FFA members attend National Convention
Members of the MAHS FFA Chapter recently attended the 97th Annual National FFA Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana. This year’s theme of “Engage” was especially fitting as members learned about the many ways they can be “engaged” in the agriculture industry through education and career choices!
Members of the Meyersdale Area High School (MAHS) FFA Chapter recently attended the 97th Annual National FFA Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana. This year’s theme of “Engage” was especially fitting as members learned about the many ways they can be “engaged” in the agriculture industry through education and career choices!
Members in attendance included Chapter president Bailey Knotts; James Kretchman, vice president; Carrie Jo Engle, secretary; Aidan Mosholder, treasurer; Bridgette Beal; Ryleigh Troutman, student advisor; and Skylar Walker.
Following the convention opening ceremony at Lucas Oil Stadium, students attended several workshops and events. Their itinerary also included a tour of historic Conner Prairie, Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo, Purdue University, Montrose Farms Alpaca Ranch and a fun evening at Rascal’s Fun Zone.
The keynote speaker for the convention was Temple Grandin. Grandin is a world-renowned animal activist and animal science professor at Colorado State University. Grandin is known for her role in shaping the animal agriculture industry through her creation of the curved chute system for mobilizing cattle. Grandin’s speech focused on embracing different ways of thinking and celebrating them more often.
Bridgette Beal said attending convention offers unlimited opportunities to grow and learn more about the agriculture industry. “I love going to National Convention. It is an amazing opportunity to meet new people and have brand new experiences that you can’t get anywhere else,” she exclaimed.
For Chapter president Knotts, attending convention is a very important aspect of her membership and involvement in FFA. “This was my fourth year attending, and as always I enjoyed the expo and giant shopping mall. We went to Conner Prairie Wednesday when we got there. We were able to see what life was like in the 1900’s. On Thursday, we spent our day at the convention center and heard a guest speaker. We finished our Thursday night at the rodeo,” she explained, “On Friday we went and heard Temple Grandin speak at Lucas Oil Stadium. We then went to an alpaca farm and saw so many alpacas. We finished our Friday night at Rascal’s Fun Zone bowling and riding go-carts.”
Chapter advisor Doreen Jamison said while the entire experience was informative and fun for the students, and the career expo was especially “engaging,” offering students insights on how they can pursue limitless educational and career opportunities in agriculture.