PETTISVILLE, Ohio — Jessie McWatters is the winner of the Star in Agriscience award. The announcement was made during the 2020 Ohio FFA Celebration. She is the daughter of Tom and Angie McWatters. 

She is Pettisvilles’ seventh Ohio Star Agriscience Student or Agriscience Student of the Year recipient. She joins Carl Norden 2001, Whitney Beck 2003, Laura Bruner 2005, Rebekah Meller 2010, Chrysta Beck 2014 and Jacob Dennis 2017. Pettisville has also had three national winners in Agriscience Fair, Steve Flory in 2002, Chrysta Beck in 2011, and Kayla Wyse in 2017.

When she was young McWatters always loved to help her cousins out at the fair with their calves. She later competed and placed first in showmanship and weight class.

In her eighth grade school year she was introduced to science fair. Her project was “What type of bedding affects cows.” At the State FFA Convention that year she placed first in her division. Jessie went on later that year to compete at the National FFA Convention. She placed eighth at Nationals. Jess didn’t really want to be in FFA her freshman year but was convinced by her parents to do FFA so that she could continue to do Agriscience Fair. “Little did I know that this decision to be in FFA guided me in the direction of my future career,” she said.

The project that Jess did her freshman year was “Do people really know what they are drinking.” This is about what is in different milks. At the local science fair she got an excellent rating then that spring at the State FFA Convention she received second place in her division. She very much enjoyed learning about it because it brought her love of sports with her love of cattle. She continued with the fairs every year. 

She would like to say thank you to her teachers, Mr. Poulson and Mrs. Meller, coaches, parents, and friends for the guidance and encouragement that they all gave her. She said, “I have been extremely fortunate in the number of opportunities I have had at Pettisville High School. I wouldn’t be who I am nor would I have had the successes I have had without these opportunities. In the future I plan to take advantage of similar opportunities.”