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Central Point teen brings home national honors BY VICKI GUARINO CENTRAL POINT -- The Crater High School senior responsible for much of the landscaping at the county Expo Park is getting a trip to Costa Rica for her efforts. "I'm counting the months," says Amanda Richardson, who leaves on an FFA-sponsored trip to Central America in June. The trip is part of Amanda's second-place awards from the FFA National Convention in Kansas City, Mo., held earlier this month. The high school agricultural program is designed to prepare youth for careers in farm-related science, business and technology. Amanda won second-place honors nationally for the Exposition Park gardening project in categories for community development and the diversification of FFA agricultural programs. To compete at the national level, Amanda had won top honors in the state and the region. She was one of just four competitors in each category at the national meet. A Wisconsin student won first place in her divisions. The national FFA makes awards in 42 categories. Awards recognize FFA members who have excelled as agricultural entrepreneurs, employees or volunteers. Amanda says the four-day national competition helped her improve her public speaking skills and made her more aware of agricultural career options. She says she's interested in working in commodities trading, or in farmland marketing. Her Costa Rica trip will be a two-week tour of tropical farming with a group of 40 FFA winners. Amanda's national honors reflect her attitude about FFA and her efforts to diversify agricultural education. "You don't have to have an animal to do well in FFA," she says. She won for the public service of the Expo gardens, which are teaching and demonstration patches with produce going to needy households. And she won for using the gardens to broaden FFA enrollment at Crater to include students with special educational needs. Her gardening crews include disabled classmates. Although the contests are over, Amanda still is busy at the Expo grounds, according to her mother, Sandi. Amanda is working with other Crater students to build two arbors during the winter. Also, a greenhouse is expected to arrive in January, paid for by local contributions. Instead of preparing for another round of FFA competition this year, Amanda also is working with other FFA students, coaching them in preparing award materials. Those students also will be continuing the Expo landscaping work after Amanda graduates. "That's the idea," says Sandi Richardson, "to keep handing the garden over." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA