Promotion and Devotion

 

Wow what a week it has been!  National FFA Week at Lampeter Strasburg High School has come to a close and I am super proud of the job well done that the students did.  So let’s talk about the week.

To begin with I set the goal to have all my materials for the entire week ready to go by Monday afternoon.  For the most part I met this goal and it alleviated a good chunk of stress this week would bring.  I again am setting the same goal for myself this week.  Planning proved to be monumental this past week and whether it is National FFA Week or not having all your ducks in a row (for the most part) is super beneficial to the success of your Monday starting off on the right path and a continual upward climb than downward slope throughout the entirety of your week.

I want to specifically touch on three events that occurred during this past week.  The first was wear your official dress to school day.  While nothing has changed since I was in high school and we wore our official dress to school and many students complained and whined about having to do it.  Wearing your blue and gold corduroy jacket speaks volumes!  When other students and teachers see a swarm of blue and gold jackets you make a statement before even speaking to them.  You are a part of one of the largest and best youth development organizations.  You believe in the future of agriculture, enhancing your personal skills of leadership, group collaboration, public speaking and much more.  You learned that to live and work on a good farm, or be engaged in other agricultural pursuits, is pleasant as well as challenging.  You are an advocate.  You are the voice of modern day agriculture.

The second event was something my cooperating teachers informed me is a big hit every year and our preparation for it started well before National FFA Week.  On Wednesday the Garden Spot FFA chapter held an ice cream social for all the teachers after school.  The excitement and thanks received from faculty and staff was surreal!  Now think about this.  Where is your ag. classroom located?  Probably many of you like ours it is nestled way back in a far corner of the building.  So while we had all these teachers from other parts of the building corralled down in our wing we made the most of it.  Students’ projects from the vet science classes were out on display for the teachers to look at.  In my welding and electrical class we devoted a day solely for constructing different types of welds or electrical splices to be on display in the shop.  Anytime you get the chance to show off your program do it!  While it blows my mind the respect the other teachers have for my cooperating teachers.  I truly believe many of them really do not know what it is we do in the ag. department so that is why you have things like an ice cream social or teacher breakfast to show appreciation for all the days students have missed in their classes traveling to CDEs and other events.  And show them what it is you are doing in your classes.

Last was a farmer’s breakfast we put on this past Saturday.  The students did a phenomenal job delegating tasks and getting all the food and supplies around.  Again an event like this showed how much the FFA organization means to these kids getting up at 5am on a Saturday and the turnout from the community to support such an organization. 

While FFA Week only comes once a year that doesn’t mean you have to wait until then to show off all the cool things your chapter and students are doing.  Newspaper articles, bulletin boards, and school board meetings are all great ways to promote your program.