School District Five FFA Chapter earns Silver at 98th National FFA Convention & Expo

For Immediate Release – November 4, 2025

School District Five FFA Chapter earns Silver at 98^th National FFA Convention & Expo

IRMO – Lexington-Richland 5 FFA Chapter members traveled to the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, IN, from October 28th - November 1st to compete in the National FFA Veterinary Science Career Development Event.

The Lexington-Richland 5 FFA, representing South Carolina, earned silver, placing 16th in the competition overall. Forty-five teams comprised of 180 individual competitors from across the United States participated in the event.

Team members included Sydney Brunson (Chapin High), Jay Caldwell (Spring Hill High), Alex Coogler (Spring Hill High), and Liv Dandridge (Spring Hill High). These students are graduates of the Veterinary Science & Technology program at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies and are currently enrolled at Piedmont Technical College pursuing a degree in Veterinary Technology.  Additionally, Liv Dandridge was recognized as a gold individual, placing within the top 15% of competitors. Alex Coogler, Sydney Brunson, and Jay Caldwell received silver honors. 

“These students dedicated countless hours outside of the school day and over the summer to prepare for this event,” FFA Chapter Advisor Jessica Hidalgo said. “Their dedication and drive resulted in a great showing for our chapter, school, district, and state on the national level. I could not be prouder of this team, and I look forward to seeing all of their future success.”

Career Development Events (CDEs) are industry-related competitive events that challenge FFA members to utilize critical thinking skills and effective decision-making skills, foster teamwork, and promote communication while recognizing the value of ethical competition and individual achievement. The Veterinary Science CDE requires participants to demonstrate their technical proficiency with small and large animals by completing a written exam, solving critical-thinking scenario questions, identification, and hands-on practicums. At the national event, competitors were presented with two case-based scenarios focused on shelter medicine and Influenza in livestock. Students individually worked through each case and then presented their findings as a team to a panel of judges.

The National FFA Organization has a growing membership of over 850,000 active FFA members. FFA is an intracurricular student organization that helps students develop leadership, demonstrate personal growth, and achieve career success. Members have the opportunity to apply practical classroom knowledge to real-world experiences through local, state and national competitions. For more information about the National FFA Organization, visit https://www.ffa.org/.

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