Central 301 Honors FFA National Champion Samantha Alvarez

Central High School students return home as a Model of Excellence winner in the United States

BURLINGTON, IL – Central Community Unit School District 301 is proud to honor Samantha Alvarez for her 2022 National Championship award with the National FFA Organization. Also, the Central Burlington FFA chapter was honored as a Model of Excellence winner during the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo held in Indianapolis this past weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium. 

Alvarez has taken advantage of Central High School’s award-winning Veterinary Science program, the only one of its kind in the state of Illinois that takes a hands-on, creative and innovative approach in secondary education. It was this program that helped propel her to become Central High School’s first-ever National Winner at the FFA Agriscience Fair. More than 700 projects were submitted and Alvarez outlasted 25 other state winners in order to win the competition.

“Samantha has been determined to achieve great things from the first day that she has been a part of our regional FFA program,” said Ryan Robinson, FFA Advisor at Central High School. “Her commitment to excellence allowed her to persevere through any setbacks that she encountered and paid off for her in the end, as she never lost sight of her goal.”

“With her being our school’s first ever national winner, I couldn’t be more proud of her with what she has accomplished for herself.

Meanwhile, the Central Burlington FFA was named as a Top 3 Chapter in the United States. Across America, 650 chapters applied for this honor. Only ten (10) high school chapters across America are chosen as Model of Excellence chapters. Criteria for the National FFA Model of Excellence chapters include exhibiting exemplary qualities in all categories of growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture. The Central chapter was among those 10 finalists invited to compete on the Finals Hall stage in front of more than 15,000 people at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis this past weekend.

The National Chapter Award Program is designed to recognize FFA chapters that actively implement the mission and strategies of the organization. Chapters are rewarded for providing educational experiences for the entire membership.

“This is a tremendous honor for students and staff at Central 301,” said Dr. Todd Stirn, Superintendent of Schools. “We take a lot of pride in our career technical programs at Central High School and this finish at the FFA Convention shows the hard work and passion that our students and staff put into it.”

Source/Media Release by Central Unit School District 301