National FFA Convention
Thirteen members of Pierce FFA set out Monday, October 30th for the 96th Annual National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, IN. Joining them were FFA members from the Blair, Creighton, Emmerson-Hubbard, and Randolph FFA chapters. On the journey to Indianapolis the students had the opportunity to tour Hunter’s Honey Farm in Morgan County Indiana. Brody Knox said, “(Bee)ing a new beekeeper, the honey farm helped me learn more about how hard my bees work and what they do. It opened my eyes to the challenges they put themselves through just to make a small amount of honey and die. It motivated me to be a better beekeeper and to not take life for granted. The farm made me see that the bees are basically the pillars of life and that even though they create so little, they actually do so much. I am glad that I got to go to the farm because I learned and know now that I get to be part of something so big, but yet so little. I get to be the keeper of an insect that helps the world go round.
Day 1 of convention started bright and early at the Indiana Convention Center, where students attended workshops, breakout sessions, and the Agricultural Expo Center. Bailee Thelen said, “The overall National FFA experience is exciting but overwhelming at the same time and I would recommend going if you have the opportunity.” Students also had the opportunity to shop at the FFA Mall. The final event of Day 1 was the opening Session of this year's convention. The Governor of Indiana Eric Holcomb welcomed everyone to Indianapolis and the keynote speaker was Juan Bendaña. That evening the group attended the Lainey Wilson concert at Grainbridge Fieldhouse.
Day 2 of the convention included more workshops at the convention center and ending the day with a trip to “The Garage”, a local food hall that gave students the opportunity to sample some of the local food from around the region. Evelyn Skrdla said, “it was very tasty and I had never tried food like that before like Italian, Brazilian, Greek, etc”.
The students returned home on Friday, Nov. 3rd. Mr. Neal said, “It is always important to attend the National FFA Convention to give students the chance to witness the scope of FFA and for them to take advantage of the Leadership opportunities presented by the National officers and staff. It also gives them an idea of what it takes to be successful on a national level. The goal is to get more presence on the National Stage”.
The 96th National FFA Convention hosted over 69,000 FFA members and Guests. Pierce FFA intends on attending the 97th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis on October 23 – 26, 2024.
