Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) students brought home an impressive collection of state championships, top five finishes and chapter recognitions from the 2026 Florida FFA State Convention, showcasing the district’s strength in agricultural education, leadership development and career readiness.
The annual convention, held from June 15-19 in Orlando, brings together nearly 6,000 FFA members, advisors, alumni and industry leaders from across Florida to compete, develop leadership skills and celebrate excellence in agricultural education. The event features career development events (CDEs), leadership workshops, award ceremonies and recognition of the state’s top FFA chapters and student organizations.
Students from HCPS middle and high schools earned state recognition across a wide range of competitive events, from floriculture and forestry to agricultural communications, environmental science and agricultural technology.
“These outstanding achievements reflect the dedication of our students, teachers and advisors, as well as the strength of our agricultural education programs,” said Superintendent Van Ayres. “FFA equips students with real-world skills in leadership, teamwork, communication, science and problem-solving while preparing them for future careers. We are incredibly proud of the way our students represented Hillsborough County on the state stage.”
Several HCPS teams captured first-place state titles, including:
- Middle School State Champion: Randall Middle School took first place in Nursery & Landscape.
- High School State Champions: Durant High School took first place in Citrus, Environmental & Natural Resources, Floriculture, Vegetable Evaluation, Ornamental Horticulture Demonstration — Landscaping (Ashlyn Demanovich and Jackson Sturgis).
HCPS students earned numerous additional top-five finishes:
- Middle School Awards: Mulrennan Middle School took fifth place in Livestock Evaluation and second place for Meats Evaluation. Randall Middle School took fourth place in Meats Evaluation.
- High School Awards: Durant High School took second place in Forestry and Nursery & Landscape, third place in Agricultural Technology & Mechanical Systems and Food Science & Technology, fourth place in Meats Evaluation and fifth place in Dairy Cattle Evaluation & Management and Livestock Evaluation.
- Florida’s Finest: Durant High School, Mulrennan Middle School, Newsome High School, Plant City High School, Randall Middle School, Turkey Creek Middle School.
- Chapter SAE Award: Durant High School.
- Premier Chapter Awards: Brandon High School, Durant High School, Durant Junior Chapter – J.F. St. Martin, Newsome High School, Randall Middle School and Tomlin Middle School.
FFA is the nation’s premier organization for students interested in agriculture, food systems, environmental science, agribusiness and natural resources. Through classroom instruction, hands-on experiences and competitive events, students gain technical knowledge and leadership skills while exploring career pathways in one of Florida’s most important industries.
To learn more about HCPS’s FFA programs, visit www.hillsboroughschools.org.
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