Wellsville-Middletown senior Bethany Slovensky placed second in the Missouri Forest Products Association FFA Public Speaking Contest on Jan. 9 at a winter meeting in Jefferson City.

The speaking contest was open to all Missouri FFA student members enrolled in vocational agriculture courses during the fall semester of the 2023-24 school year. Of the 12 students competing at the district level, the top six finalists (one from each FFA district in Missouri) each presented their 6-8 minute speech and answered follow-up questions on the topic of “What are the carbon benefits of the forest and wood products industry?”

“A large component of Missouri Forest Products Association is education, so partnering with Missouri FFA is a perfect fit for us,” said Brian Brookshire, executive director of MFPA. “It is a great opportunity for MFPA to reach young leaders across the state and allow them to learn about and present a speech on a topic that pertains to not only our industry but a topic that is important to everyone’s future. We were quite impressed with the finalists for this year’s contest. We’d like to officially thank the students who participated and congratulate the winners.”

Slovensky earned $150 for her second-place finish. Madilynn Cook of Forsyth High School came in first and Brooklyn Fleming finished third. The other finalists were Marlee Jones of Cuba, Carmella Pendergrass of Doniphan and Emily Ramsey of Braymer.

Slovensky, who also plays basketball and competes in cross country and track, qualified for state by placing first in districts in November.