Happy National FFA Week!
If you’re not familiar, FFA chapters are participating in and hosting a variety of activities throughout their communities this week. The annual event gives members an opportunity to take a front seat engaging with local organizations and area residents while also thanking folks for their continued support.
From cooking community breakfasts and coordinating highway cleanup, to grilling lunch for faculty members and planting flowers around town, it’s about giving back and raising awareness.
Activities and calendars may vary between chapters, but the sentiment of service to others rings loud. Chapters need community engagement just as much as they need support from their school districts to create opportunities to learn, and the avenues for those lessons to occur. That support means everything to FFA members and their advisors. The old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” is what comes to mind when I think of the variety of people who pour their support, commitment, wisdom and outreach into a strong FFA chapter.
One thing you may not know, unless you have a student enrolled in the program, is that spring is contest season! Over the next couple of months, FFA advisors will log hours and miles outside the classroom helping students learn, practice, study and excel in competitions. From public speaking and knowledge events to judging soils, livestock or plants, this is the home stretch leading up to state convention.
As we celebrate National FFA Week and all our chapters do in their communities, I want to give a special shoutout to those FFA advisors. This time of year, they log a lot of late nights, early mornings, skipped meals, drive-thru dinners, bus rides and the occasional bus breakdown. Students reach out to their FFA advisors for support, education, direction and inspiration — and it’s all on the menu as they help these young leaders find their path and chart a future. Amid the mad dash through contest season, many advisors are also helping senior members make college visits and apply for schools and scholarships.
So, during this week, as we say thank you to FFA supporters and recognize the skills and opportunities the program provides, we also extend our appreciation to FFA advisors and school leaders who truly understand and support its value. Thank you for being there every step of the way, through the miles traveled, the “wins and almosts,” and most of all, for pouring knowledge and experience into another generation of leaders who will help build the future of our communities.
To all the Missouri FFA chapters, advisors and supporters, have a great FFA Week and best of luck this contest season.
