! 💙💛

07/10/2026

This past week, 5 of our members attended the 2026 Virginia FFA Leadership Camp at Graves Mountain Lodge! We spent the week with James River FFA Chapter and Lord Botetourt FFA, as well as many other FFA members from across the state!

Members participated in interest classes, developed leadership skills, completed a meal packing service project, made lasting friendships, and represented Botetourt County and our school in a positive light!

Gavin was elected as President of the Junior Camp Officer Team! He also received a leadership award for his small group!

Julia placed first in the FFA Creed Contest!

Aleigh competed in Quiz Bowl with three other members from her small group and their team placed first!

Evelyn helped present opening ceremonies before a meal!

Matthew helped with a morning Flag Ceremony!

This morning, our school was awarded with the Spirit Stick in honor of their participation and enthusiasm all week! (If you’re curious.. it’s a gold fishing rod that will be proudly displayed in Mrs. K’s classroom!)

Overall, it was a fantastic week filled with friends, food, fun, and reflection! 💙💛

06/12/2026

🎉💙💛 Big News from RMMS FFA! 💙💛🎉

We are thrilled to announce that we have been selected to participate in the 2026-2027 Chapter Connect Program through the National FFA Organization!

Only 32 chapters nationwide were chosen for this opportunity, and we are honored to be the only chapter representing Virginia.

As part of the program, each selected chapter is paired with a partner chapter from another region of the United States, creating meaningful opportunities for collaboration, learning, and connection. Our members will participate in virtual preparation sessions leading up to the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo, followed by a series of growth-focused activities during the convention itself. This year’s cohort will also develop a mutually beneficial project based on an identified need of each chapter pair.

We are also excited to share that our chapter has been awarded a $4,500 grant to help reduce the cost for students attending the National FFA Convention to allow us to fully participate in this incredible experience.

This opportunity will allow our members to expand their perspectives, build relationships with FFA members from across the country, and grow as leaders both inside and outside of the blue jacket.

Stay tuned for updates as we begin this exciting journey! 🌎✨

06/12/2026

This past week students traveled to Virginia Tech for the 100th Virginia FFA State Convention!

The week was filled with sessions, meeting new friends, and lots of contests!

While we are awaiting official placings for a few of our teams, here are the first glimpse results! We are so proud of the work they put in and how well they represented Read Mountain FFA and Botetourt County Public Schools!

Congratulations to all!!!

🌱 Plant Science - State Winning Team 🥇
Savannah - Blue Ribbon, 1st Place Individual
Julia - Blue Ribbon
Matthew - Blue Ribbon
Gryphon - Blue Ribbon

🔨 Ag Mechanics
Nick - Blue Ribbon
Aubrey - Red Ribbon
Aleigh - Yellow Ribbon
Gavin - Yellow Ribbon

🧀 Food and Fiber
Layla - Red Ribbon

🐇 Small Animal Care
Jamie - Red Ribbon

⏳Quiz Bowl
Gryphon - Yellow Ribbon
Layla - Red Ribbon
Julia - Red Ribbon
Savannah - Blue Ribbon, 2nd Place Written Exam

More photos of the week coming soon!

Huge shoutout to the Botetourt FFA & 4-H Alumni and Mountain Castles SWCD for their donations and support in helping get these students to convention!

06/04/2026

Please vote for our entry!

Our Ag Mechanics team worked hard to create something functional, practical, and beautiful for our school!

The Virginia Lumber Cup People's Choice Award voting begins tomorrow, June 3, at 6:00 AM and will remain open through June 17.

Students from across Virginia have transformed a bundle of hardwood sticks into impressive woodworking projects, and now it is your turn to help recognize their work.

All are welcome to participate and cast a vote for their favorite project.

Vote here:
https://www.theturmangroup.com/virginia-lumber-cup-voting/

Thank you to Virginia Farm Bureau Federation for partnering with us to help make the Virginia Lumber Cup possible.

05/12/2026

Back in February, we received about 2,000 sticks of Appalachian Hardwood Lumber from The Turman Group.

Our State Convention Ag Mechanics team put together a bench! These benches will be placed outside around the school, specifically near the library, for students and teachers to have a place to sit while outside.

Students developed the design, came up with the support system, measured, and put it all together in about 7 hours over the span of a week.

Some of the main skills they developed:
✅ Project design
✅Using power drills
✅Ensuring things are square and level
✅Testing & trying new ideas when things don’t go to plan

We are excited to build more of these benches over the coming months to put in our new outdoor library space! During judging we received more suggestions on how to improve our design so that these benches last for years to come!

Thank you to The Turman Group for the donation of lumber and The Virginia Farm Bureau for being judges for The Virginia Lumber Cup!

Winners will be announced May 22nd!

03/24/2026

Four of our members kicked off Spring Break by attending the Virginia FFA Horizon Conference! 🌅 This conference is a spring leadership conference hosted by Virginia FFA at the W.E. Skelton 4-H Center at Smith Mountain Lake.

During five sessions over the past 2 days, students have participated in a forward-focused leadership experience designed to help FFA members build confidence, character, and direction for what comes next!

Special thanks to Virginia FFA Staff, State Officers, and facilitators, Hunter & Emma, for creating a wonderful experience for all members!

03/13/2026

On Wednesday, we had 7 FFA members compete in Area Rally Contests!

Plant Science:
🥇 1st Place Team

Individual Ratings:
2nd Savannah Colleluori
3rd Matthew Barker
4th Gryphon Henderson
7th Layla Cook

Ag Mechanics:
🥇1st Place Individual - Nick Meyer

Creed Speaking:
🥈2nd Place - Julia Mosley

Small Animal Care:
9th Place Individual - Emma Willmott

Congratulations to all!!! ⭐️⭐️ We are so proud of you for your hard work and dedication!