Hamilton Heights High School’s FFA is celebrating National FFA Week (Feb. 18 to 25).
This week embraces more than 95 years of FFA traditions while looking forward to the organization’s future. More than 850,000 members are participating in National FFA Week activities at local, state, and national levels. These members have a passion for all things agriculture.
“This is one of our favorite weeks of the year,” explained Agricultural Educator Emilie Carson, who has served as Heights’ FFA Chapter Advisor since 2016. “We have a full slate of activities taking place this week to help our school family and our community learn about FFA and agricultural education. We kicked off the week with Church with the President at Victory Chapel Community Church in Noblesville on Sunday. The rest of this week included dress-up days, game day during student resource times at the high school and middle school, bowling with members of the Tipton FFA Chapter, and hosting our annual community breakfast from 6 to 8 a.m. on Friday (Hamilton Heights High School, 25802 State Road 19, Arcadia; enter through Door N), and culminating with a Barn Dance Friday night with Hamilton Southeastern FFA members.”
“FFA week is one of my favorite weeks because we have the opportunity to share more openly what FFA means to us,” said Marshall Frye, HHHS FFA 2023 Chapter Treasurer. “FFA gives me the opportunity to explore AG in a way that I have never done before, e.g. small engines and meats judging.”
Lauren Happel, HHHS FFA 2023 Chapter Greenhand Ambassador 2023 agrees. “FFA gives me opportunities to explore all different aspects of agriculture. It allows me to help out my community and learn more about leadership. FFA is also a place to make many new friendships you never had before and meet people from all over the nation.”
“FFA week is a week to bond with our chapter, share lots of laughs, and make lots of memories,” added Tatym Green, HHHS FFA Chapter Vice President 2023. “Some of my favorite memories have been made during this week. FFA has given me so many opportunities. I have been able to grow as a leader and find my passion and place in agriculture. Without FFA I would not be the woman I am today.”
Cheyenne Boggs, HHSC Chapter President 2023 said she believes FFA means a future world for her generation and generations to come. “FFA is allowing kids to get an understanding of agriculture and its importance,” she explained. “For me, I know that we need agriculture to have a healthy, sustainable, and sound economy. The importance of FFA in my eyes is when people see us in our blue corduroy jackets they know exactly who we are and what we stand for, and that our message will come through about why we wear the jackets, and that we believe that agriculture is a future for our world.”
“When I became a FFA officer this year, I actually realized how much FFA week means,” said Quentin Derrer, HHHS FFA 2023 Chapter Secretary. “This week is something that helps FFA members believe in themselves even more. It helps me help be a leader and teach new things to many students that don’t know anything about FFA or agriculture. It has always been my passion to do this and now it’s my time to do so. My dream was to always be a FFA officer for my chapter, my grandfather was a state FFA officer once as I hope to be as well.”
FFA is the premier youth organization preparing members for leadership and careers in the science, business, and technology of agriculture and is an integral part of the teaching program in agriculture at HHHS and HHMS. FFA is helping to grow the next generation of leaders who will change the world. The organization is designed to help young people meet new agricultural challenges by developing their unique talents and exploring their interests in a broad range of career pathways. FFA members are future leaders, future food suppliers, future innovators, and more.
Designated a national week in 1947, the week of George Washington’s birthday, National FFA Week runs from Saturday to Saturday and gives FFA members an opportunity to educate the public about agriculture. The organization, headquartered in Indiana, is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 850,000 student members as part of 8,995 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In fact, Indiana just reached a record of 13,000 members who participate in FFA chapters across the state.
Whether it is through service projects or community gatherings, National FFA Week is a time for FFA members to raise awareness about the role the National FFA Organization plays in the development of agriculture’s future leaders and the importance of agricultural education.
To learn more details about National FFA Week, go to FFA.org/national-ffa-week.