LoyaL FFA chapter tries to keep things normal in a strange year

This year has been anything but ordinary – I’m sure many can attest to that! But, the one thing that has kept us all from going crazy, is trying to keep some of the same norms and routines from previous years. Of course, the ways we proceeded with certain activities have changed, but that didn’t make them any less exciting.

As we FFA officers went into the 2020-21 academic school year, we weren’t exactly sure what to expect. Were membership numbers going to drastically change? What about fundraising? There were many unresolved questions that no one had the answers to. But that didn’t stop us from starting the year off with Officer Retreat.

Instead of going to Fort McCoy for several days, we decided to have a camp-out in our advisor’s yard. As for the team bonding exercises and planning events for the year, not much changed – we just buckled down and got right to business with what time we had. With the uncertainty of not knowing what would be allowed for trips and activities, we erred on the side of caution – but still had lots we wanted to accomplish. The first thing on our list: Fruit Sale.

Fruit Sale was for sure a “go.” With membership numbers down from last year and with the pandemic, we didn’t push our sellers to sell door-to-door, as we have many other years. The new thing with this year was that buyers could order online – which was convenient for everyone involved. Even though we weren’t expecting record numbers, we sold our highest dollar amount in fruit!!

As the first half of our year progressed, we continued on with the yearly FFA State Officer visit. This year, we got to attend a virtual visit with our State Vice President, Courtney Zimmerman. We discussed COVID-friendly events and activities, and certain ways to reach out to members in a safe way. We also hosted a viewing event during National FFA Convention. Members got a chance to see what happens at National FFA Convention and will hopefully be inspired to attend in person in the future.

As FFA week approaches, we are trying to make the best out of what we can – which is what our yearly theme has become to be!.Overall, this experience is something I’ve definitely learned from, and will use the ability to adapt to changes quickly for the rest of my life!