The 89th Pennsylvania FFA State Convention

FFA members work on assembling an arrangement during the Floriculture CDE.

The 89th Pennsylvania FFA State Convention and Activities Week was held at Penn State University from June 11th through the 14th. Throughout the week, Pennsylvania FFA members attended the convention to compete in various Career Development Events and Leadership Development Events (CDE's and LDE's), discuss delegate issues, and interview and select the new 2018 - 2019 Pennsylvania FFA Officer Team.

Penn State Teach Ag was well-represented as the Teach Ag! Avengers ran two different workshops for FFA members during the week, a new addition to the programming at State Convention. These workshops were titled, "Exploring Careers in Agriculture" and "Promoting Your Chapter Through Digital Storytelling; with each workshop respectively aimed at allowing students to explore their own career path and utilizing digital media to help build the stories of their own FFA chapters. Many of our upcoming student teachers took this opportunity to spend the week with their soon-to-be cooperating programs as well.

Trey Elizondo with the Nittany Lion Shrine.

We had the honor of having a past National Officer as a guest and keynote speaker during State Convention, Mr. Trey Elizondo. Last year he served as the National Western Region Vice President. He spent the week with PA FFA members, visited CDE's, took a tour of campus, and spent some time with Penn State AEE students. His keynote address inspired FFA members to let the fear in their lives take the back seat in order for them achieve their goals and have the unique experiences afforded to them.

Student success is always an incredible thing to see, and this year was no exception. Awards were given for CDE's and LDE's, special recognition and thanks given to those who make the Pennsylvania FFA and State Convention possible, and students at Penn State were able to recognize those who took the steps to fill the shoes of their own agricultural teachers for a day with the Teach Ag! Essay Contest ran by LEAD Society at Penn State.

Samuel Loy (Right), and his brother Andy Loy (Left).

We are very proud to announce that one of our own members of Penn State Teach Ag, Samuel Loy, was selected to serve as the 2018 - 2019 State Reporter. Under his new duty he will be representing and serving almost 13,000 FFA members across the Commonwealth.

Sam comes from the Greenwood FFA Chapter in Millerstown, Pennsylvania, where has was a high school FFA member and eventual president of the Greenwood chapter in the 2016 - 2017 year. He started at Penn State this past year, majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education, also serving as a member of the Teach Ag! Avengers and a brother of Alpha Zeta. He said what he is most excited for is to, "get the opportunity to impact students the same way state officers have impacted me". He's looking forward to all the new people he'll be able to meet, and he's already excited to be at the ACES conference in the spring. We are all beyond proud of him as he begins his journey as a state officer and dedicates himself to a year of service to Pennsylvania FFA members.

The new 2018 -2019 State Officer team is as follows (From L to R):

Treasurer: Abigail Yoder from Central Columbia

Chaplain: Millena Bashore from Northern Lebanon

Reporter: Samuel Loy from Greenwood

Vice President: Jacob Kinzer from East Juniata

Sentinal: Roarke Miller from Little Dutchmen

President: Jenna Harnish from Athens

Secretary: Morgan Bear from Big Spring

We wish them all luck as they dedicate the next year of their lives to the service of FFA members across the Commonwealth!

Hunter Kauffman

Team Leader, @TeachAgPSU Communications

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

College of Agricultural Sciences

2013 Teach Ag! Society Essay Event Results

Austin Young
 and 2013 student teacher Mackenzie McCollum

The Teach Ag! Society essay contest has been a part of the Pennsylvania State FFA Convention for the past four years. Students entering the contest must plan, design, and teach a lesson about agriculture to an agricultural class of their choice. Their teacher helps them with their lesson plan and guides them along the process of being a teacher for a class. The student then has to write an essay about their experiences during the process. To enter the contest the student submits their essay, lesson plan and pictures, which are graded by a group of selected individuals at Penn State. The top four contestants are announced before the State Convention registration then the final placing is announced at the Pennsylvania State Convention in June.

Facilitators at the Wii Night after the announcement of the winners

This past June, the contest saw a record number of participants with 45 applications sent in. Meagan Slates, Presidents of the Teach Ag! Society, was in charge of the essay contest this year. She comments that “A lot of the feedback that was given in the essays was that the students really looked up to their teachers and wanted to give it a try. I was surprised at the repeat number of participants from last year. With the help of their teachers most of the students really enjoyed teaching a class. All the students essays were great and choosing a winner was really difficult!” Meagan is a senior in Agriculture Education and as she enjoys advocating for agricultural education, she thinks that getting students excited about teaching is really important.

Some of the students entered the essay contest because they wanted the experience teaching or they wanted to see what it felt like to be in their teachers shoes. Regardless of the reason the students entered the contest, they definitely learned a lot about the teaching process.

