Career, Technical and Agricultural Education department teacher and FFA adviser Levi Carr (second from right), FFA Vice President Quinn Pendley (third from right) and the CCHS agriculture team receive their awards at the 2023 State FFA beekeeping competition on Sept. 12. Pendley will attend the Wildlife Management Career Development Event (CDE) at Franklin County High School in Carnesville, Ga. on Nov. 14. “(Career Development Events) are really trying to prepare you (for that career). So if you’re gonna go into pond management, it’ll prepare you to learn about things that you might need for that career. To really do a CDE you have to understand how (the field) works.” Pendley said. Photo courtesy of Quinn Pendley
FFA Vice President Quinn Pendley, a sophomore, is participating in the Wildlife Management Career Development Event at Franklin County High School on Nov. 14.
FFA Vice President Quinn Pendley will be participating in the Wildlife Management Career Development Event on Nov. 14 at Franklin County High School in Carnesville, Ga. These events give students experiences with many different fields of agriculture.
Pendley will be competing in the aquatic management portion of the event. In the event, he will need to identify different types of fish and plants and know how to properly sustain a pond.
“I’m studying pond management. So what we do (to prepare) for that is there are a couple of manuals and handbooks that we’ve read, (and) you take notes on them, and then there are questions pulled out of that that you have to answer,” Pendley said.
While Pendley’s focus is on wildlife, this is only one career development event out of many, Career, Technical and Agriculture Education Director Tomas Ramirez believes that this variety of events are important for students.
“(CDE is) learning about what is it that you’re passionate about (within) agricultural science. Career development events are really just learning about different industries, different pathways, and (figuring out) what is the one that really matches what your interests are,” Ramirez said. “In agricultural science, there are so many opportunities and possibilities that there is definitely something for you.”
“(CDE is) learning about what is it that you’re passionate about (within) agricultural science. Career development events are really just learning about different industries, different pathways, and (figuring out) what is the one that really matches what your interests are. In agricultural science, there are so many opportunities and possibilities that there is definitely something for you.”
— Tomas Ramirez,
CTAE Director
Local-level career development events also provide opportunities for winners to move on to state and national levels to win various titles. Pendley is excited for the opportunity to participate in his event.
“If you win at the state level, you can go into nationals and it’s a lot of fun to get to win things with your knowledge,” Pendley said. “I feel like they’re a chance for people to really show what they know, (and) achieve things.”