The 2024-25 Bourbon County FFA Officer Team presents the honorary membership plaques.
Each year when the Bourbon County FFA Chapter banquet comes around, it is up to the officer team to choose who will receive honorary membership. According to the National FFA Organization, “Individuals eligible for honorary membership include farmers, school superintendents, principals, members of school boards, chapter advisors, agricultural education teachers and staff, business people and anyone else who is helping to advance agricultural education and the FFA.”
Bourbon County FFA chose to give this award to recognize individuals throughout the community who have shown continued support for the chapter throughout the years. This year, the chapter recognized two people who are very supportive of the chapter and the school’s agriculture department.
The first is Cheryl Conley. Conley is a math teacher at Bourbon County High School, president of the Bourbon County FFA Alumni, and mother to chapter member and officer Grace Conley. Not having been a member of the FFA herself, Conley reluctantly joined the alumni chapter when her daughter asked her if she was interested. Throughout her time in the chapter, Conley has gone from a supportive parent to serving as secretary and now president.
Furthermore, Conley has given speeches at multiple chapter banquets as well as Greenhand and Chapter FFA Degree ceremonies, and can be found helping organize events such as the Bourbon County FFA Alumni Vendor Fair. She is always promoting the alumni chapter and encouraging other parents to attend a meeting, even if they weren’t involved in FFA themselves. She has also become a friendly face and supportive figure for the agriculture students at Bourbon County High School. Whether a student needs words of encouragement or a letter of recommendation, Conley is always willing to support her students and help them succeed.
An example of an honorary membership plaque awarded by the Bourbon County FFA Chapter.
The second person the chapter chose to recognize is Joe Hendricks. Hendricks has been involved in agriculture throughout his entire life, and is now a substitute teacher at Bourbon County High School. He can most often be found subbing for one of the three agriculture teachers, which allows all three chapter advisors to support members at competitions and conferences throughout the school year. He has also built relationships with many agriculture students, which has led him to become a popular substitute teacher. He has truly become a welcomed and familiar face in the Bourbon County High School Agriculture Department.
Every year at the chapter banquet, it is important to not only recognize the hard work of the members and support from the sponsors, but also those in the community who show support to the chapter and its members. Thank you to all of the advisors, teachers, parents and community members who support a chapter. Your dedication to the program and its members help drive them toward success.
