From left, Maggie Baldwin, Adalyn Eichmiller, Maddie Hansell, Katelynn Valandingham, Kaylie McCutcheon, Leia Barnett and Gracie Hartline are part of the Waterford FFA Parliamentary Procedure Team. (Photo provided)

WATERFORD – The Waterford FFA Chapter’s Advanced Parliamentary Procedure Team capped a strong competition season with a top-five finish at the state level after advancing through district and state preliminary contests earlier this month.

The team placed first at the district contest held at Waterford High School, earning a berth in the Ohio FFA Advanced Parliamentary Procedure State Contest for the 20th time in the past 24 years.

State preliminaries were held Dec. 13 at the Delaware Area Career Center, where approximately 100 teams from across Ohio competed. Twenty teams advanced to the state contest. During preliminaries, teams were divided into five heats of four teams each, with only the top team from each heat moving on to the finals.

Waterford placed first in its heat, advancing to the finals, which were held Saturday, Dec. 20, at the Ohio FFA Center in Columbus. The team finished fourth overall in the state, marking the 12th time in 24 years the Waterford program has placed in the top five at the state contest.

The Advanced Parliamentary Procedure competition focuses on students’ ability to conduct an organized meeting using Robert’s Rules of Order.