Austin Young teaching the class

Austin Young, from Central Columbia High School is the first place winner this year. This is an excerpt from his winning essay:

“Agricultural education is vital to our nation’s youth because it teaches students 21^st century thinking skills which will aid them in being more employable in today’s increasingly competitive career market. In order for one to realize how agriculture affects every facet of society, agricultural literacy at an early age is essential. That is why society needs innovative, agricultural educators within our school systems.” 

Austin said that entering the contest gave him an opportunity to explore the career and was supported by his teachers Mr. Doug Brown, Mr. Curtis Turner, and his student teacher at the time Ms Mackenzie McCollum. Winning, he said has “reassured me that the career of being an Ag educator is one of the most important jobs in a society that would not be able to make it through one day without agriculture.” He also pointed out again that there is a shortage of agricultural educators nationwide and the need for Ag educators is more important now than ever. “ That is why this contest is so important. It gives students the opportunity to see what it is like to be an agricultural educator, which will hopefully propel them into a career of teaching America’s youth about agriculture.”

Katie McLaughlin and Victoria Herr in their
Teach Ag! shirts from the essay contest.

Victoria Herr, a senior at Penn Mannor High School, entered the contest because she wants to be an agricultural teacher some day. She thought that by entering the contest she would get a good feel for what being a teacher requires from an individual. “This contest taught me a lot about the skills needed to be a teacher such as writing good lesson plans, keeping the students engaged, and being prepared to answer any questions they may have. It also taught me that not all students are on the same learning level and as an ag teacher you must ensure that everyone is following along at a good pace for themselves”. 

Another student, Katie McLaughlin from Juniata High School entered the contest because at one point she had wanted to be an agricultural teach but her plans have changed. Although Katie will not be a teacher she will “always be teaching in the form of avocation.” Katie also said that the contest taught her a lot about what agricultural teachers do. Her teacher at Juniata is a part of a one teacher program with 110 kids to keep track of. She also has 11 different classes to teach in an 8 period day, all with different lesson plans. “I believe all teachers face challenges and we as students need to realize that our teachers truly want what is best for us. The essay made me realize how much Mrs. Morgan cares and it taught me to say thank you for everything she has done for our program.”

The top four winners of this years event were:
1st Place Austin Young, Central Columbia HS,
2nd place Amber Gabel, Newport High School,
3rd Place Lisa Boltz, Northern Lebanon High School, and
4th Place Victoria Daltroff, North West Area High School.

Meagan Slates wishes to continue increasing the contests and hopes to break the 45 entry record next year. Please keep an eye out to be ready to participate and apply next year! The Nation Needs You!

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog!

Jeanne Case

Student Blogger

2014 Dover HS Student Teacher

Twitter: JRose_Case

The Road Ahead: What It Means to Be A NOC by guest blogger Matthew Dodson

The FFA jacket that Matt will
wear during his candidacy

[Editor's Note: We are proud to have the 2013 Pennsylvania FFA National Officer Candidate, Matt Dodson, share about his opportunity to run for National FFA Office]

At the end of June the Pennsylvania FFA Association held their 84^th State Convention on the campus of Penn State University.  It was there that I received the honor of representing Pennsylvania FFA as the 2013 National Officer Candidate.  What exactly is a National Officer Candidate?  Every state has the opportunity to send one person each year to the National FFA Convention to run for a position on the National FFA Officer team.  Each candidate must go through an intense interview process which includes personal interviews, writing exercises, stand and deliver speeches, among other tasks.  At the end of the interview process, SIX candidates are chosen to represent the National FFA Organization for the next year.

[To Learn more about the National FFA Officer Selection Process, visit: https://www.ffa.org/FFAResources/NOSelection/Pages/default.aspx ]
 

Until October, I will be spending plenty of time preparing for the process.  I will be going through practice interviews, meeting with business and industry leaders, and learning as much FFA knowledge as I possibly can.  In fact, from July 17th to the 21st I traveled to Green Bay, Wisconsin to attend the FFA Alumni Development Conference getting to know some awesome FFA Alumni members and gaining skills to better advocate for the FFA Organization.  

So the big question is WHY do I want to become a National Officer…this is a question that a person should ask themselves when making any decision or pursuing any dream they may have.  To me being a National FFA Officer is an opportunity to serve.  This is something that is at the center of my passions and life principles.  Let me paint a picture of what this looks like and why it is so important.  One weekend I helped to chaperone our youth group's trip to Baltimore, Maryland to attend a Christian conference.  After attending one of the evening sessions, a youth whose name is Cesar had with him some leftovers from his meal that night.  While we were walking, he noticed that there was a homeless man sitting along the sidewalk not too far ahead.  Realizing that the man needed those leftovers more than he did, Cesar went up to the man and offered him the food.  Immediately the man rejected his offer.  Disappointed Cesar walked away wondering why the man had not accepted the gift.  This young man had what I call a heart of service; meaning that when he sees someone in need he does what he can to help out in a loving way.  It did not matter that his act of service was rejected; the important thing is that it was offered.  Too often, we forget what service means. 

