WEST ALEXANDRIA — National FFA Week kicked off on Saturday, Feb. 22, but Twin Valley South Miami Valley Career Technology Center (MVCTC) FFA Chapter members began their celebrations Monday, Feb. 24, with dress-up days, which included the entire high school and middle school population.
Other celebrations included:
•Find the Emblem, where an FFA Emblem is hidden throughout the school and students are tasked with locating it.
•Teacher’s appreciation luncheon to thank them for their service and support. FFA Chapter members who participated throughout the week are encouraged to join in as well.
For FFA Advisor Alison Derringer, it is important to celebrate FFA Week with the entire school, in the hopes that they will then understand the importance of FFA. She also highlighted her chapter members by having them plan the week from “start to finish.”
“We are the largest student organization at South and I want the school to see kids doing the actual work behind the week — they planned everything from start to finish. You don’t see that very often, so that is very cool,” she said. “We started in 1928, so with our history, FFA Week is important [to celebrate that], show agriculture, and bring it to life.
“A lot of my kids don’t come from a farm, they come from a non-rural background, they either live in the city or not on a farm. So, a lot of them, having that presence to say, ‘Hey, you don’t have to be a traditional Ag kid to participate or be active and successful in our chapter.’”
She hoped her students would realize the magnitude of the chapter and the entire FFA Organization through celebrating FFA Week. She also appreciated the opportunity to thank the school and community for their support.
“We greatly appreciate the support of the community throughout the years,” she added. “We look forward to continuing to give back to the school and community.”
Junior Lucille Keener enjoyed seeing the entire school participate in the dress-up days.
“Seeing people have their different views and different ways of raising awareness in their outfits,” she said. “It is important to celebrate FFA Week so everybody knows agriculture and FFA isn’t just about farming, there is way more to it. Everyone should be educated on it, because it can really improve your everyday life.”
Senior Ren McGuire liked seeing the creativity expressed throughout the week. He felt it was important to celebrate the week as a way to recognize the impact of agriculture in everyday life.
“We need to give thanks and appreciate how much work actually goes into agriculture and how much it provides for us in our lives,” he said.
