Trending
ELKINS -- The Randolph County Commission approved a funding request that will help send three Tygarts Valley High School students to Texas for the FFA Wildlife Habitat Education National Contest.
TVHS freshmen Thomas Mathes, Chase Bell and Avery Tallman recently won the State Wildlife competition. With the triumph, the students advanced to the national contest, which will be held July 28 through July 31 in Brownwood, Texas.
It marks the first time any students from Tygarts Valley has advanced to the national contest since 2017, when the FFA Wildlife and Habitat Team traveled to Georgia for the event.
Mill Creek resident Harvey Taylor and Tygarts Valley Agriculture FFA Advisor Lee Wright spoke before Commissioners David Kesling and Chris See at the meeting. Taylor talked first about how the students needed funding in order to make the trip.
"We have three freshmen who are going to represent Tygarts Valley High School, Randolph County and the state of West Virginia in the nationals," said Taylor. "They are going to need between $5,000 and $6,500 for this trip, because of the cost of fuel, motels and everything else needed. I would like for you guys to really show support for these kids."
Wright spoke after Taylor, and after introducing the three students to the commissioners, talked about the national contest.
"This contest is a Wildlife Habitat competition and there are three components to it," said Wright. "There's wildlife identification and a wildlife management component where they look at students' management techniques… And the final component of it is the students are given an area and they have to write a wildlife management plan… This is an individual and team competition where they are judged as a team and individually."
Wright told the commissioners that the Randolph County Board of Education was providing transportation to Texas, and that he and the students and one female chaperon would be driving there and back.
"I think we figured it's going to take us about three days to make the trip," said Wright. "The competition is in a different state every year and it was just in Canaan Valley three years ago."
Both commissioners said they wanted to help fund the trip for the students and agreed to provide $1,500. The money will be taken from the county's courthouse contractual budget line item.
"We helped out girls state and boys state this year and we would be happy to help you out as well," Kesling told Wright. "We gave $350 per student for boys and girls state, but with this being nationals, we are going to give you $500 per student to help you out."
"This is a big honor for these kids to go to this competition," said See. "We know they will go to Texas and represent the county and state very well."
Chad Riley from the Thrasher Group attended the meeting and said his organization would also help the students out with a $1,000 donation.
"Commissioners, the Thrasher Group would be happy to help these students as well," said Riley. "Just hearing this has been an inspiration and we would like to give them $1,000."
For more information on how to donate to the students trip, contact Tygarts Valley High School at 304-335-4575.