Katie Cauthen's FFA Week

FFA Week is one of the most meaningful times as an FFA member. It is a week when we as an organization come together to prove the importance of agriculture in some of the most original and wackiest ways possible. A week of pure fun!

            For us ladies on the team, our FFA week began at Grange Youth Leadership Conference at Camp Caraway. There, we spent the weekend with some great youth doing different activities and sharing lessons on leadership and teamwork.

            After a day full of class on Monday (I guess we have to learn sometime), I was stoked for an early morning at Hobbton High School on Tuesday. There, an alumni chapter was officially chartered to provide essential and much needed support to their chapter! The members had the cafeteria beautifully decorated with FFA memorabilia and prepared an amazing country breakfast for the chapter, advisors, and guests. 

           After fellowship and a full stomach, the team split and Beverly and I made our way towards Southern Wayne High. With an hour or two to spare, we decided to make our rounds in the small town of Mount Olive. There’s always a Wal-Mart in sight, and so we stocked up on workshop supplies. After grabbing lunch, we visited Mount Olive College, the local Piggly Wiggly, and the Mount Olive Pickle Plant...we were definitely not your typical tourists in our official dress!

            Touring aside, we moved on to Southern Wayne. We spent a few minutes seeing what the students were working on in the shop before beginning our workshop. All of our activities from the saran wrap group obstacle course, to having to tie a string in a knot as a team, aimed to emphasize the power of leadership and teamwork.
            From Southern Wayne, we moved on to Triton High for the HarLee Federation Leadership Conference. Beverly and I chose the theme of “In Your Heart” for our workshop, and had a great time writing thank you notes alongside the members. We certainly had a lot of people to thank after all these amazing visits, not to mention two of the boys from Triton. They pledged that if at least 50 members came to the event, they would shave their heads...you can tell by the photo that the turnout was successful. What devotion to the FFA!

           A busy Tuesday over, Beverly, Caroline, and I traveled to West Montgomery for a full day of activities on Wednesday. We wanted to give the kids a little taste of FFA opportunities and the value of teamwork. We saw their pigs and goats, did some pretty awesome egg drops, and completed word scrambles. After a great day spent with all three of their classes, we grabbed some pizza and homemade cupcakes before heading back to Raleigh.

            My FFA week activities ended with possibly one of the most fulfilling activities state officers get to participate in. On Friday, Hannah, Beverly, Alyssa and I joined Mr. Davis on the long trek to Columbia High and Middle School. There, we not only got a chance to see the awesome new welding booths and greenhouse, but we also got to spend some time with members sharing ideas and opportunities within the FFA. As soon as we arrived, we got all of the middle school members together to sign their official charter. At the end of the day, we did the same with the high school members. It seems like something so simple, and happens so quickly, but the chartering of an FFA chapter means that others value agriculture and leadership, and wish to pass it on to future generations.
          This is what FFA week is all about. Yes, it’s a good excuse to dress crazy or drive a muddy truck or tractor to school, but it is also an amazing opportunity to advocate for FFA. More than half a million members all across the country, all sharing their stories and building memories for a lifetime, all in one week...pretty amazing, huh?!