During my middle and early high school years, August marked the start of an exciting new school year. But as a junior and senior in high school, I began to realize how much more came with the start of the new school year. ANNA MELODIA, DENNIS SARGENT, KENT SCHESCKE, VICKI SETTLE, LEE ANNE SHILLER, TONY SMALL, BILL STAGG, WILL WAIDELICH National FFA Board of Directors – Members.
The National FFA Organization is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for distinguished leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Check out the American Veterinary Medical Association website at www.avma.org and click on Careers. Did you know that the first national FFA magazine (then known as The National Future Farmer) was published in 1952.
To see what some of the early magazines looked like, go to ffaneworizons.org and click on Fun Stuff. Zachary, a sophomore in high school, placed third in the state Faith Speaking Career Development Event (CDE). In high school, Jessica placed third in the engineering category at the National Agriscience Fair.
Angela competed in the CDE Agronomy and Livestock Judging and was the top fruit vendor in her chapter.
College
Knowledge
Story by Rebecca Denton
Your high school graduation day may seem far away, but it will be here before you know it. Even though you have a few years to go until you become a senior, there is much you can do now to prepare yourself for your education after high school. One of the issues that students and families often misunderstand is the importance of high school – the courses students take and their courses.
It is important for students to begin, at least by middle school, to think about how they can effectively use high school to position. Knowing how to study will set the stage for your high school years, so get off to a good start now. Start thinking about what kind of career you would like to pursue, and find out what kind of training is required.
Make sure you participate in challenging classes that will help prepare you for college. Colleges want to see that you have been involved in clubs, sports teams, music groups, journalism or other activities. It shows that you are good and that you know how to manage your time wisely.
Use the college savings calculator (check www.finaid.org/calculators) to see how much money you need. Use the free test prep resources available. Developing good study habits in high school will help prepare you for more loosely structured college work. Talk to your counselor about your college plans and attend your college's college night and financial aid night.
Do this early in the fall so you have plenty of time to work on it. Once you have been admitted to your college, send your enrollment deposit by the National Candidate Response Date of May 1, or by the date specified by your college. One of the issues that students and families often misunderstand is the importance of high school.”
The Buck
Steps Here
A TOUGH JOB
Story by Chris Hayhurst
And my favorite part of the game has always been seeing the drum major walk onto the field. He grew up on a farm and learned the skills of horsemanship and dairy cattle management from his father and grandfather. As a teenager he joined FFA and was good enough with animals to win several showmanship titles.
I was active in a lot of things in high school," says Stew, "but I was never an officer or anything. I picked up basic leadership skills through training seminars, through talking to government officials, that kind of thing. I led tours for primary school children at the county fair, went to schools and talked to children about agriculture."
It's complicated enough, he says, to just perform the acrobatic moves he's expected to perform flawlessly. Throw in his jobs as a spark plug, motivator and team leader, and the task is monumental. For me, there is nothing more difficult than trying to lead a bunch of people of the same age who go to school with me," he says.
Now that he's an animal science major with a profitable cattle business, his sights are set on something even bigger: He'll receive his American FFA diploma in October. He will be hitting the field this fall as Stew has been re-elected Drummer Chief for the 2007 season. Stew will receive his American FFA Degree at the 2007 National FFA Convention, in part because of his experience in raising dairy cattle.
Feat Byline B Top
Byline B Bottom
Multiple
Alison, a student at North High School in Bakersfield, California, has made a name and a business working with wildflowers, especially the many varieties she finds around Kern County, where she lives. Alison photographs the flowers and prints the images onto blank cards - one flower per card. In the fall of 2006, she received the National FFA Agri-Entrepreneurship Award for her efforts in making greeting cards.
In 2005, Kaitlynn Neville achieved similar success for a business idea she developed in her agricultural biology class. Students in class are expected to bring in pet or livestock fecal samples for microscopic examination. Create a calendar containing the microscopic images - in all their fascinating, magnified detail - and sell them to livestock producers.
In addition to the obvious visual appeal, the calendar promotes animal health with monthly health care tips and reminders that livestock keepers can use to protect themselves. Wildflower Girl” is just the latest in a string of North High agriculture students to be recognized for their work. North High agriculture students have been regulars on the national agricultural scene since the late 1990s.
All of the projects, says North High FFA advisor and teacher Chris Dickson, have been the result of hands-on classroom work or individual supervised agricultural experience (SAE) programs. Or we'll take a project a student is working on and use it as a class activity. Another student is researching oak trees to see if they grow better from an acorn or from tissue culture.
But thanks to two plant-related internships, she knew exactly what needed to be done: a combination of bleach washes and painstaking lab work. A lot of the work is done under a laminar flow hood that filters the air so that microorganisms can't get in,” he says. But it's all out there and if you put in the effort, you can do whatever you want.”
1 FYI
GETTING TECHNICAL
THE BEST TERM TO
DESCRIBE THE APPLICATION OF SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES
WHEN CREATING A RESEARCH PROJECT,
HYDROPONICS IS
COUNTING AND MEASURING ARE COMMON FORMS OF
THE GROUPING AND ARRANGEMENT OF
THE T YPES AND NUMBER OF CAREERS
ICHTHYOLOGY, A BRANCH OF ZOOLOGY,
IS THE STUDY OF
COTY’S FAVORITES
Coty Back
Operation Stand Solid
Your Vote
Educator of the Year
FFA lul hwan-yong ham-ni-da!
Question
The Big
SET GOALS
Exercise Your
Options
FOR YOU
- PICK A LOCATION
- PLAN YOUR MENU
Just because it's time to go back to school doesn't mean the fun of summer has to be over. The start of a new school year is a great time to get your FFA friends together and organize a social chapter. And with the kickoff of football season just around the corner, a tailgate party could be just the ticket to get FFA members excited about the upcoming school year.
Remember that you will need to transport everything to and from the party venue, including the grill if you choose to cook.
Pleaser
A Real Crowd
- CONSIDER FOOD SAFETY
- MAKE IT FESTIVE
- PLAN ENTERTAINMENT
- RELAX AND HAVE FUN!
Cornell University – College of Agriculture and Life Sciences www.cals.cornell.edu Dordt College www.dordt.edu General Motors www.generalmotors.com GMAC Consumer Finance www.smartedgebygmac.com. PHD Detroit www.dodge.com Red Wing Shoe Company www.redwingshoes.com Tractor Supply Company www.mytscstore.com Tulsa Welding School www.weldingschool.com Xtreme Bulls.
VISIT OUR ADVERTISERS
FFA Fun
Write to Win
The Race Is On
101 College Tips
Ag Day Essay
Meadows
Jason
