FFA Heads to State
Written by Baylee Potter, Former Student on Friday, May 18, 2012
When some people see an FFA member, they see an itchy blue corduroy jacket and a sweaty face. But a fellow FFA member can look past that, deeper than just the surface. The jackets they wear stand for tradition and pride; made up of Corn Gold and Nation Blue. Their faces are sweaty because they’re focusing on the competition ahead; whether it is Veterinary Science, where they have to be able to recall hundred of different terms and machines, or Dairy Foods, where the competitor must be able to identify different kinds of dairy products. The Snohomish FFA Chapter competed in those two competitions, and several others, for a place in the FFA State Competition.
For a long time, the Snohomish FFA Chapter’s largest goal was to educate their members on the agricultural world. Yet recently, they’ve started to incorporate other aspects into their State competing teams. Senior Matt Brigham, a Snohomish FFA member for the past three years, comments on the FFA’s hope for the future. “Next year, they might have Ag Mechanics [at state],” which incorporates the agricultural world with a mechanical twist, such as Genetically Modified plants or machines used to forward the agricultural world. But there are many benefits of being in the FFA that aren’t necessarily educational; “My favorite part is definitely being surrounded by all the ladies,” Brigham jokes.
Going to State is just one of the many things that the Snohomish Chapter competes in. Brigham stated that “[The Snohomish FFA] has been going to State forever.” By representing Snohomish at the State FFA competition, they bring attention to SHS in a different way than the traditional sports team. In fact, in just this year alone, the SHS FFA competed in many categories and “placed third out of 82 groups competing in Greenhand [a competition where a team of members take a knowledge test about agricultural science and the FFA in team building activities] and missed eighth place by one point in the Veterinary Science competition,” advisor Stacy Lischke comments. But when asked what her favorite part of the FFA is, Lischke didn’t state that it was the competing but that the FFA is “a place to see where different people shine.”
“Part of the reason why I love the FFA so much is because it’s open to all kinds of people. Many people have been inspired by the FFA, “It’s about changing the lives of younger generations,” District FFA Officer and SHS Senior, Becca Newberg stated. “In the FFA, you learn about leadership and commitment to a group of people.” The FFA may be an agricultural club, but members believe it’s also more. For those who have experienced the friendships and bonds that one can only make by sharing a cramped bus ride for seven hours on the way to State, they’ll know what the FFA really stands for: making the world a better place.
