By Susan Burton, Henry County Schools Communications Director
Paris, TN – E.W. Grove ninth grade student, Sevens Clendenin is in Shanee DeHay’s Art II class at Henry County High School and is completing a human figure drawing that is highly detailed. It’s a stark contrast to observe the runner up for the West TN Star Greenhand, pictured rodeoing on his horse, Dirty Steve, delicately drawing curves on his sketch pad.
Clendenin, like his other West Star awarded classmates, Dakota Ables and Blair Lamon, talks about the difficult application process. Clendenin says that rodeoing is a big part of his project and resume for the competition. Clendenin gives credit to many of his FFA friends for helping him study for the test that was part of the competition process.
Clendenin says the biggest part of his application had to do with his horse, Dirty Steve. “I turned him around for profit in the same year. I was able to fully change what he was able to do as far as rodeoing to rope steers.” Clendenin kept the horse at his family’s farm, Clendenin Farms and Arena owned by his parents, Roger and Paige Clendenin.
Clendenin says he can’t even count how many rodeos he’s been in competing in team roping. “That’s when there’s a steer and someone gets the head and heel. Dirty Steve wasn’t a big horse, so we would do the heeling.”
“I’m going to be competing in another level for FFA competition in Creed Speaking and Proficiency later this year.” This is his third year as an FFA member.
He encourages students to take an agriculture class in middle school and high school so they can be in FFA. He takes Agriscience with Laura Moss at E. W. Grove School. He plans to enroll in the dual enrollment welding program with Robert “Chewy” Jackson, TCAT Welding Instructor at HCHS and then continue the program at TCAT in Paris.