Six Abby FFA members attend nationals
Six members of the Abbotsford FFA chapter and their advisor attended the 94th annual National FFA Convention, which was held from Oct. 27-30 in Indianapolis, Ind. Those attending the event were Aaron Dukelow, Khloe Frahmann, Abby Hovland, Jesse Kulesa, Kara Larson, Halie VanLuven, and advisor John Slipek. The members traveled to the conference with students and advisors from Amherst, Athens, Gilman, Medford and Mosinee with Krug Bus Company from Medford.
While traveling to the convention, the group had the opportunity to tour Heartland Farms in Hancock and Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Heartland Farms is a large 27,000-acre farm where 8,000 acres of potatoes are grown, and the Shedd Aquarium, a large indoor aquarium, is located near Lake Michigan and has on exhibit over 32,000 types of fish and other aquatic life from all over the world.
While at the convention, students had the opportunity to attend two general sessions under the leadership of the six national FFA officers. Each session featured guest speakers, award presentations, entertainment by the national FFA band and chorus members, recognition of sponsors and student achievement recognition. The Career Expo featured many companies promoting their products and colleges offering information on their programs. Also, many workshops were held on topics related to FFA activities.
The FFA is the largest youth organization at the high school level, where students from grade seven through the age of 19 can participate.
Over 60,000 members, parents, and guests attended the convention this year held at the Lucas Oil Stadium and Convention Center. Students in the FFA can participate in activities at the local, state and national levels. Students from every state were in attendance at the convention.
Of the many highlights at the convention, the biggest was Cortney Zimmerman from the Spencer FFA, selected as the Central Region National Vice President. Zimmerman served as state vice president this year and chose to run for the officer where only six students from throughout the United States are selected to represent the entire FFA members over 725,000 members. She will have a busy year, representing the FFA by giving speeches, making decisions, traveling, attending state conventions, meeting members from across the United States and planning for next year’s 95th convention.
