FFA Travels to Indianapolis

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.