FFA Travels to Indianapolis
November 06, 2009
Lead Out Loud was the theme for the 82nd National FFA
Convention. Nine local chapter members and 3 leaders experienced
what it means to do just that when they traveled to Indianapolis
last week. The group of 12 left on Monday and enjoyed a full week
of leadership, laughs, new experiences, and meeting other FFA
members from all over the US. The group stopped in St. Louis on the
way down and visited the Gateway to the West, the Arch that is, and
also the Baisch & Skinner floral wholesale headquarters. The
students enjoyed learning about all the different workings of a
flower wholesaler and taking plenty of pictures of exotic plants.
The Arch was a fun experience for all and a marvel to behold. On
Wednesday, the students attended the career fair. The group strove
to follow the tradition of obtaining a signature from an FFA member
from each state. All states attended the convention including
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The career fair offered a
variety of new job choices and information for aspiring
agriculturalists. The first session’s keynote speaker was Mike
Rowe, guy from Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs. He informed members
that the way we perceive things in life will make all the
difference. The group was impressed by the talent show later on
that day where FFA members their own age showed their talents off
amidst loud applause. That night the FFA members were treated to a
concert by country music star Toby Keith, almost all 50,000 FFA
members and advisors from all over the United States were in
attendance. Thursday the students attended the career show again
and also a workshop on striving to be your personal best. The group
attended the 4th general session Friday morning and was inspired by
the words of Harvey Alston. He used the word HAPPY in his speech
where H stood for heart, A for attitude, P for people, P for pride
and Y for you. He said that if we would put our heart into
everything, had a positive attitude, got along with people, had
pride in ourselves, and took care of you then we would be on our
way to becoming happy and letting others do the same. National FFA
Vice President Laila Hajji gave her retiring address entitled
‘Compared to What’. She stressed that it’s not our place to judge
and when we find ourselves saying that something or someone is
different or anything else to ask ourselves, compared to what? and
are we the standard of normal for everything else to be set by? Her
words were ripened with wisdom and gave all FFA members something
to think about. The group also attended the K-state Colorado game
on Saturday in Manhattan while on their way back. They arrived
safely home Saturday night tired but having had an experience to
last a lifetime and a lasting impression on what we can accomplish
when we Lead Out Loud.
