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A local FFA Parliamentary Procedure team recently competed in at the National FFA Convention and earned a Silver Emblem. Pleasantville High School FFA Advisor, Monty Collins tells KNIA/KRLS news his students competed with the top 46 teams in the nation in Indianapolis last week and tied with the best finish an Iowa team has ever gotten at the national level. Collins says the Parliamentary Procedure competition is the oldest and most attended contest in the FFA organization and brings some tough competition. This is the second time the Pleasantville High School team has competed at nationals, as they received a Bronze Emblem back in 2008. Collins says he is extremely proud of his students for their hard work and performance. He says students in Iowa have a bit of a disadvantage as the state parliamentary procedure format is different than the one used at the national competition. The Pleasantville team gathered three times a week at 6:30am to practice their skills and learn the new procedures. Collins says he was also humbled by the amount of support the team received not only from the Pleasantville community but from individuals and businesses in Knoxville and Pella as well. Typically the team travels to Indianapolis every other year and last year they brought more than a dozen students to the national convention which is an expensive trip for the organization. Since Pleasantville won the state competition on an off year they had to try and get sponsorships in order to be able to make the trip possible. Collins said team members went out in pairs to this summer to try and raise funds for the trip and was able to collect $2,600 in sponsorships, which exceeded expectations. Overall, Collins says it was a great experience for the students to be able to compete at the national level. He says the parliamentary procedure competition is a great way for students to develop quick thinking and public speaking skills that will help them with future leadership positions and possible political careers.