Community service

Future farmers of america KNOCK OUR SOCKS OFF

Submitted by Southwest Middle School

The Future Farmers of America (FFA) motto is: Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve. Southwest Middle School FFA chapter in Lakeland, Florida embraces the spirit of living to serve by incorporating community service opportunities throughout the school year. The middle school’s chapter officer team starts off the year planning how they can give back to the community by adding a service project each month. The chapter’s favorite community service project is called “Socktober.” At the first October “Socktober” event in 2020, they collected approximately 612 pairs of socks for + One More Child/Florida Baptist Children’s Home. + One More Child/Florida Baptist Children’s Home serves students of all ages, including many Southwest Middle School students. Through collections and donations, the chapter is proud of the socks they were able to donate. One student, Cooper Hufstedler, went above and beyond and collected 326 pairs of socks on his own!

During the October 2021 Socktober, the chapter’s goal was to double the number of socks donated from the previous year. Students worked hard by putting boxes at their parents’ workplaces, in their front yards and using their allowances to buy socks. The students collected over 1,600 pairs of socks! Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Katrina Lynn said, “How could we have known when we started that the Cox sisters would collect 650 pairs on their own and Cooper would come through again?” She is proud of her students for achieving and going beyond their goals. Southwest Middle School is also “learning to do and doing to learn.” The agriculture program is in its fourth year after a 40 year hiatus. The program has grown, and so has the interest in Career Development Events (CDEs), Leadership Development Events (LDEs), community service and love for learning about agriculture.

When new students join the agriculture academy, they have an idea of what they will be learning. Some students enroll because they want to work with animals. Some are interested in plants, and many have siblings who have previously gone through the program. There are always some who got stuck with the class due to scheduling. The majority know nothing about FFA and the opportunities that await them through CDEs, LDEs, leadership and community service opportunities. There is something for every student. As the program continues to grow, it adds more opportunities for students to polish their skills in CDEs and LDEs. The chapter had a successful fall competing in opening and closing ceremonies, FFA creed and Tool Identification, and was voted Polk County Farm Bureau Agriculture Program of the year.

For more information about the Agriculture pathway, reach out to Kaitlin Vickers at Kaitlin.Vickers@ fldoe.org.

Future Farmers of America at Southwest Middle School