In the FFA Organization, our motto states in the last line, "Living to Serve".  My heart of service is in representing FFA members and doing my best to provide them with quality opportunities to improve their lives and their future.  As we look to the future we face many challenges.  These young people need as much encouragement, support and mentorship as we can realistically provide them.  I strongly believe that each one of us has the opportunity and ability to make a difference.  Our heart of service determines where we make that difference.  So why do I desire to serve as a National FFA Officer?  My heart of service goes out to helping these young people strive to be the best they can be.  I believe in mentoring and supporting the future leaders of tomorrow...FFA members!

Alumni Development Conference-
Matt travels to various events as a NOC

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog! 

Matthew Dodson 

Guest Blogger

2013 Pennsylvania National

 Officer Candidate 

A PSU Teach Ag! view of the 84th Pennsylvania State FFA Convention

FFA Symbol

State Activity Days at Penn State is a time where secondary Agricultural Education students who are FFA members come together in State College to show off their skills in over 20 different Career Development Events (CDEs) while networking with other students and teachers from across the commonwealth. It is a time to make new friends, learn about other CDEs, and see what different chapters do for fun, fundraising and study techniques. FFA state conventions help to keep the agricultural industry close knit. I know from personal experience that meeting different people at State FFA Convention increased my network of agricultural industry colleagues. While at Penn State in the College of Agricultural Sciences, I recognize a lot of people and their chapter names, which I would not have if I had not attended states and been willing to meet new people.

This past June was the 84^th Pennsylvania State Convention. Just as any other conference, it took a lot of work and volunteers to make sure that the convention ran smoothly. Teachers from across the state chair different CDEs  and  individuals in the industry, teachers, or college students judge the contests. Penn State Agricultural Education majors, and members of the student organizations Collegiate FFA and TeachAg! Society are highly encouraged to help out during activities week. One student, Cassidy Cheddar, a junior at Penn State, spent her time helping with the Floriculture CDE, where she helped with the identification portion and other tasks that needed done. This work at the State Convention helped her to realize that the Agricultural Education major was where she really belonged.  Cassidy told me that while she was there she talked with some of the FFA members and teachers. She was re-inspired by the students desire to learn and it caused her to reconsider what she REALLY wanted to major in. Cassidy talked to people that she respected in the same major, cementing her decision to return to Agricultural Education.  Carly Schaffer, another junior Agricultural Education major, helped out as well. Carly did not have FFA in her high school and was not exposed to it until she attended Penn State! Her overall impression of the week was that “It was amazing to see how people pulled together in such a mass amount of energy for the common goal of agriculture, it was pretty inspiring! I left feeling mad that my high school had not given me that opportunity.” Carly also had an interesting misconception of the general session in the auditorium, she thought that they were going to go there to worship corn, but after seeing what happened she was in awe with all the different Career Development Events that the students could get involved in.  She left the week feeling less stressed because she felt like the experience helped to guide her with ideas about what her future curriculum could hold. The college students that help out with State Activity Days really get a lot out of the experience as well as the high school students.

As future educators it is important to make sure that everything is set up and well planned for State FFA Convention, but it is also important to be reminded about why all that effort is being put into three simple days. The high school students learn a lot during the week, even if some of them look like they are just goofing off.  Steph Yoder from Central Columbia High School went to states this year to better herself in the Interview CDE. She had never gone through an actual interview before so it was a good experience for her and she learned what she needed to improve on. This can help her out after she graduates and needs to look for a job and go through a real interview process. During the week her favorite part at the State Convention was making new friends from all over the state and she learned “that even though we are all separate chapters across the state, we all have something in common and I think that is something important. In our individual chapter we need to support each other because we are all looking to improve ourselves.”

Samantha Bliss and other delegates discuss state issues. 

Every student has a different experience at the State Convention. Samantha Bliss from Mount Union Area High School has attended States since she joined FFA in eighth grade.  She participated in a variety of CDEs that ranged from Dairy Judging, public speaking, interview and ended her senior year as a delegate on a board to debate issues for the FFA association. “I know that the input that I provided during these meetings helped make a different in PA FFA and am sure that these changes will go a long way toward improving my chapter as well.” She also said that every year she makes unforgettable memories, but her favorite memory from this year’s convention was seeing the new state officer team elected that included six of her closest friends she met over the years through FFA.

The Pennsylvania State Activity days are important to everyone as they allow for personal and professional growth for all involved. The high school students, college students and teachers all learn a little from each other and focus their energies towards making it possible for it to happen year after year.

The 2013-2014 Newly Elected State Officer Team

 To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog! 

Jeanne Case

Student Blogger

2014 Dover HS Student Teacher

Twitter: JRose_Case