FFA attends ACES

Several members of the Meyersdale Area High School FFA Chapter attended the 2023 ACES Conference in Harrisburg on February 11 and 12. The theme of this year’s leadership conference was “Writing your Own Journey.”

Throughout the conference, Bailey Knotts, Jesse Miller, Eli Miller, Evan Knotts, Maddie Dively, Autumn Baker and CJ Engle participated in a variety of activities and workshops. Designed around the theme of taking a journey, small group workshops included: Fresh Trails, Fishing Up Your Future, Moral Compass, Find Your Tribe, Tools for the Trip, Call of the Wild, Plan Your Trip, Find New Trails, Leader of the Pack and Bumps on the Trail. Each workshop focused on an area of concentration to help students on their successful journeys through FFA. The focus of many workshops was to help FFA students prepare and successfully complete their SAE (supervised agricultural experience).

For Bailey Knotts, returning to ACES was a goal after she had such a great time last year.

“We learned about our morals and what they mean to us, how to be a ‘struggle bus’ leader, more about what SAE means to us, how to make an elevator speech, proper interview techniques and teamwork. The workshops were held by past and present state officers,” Knotts explained.

Maddie Dively, MAHS FFA President, was also excited about returning to ACES. She said the workshops about mentorship, time management and self-confidence were especially helpful to her as an officer and as she considers life after graduation.

CJ Engle said the experience was both impactful and meaningful.

“It was very interesting to meet people from all over the state. In one of my workshops, I learned about my Moral Compass with one of our past Chaplains and our present Chaplain. In one of the activities, we had to write a quote about what we learned over the weekend. I wrote: ‘Be interesting, amazing, and joyful; no matter where you are.’”

Doreen Jamison, FFA Advisor, said the leadership conference was an excellent opportunity for members to gain invaluable leadership and career skills.

“I am very pleased with the students who attended and the information and experiences they were able to benefit from in the workshops.”