FFA

from the Paper - Elkhart County Edition - February 15, 2022

Speak Out

NorthWood FFA strives to ‘live to serve’

NorthWood’s FFA chapter presents students with a planned schedule lasting through the end of the year, full of activities, competitions, conventions and auctions. The FFA chapter also worked on leadership skills.

The FFA chapter’s motto is “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live and Living to Serve.” This year there are 80 members in FFA. This includes a new chapter at NorthWood Middle School, a program starting last year.

The NorthWood FFA chapter also has a new advisor, Grace Allen, who took over for Amy Beer. The co-advisor is Brandy Henderson.

FFA Week is Feb. 21-25. On Tuesday, Feb. 22, is the annual worker auction in conjunction with Polk Auctioneers.

“This is a big fundraiser for us. We work with the buyers for four hours. Last year, we made $13,000,” said Paige Jacobs, president.

A homeroom and game day party is Wednesday, Feb. 23. There will be a milk chugging contest and a game. A teacher appreciation breakfast will also be served by FFA members.

Alumni game night is at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, at the high school.

Tractor drive-in day is Friday, Feb. 25. Any FFA member or NorthWood student can drive a tractor to school. The members will also go bowling that night with a state officer, Nick Newman, attending.

“We are also doing teacher appreciation gifts the whole week,” said Jacobs. “This is to make teachers aware of the ag industry.”

The school year started off with the officers attending a retreat in August in Bristol.

“We planned our year ahead. We played some games and did a scavenger hunt, too,” said Jacobs. “We had very open discussions, too.”

In September, the chapter helped maintain the community garden in Nappanee. The FFA chapter also attended a leadership development workshop in southern Indiana.

Last October, several members took part in a livestock skill-a-thon.

“We placed ninth in the state,” said Jacobs. “We had a team of four.”

At the end of October, the FFA chapter had a fall party. FFA members also attended the National Continued on page 7

Fairfield FFA focusing on the future

Mallory Baum, advisor of the Fairfield FFA chapter, describes the chapter as super small with only four officers and 120 members in the chapter. Any student who takes an agriculture class is considered a member of FFA.

The chapter has further been challenged for the last two months by COVID and other illnesses.

For the past several years, Fairfield’s FFA chapter has been in a building stage. For the past several years, only a handful of kids have been actively involved. Baum explained the chapter is trying to focus on the future by encouraging more members to be involved in leadership roles for the chapter and in competing.

Fairfield’s FFA chapter participates in crops judging, public speaking and is looking at developing a dairy judging team.

One of the most successful aspects of the chapter is its test plot. Last year the chapter grew 4 acres of corn in its test plot. Fairfield Junior/Senior High School gave the chapter use of 20 acres to grow more corn. With the harvest, the chapter Continued on page 7