(Jefferson, GA, November 9, 2018) — Athens Christian School senior Nicholas Hopper won the Region 2 EMC/FFA Agricultural Education Career Development Event, a wiring competition. This event requires students to complete a timed practical wiring exercise and a problem-solving exam, followed by an oral presentation describing the necessary steps to complete an electrical wiring task.

“Winning this competition demonstrates that hard work and long hours of practice pay off,” said Hopper, who lives in Commerce and plans to attend Athens Technical College to pursue a career in electrical construction.

After finishing in eighth place in 2017, Hopper and his FFA advisor, Jerry Taylor, developed a plan to improve his scores. “I watched Nich’s dedication and work ethic, and knew he could be successful,” said Taylor. They practiced wiring problems during and after school and on weekends. As a result of his numerous practice hours, Hopper was the top scorer in the wiring skills problem, with a near perfect score of 59.85 out of 60. Hopper’s poise and excellent explanatory skills earned him the top finisher in the speech demonstration portion of the contest, as well, with a score of 9.3 out of ten.

Oglethorpe County High School senior Cade Legg placed second overall in the competition. Hopper and Legg advance to the state competition, which will be held on January 12, 2019, at the FFA camp in Covington.

Offered through local FFA chapters, and hosted annually by Jackson EMC, the Region 2 wiring competition reinforces electrical wiring as taught in the vocational agriculture education program, and expands students’ grasp of electric energy and the role of EMCs in Georgia’s energy future.

The hands-on, practical, timed wiring exercise tests student’s knowledge of the National Electric Code, while the oral presentation offers students the opportunity to explain how to solve an electrical problem. Lastly, the students must complete a multiple-choice exam.

Any active FFA member enrolled in a high school agriculture education class is eligible to participate in the wiring competition. The top two individuals in each region’s wiring contest advance to the state competition, held each year in January.

Georgia FFA is the 3rd largest state association with more than 42,000 members. Currently, Georgia has 342 chapters and more than 475 agricultural education teachers. An integral part of the agricultural education program in public schools, FFA’s mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, the largest electric cooperative in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation, is headquartered 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in Jefferson, Ga. The cooperative serves more than 229,000 meters on 14,000 miles of energized wire. For more information, visit jacksonemc.com.