Out & About: Waitsburg FFA has a busy time in Indiana

WAITSBURG-Six Waitsburg FFA members, dressed in their official FFA dress, jumped on a 5:00 a.m. flight from Walla Walla to Chicago last Monday. The students were headed to Indianapolis for the 92nd National FFA Convention, to represent the Waitsburg Chapter. From staying at an upscale hotel in Chicago, to participating in the National Day of Service, the members were busy! The attending members wanted to share their experiences with you.

"Chicago was a lot of fun," FFA Advisor Nicole Abel said. "We stayed at the Embassy Suites on the Magnificent Mile, and it was a great experience. It was a great opportunity to watch and learn different etiquettes, especially during dinner. The kids got to talk to a lot of people about their official dress, and where they were going." Their stay in Chicago provided the students opportunities that aren't so easy to have around here. 

This past week, five other FFA members and myself  went to the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis. We flew into Chicago for two days and saw some very cool monuments like the Trump Tower, the Bean, and Chicago 360 where we looked over Chicago! We also tried Chicago's famous deep dish pizza. When we got to Indianapolis we attended the FFA mega store, the FFA expo, theNational FFA Center, a National Chapter awards dinner, and an Old  Dominion concert. Throughout all of this, my favorite part was attending the National FFA Expo. We got to meet so many new people from around the United States and learned lots of new things from them! I am so thankful for the opportunity, and the experience!-Chloe Gleason

The Waitsburg FFA members got to experience a very emotional and important moment at the session they attended. This year marks the 50th anniversary of women in FFA, and FFA Alumni reenacted the meeting where the motion was made, and passed, to allow women to dress in National Blue and Corn Yellow and participate in the FFA. One of the people who actually helped make the motion was present and played their original role in the skit. 

"I never really thought much about it," said Abel, "but if it weren't for that motion, I never would have experienced FFA. It was pretty neat to be taken back to the very moment that made this all possible."

My trip to the National FFA Convention was an amazing experience for others and myself. Our adventure started with spending two days in Chicago. We landed in Chicago and went straight to get a rental car. Next, we were off to the hotel so we could explore Chicago. The first night we walked around going into a few stores and taking pictures. The next morning we woke up early to explore more of Chicago. First, we went to Millennium Park to get a picture in front of the Cloud Gate. Next, we explored the Museum of Science and Industry and the John Hancock building where we got to try the tilted windows. The next morning we woke up very early to drive to Indianapolis where we would attend National Convention. While we were at Convention we walked through the FFA megastore, the expo center, watched CCM (Conduct of Chapter) finals, a leadership workshop, and attended dinner for national chapter, and the National FFA Center. There were many memories made throughout the week and they will stay with us for the rest of our lives and I am very grateful." -Alexis Reeves

The members volunteered for the National Day of Service, which is a National FFA Organization sponsored day of community service. All chapters that attend the convention are encouraged to participate. The Waitsburg FFA volunteered to help disassemble the competitions that occurred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, like the Environmental and Natural Resources Career Development Event. In this event, participants compete in all weather conditions, to demonstrate their GPS skills, wildlife conservation, soil science and water management skills. The competition includes an oral report and written statements of the findings, just like the professionals do in the industry.  After the National Day of Service, they took a tour of the fairgrounds.

"The Indiana State Fair is a 17-day event. They run 800 animals through the sale ring a day. The size of the operation and how they run it is just amazing," said Abel.

Nationals was one of the best experiences of my life so far. The whole week we were there we were all making memories we will remember for a lifetime. Whether it was doing all the touristy things or if it was the workshops we attended learning how to become better leaders, or making new friends and meeting new people the whole trip was fun. I also enjoyed seeing new places and getting a change of scenery. Personally, my favorite part of the trip was traveling to another part of the country and seeing new things and just being immersed into different cultures and seeing something new. The week started with us traveling to Chicago for two days. In Chicago, we visited the Museum of Science and Industry, and the John Hancock building. Then we traveled to Indianapolis. On the first day in Indy, we visited the Expo and the different vendors, later that evening we went and saw Old Dominion which was a blast. The second day in Indy we went to session which was really cool. We then went back to Expo to see even more of it because there was just so much. Friday was our last full day there. We started the day participating in the national day of service where we went to the Indiana State Fairgrounds and helped tear down an event they held the previous weekend. After that we went back to expo one last time to look at everything we missed. Saturday, we traveled back home. -McKellyn Bradham

One of the biggest highlights of the trip was watching the Asotin FFA compete in the Conduct of Chapter event. Participants in the Conduct of Chapter demonstrate official opening and closing ceremonies, and five movements of parliamentary procedure. Not only were the students excited to watch familiar faces at the National Level, but they also showed enthusiasm that Abel is excited to see go back home.

On our trip we saw many things from the Trump Tower and the giant bean in Chicago to the National FFA headquarters and the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The memories made were ones that will last a lifetime. I also tried Chick- Fil-a  for the first time. We also worked at the Indiana state fairgrounds on national day of service. It was cool to see the livestock barns and to hear the story behind their fair. When we were in Chicago we also went to a museum which was cool to learn about flying and to see all the cool models of stuff. While in Indianapolis we also attended an Old Dominion concert that was really fun. It was sad when we had to leave and I can't wait to make more memories with good friends and fellow FFA members. -Caleb Barron

"The ride home was memorable," Abel laughed. "Everything that could possibly go wrong short of crashing, went wrong. We had bad weather, delayed flights, and tired teenagers. Some of them hadn't been on a plane before this, but I told them they qualify as seasoned travelers now. We ended up travelling over 25 hours, and parents had to pick us up in Pasco."

The FFA members would like to thank Dean Wass for chaperoning the trip. The members would also like to thank all their sponsors, and all the community members who supported their fundraising efforts. 

"Nationals is such a great experience. I look forward to taking members in the future, hopefully to compete. The kids that went, came home with a great amount of enthusiasm, and I am really excited to see them apply that within the chapter," Abel said.