MCCC's Animal Management Team Wins First in State
By Olivia LaScola, BEAT reporter
MEDINA, OH- On November 11, 2025, Medina County Career Center’s (MCCC) Animal Management team traveled to the Ohio State fairgrounds in Columbus, Ohio. Here, they would compete against many other qualifying teams in the state to win the FFA Animal Management competition. Led by Tonya Underwood, MCCC’s team placed first out of 36 other Ohio FFA teams.
To compete in the FFA Animal Management competition, students were first required to complete the Animal Management online test in October. The competitors who scored in the top 150 in the state would be able to compete in person at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus.
During the in-person portion of the event, there were two separate portions of the test. Students were put into groups; one group started with identification, and the other completed practicums before switching. Team member Stella Preston recalled, “During the practicum portion, we were to complete four practicums, where a judge would ask us about nutrition, housing, handling, and illnesses in a specific animal.” The other portion of the test was identification. A total of 50 photos and physical items were placed on tables, where competitors had to identify various breeds and species of animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and various types of equipment for the care of these animals. The score of each participant was created by adding their online test score, practicum score, and identification score together. Each FFA’s top 4 scoring members created their team. A few days following the test, the scores for Animal Management were released, where Preston and her other team members learned that their team had placed first out of the 36 teams that had competed in Ohio.
Winning first place isn’t an easy task. Preston and her team had to consistently study and learn in order to place first. The team met once a week, starting in November, in order to study and learn together as a group, led by their teacher, Underwood. After the online test, the students who were placed in the top 150 would sometimes stay after school multiple times a week to study as a group for the Animal Management competition. Preston stated, “We studied by reading books on animals, making online flashcards, and learning handling techniques with stuffed animals, or live animals that are part of MCCC’s Animal Care program.”
While the team went to Columbus to compete on November 11, they didn’t leave until midday on November 12. After the competition concluded, the team celebrated with dinner at Texas Roadhouse, visited Easton Mall, and stayed overnight before spending the next day at the Columbus Zoo.
Preston expresses her gratitude for the Medina County Career Center. “We are so grateful for MCCC to provide us with the finances for this trip and our competition, it was an amazing experience!”
Olivia LaScola, Brunswick High School, is one of over fifty student “backpack journalists” (grades 6-12) in the award-winning BEAT Video Program. The program, celebrating its 25th year, is sponsored by Donut Land, Plum Creek Assisted Living Community, MODA Gifting, Scripps Howard Foundation and the Brunswick Rotary Club. Go to https://www.bcsoh.org/community/new-beat-site to learn more about the Program, or visit https://thebeat.viebit.com/?folder=ALL to view videos produced by the students.
PHOTOS: The MCCC animal management team and aquarium team take a trip to the Columbus Zoo the day after their competition.