By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Seven premier FFA chapters from Illinois, Ohio and Indiana have been named “top ten” finalists for this week’s FFA National Convention Chapter Award program, in “Growing Leaders,” “Building Communities,” “Strengthening Agriculture” and “Model of Excellence” categories. The high school FFA chapters (along with nomination categories) within this region include Goreville FFA of Illinois (Growing Leaders, Building Communities, Model of Excellence); Hope FFA of Indiana (Growing Leaders); Miami East MVCTC FFA of Ohio (Growing Leaders); Ridgemont FFA of Ohio (Growing Leaders, Strengthening Agriculture); St. Marys FFA of Ohio (Building Communities); Tri-Point FFA of Illinois (Strengthening Agriculture); and Waterloo FFA of Illinois (Model of Excellence). Selected from 677 national finalist applications, these chapters will join 38 other middle- and high-school FFA chapters in Indianapolis to present their projects to a panel of judges. All 45 chapters will be recognized onstage, with a winner selected from each division. In Goreville, members of the high school FFA placed under “Growing Leaders” with their “Screen Free for a Better Me” campaign, and in the “Building Communities” category for their “Living to Serve” initiative – making this one of just two chapters to place in two 2018 top ten categories. The chapter also earned an overall “Model of Excellence” nomination. Chapter members and their instructor, Jeff Robinson, said they were personally enriched by their experiences with both programs and felt they were beneficial to their small southern Illinois community. “We interviewed 20 local veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the war in Vietnam to put their recollections in a book,” said Robinson, whose father served in Vietnam. “The kids were really taken aback by a lot of the veterans’ stories. “The book revolves around these veterans in our town and their service and accomplishments. Some told us about combat and some told us other interesting stories. We also wanted the book to serve as a ‘welcome home’ to our Vietnam veterans that they never received.” Hallie Grensell, a 17-year-old senior at Goreville High School, said participating was “an extremely rewarding experience. “In town I work at a pizza place and all the veterans come in wearing their Vietnam or Korea hats, and you thank them for their service and they thank you back – but they never tell their stories. We decided we needed to tell their stories, especially the Vietnam vets,” she explained. The Hometown Heroes publishing company printed the book, with the cost absorbed by a local bank. The kids have maintained a relationship with many of the veterans, some of whom are past Goreville High and FFA graduates who saw action in Vietnam and elsewhere. To begin Goreville’s “Screen Free for a Better Me” project, surveys were distributed to local schoolchildren to gain knowledge of how many hours of actual daily screen time they absorb. Expecting a high-end response of 4-5 hours per day, chapter members were surprised to learn that the average daily screen time in their region was 10-11 hours among middle and high school-aged students. The FFA came up with a PowerPoint presentation detailing the proven harmful effects of too much screen time when combined with a reduction in “outdoor time” and exercise. They also developed fun, interpersonal games and exercises that helped coax area youth from behind their screens to engage in social skill-building and group play. “The kids practiced how to better interact in a face-to-face way,” said Grensell. “Many are not ‘present in the present’ anymore.” Free reads for kids Miami East High School FFA, of Casstown, Ohio, will be recognized for the 18th consecutive year at the convention in its National Chapter Award program. The chapter was selected as a 2018 top ten finalist in the “Growing Leaders” category for its “Little Free Libraries for Rural Readers” program – in which members converted retired coin-operated newspaper boxes into colorful and attractive free “libraries” that were distributed to seven locations within the school district. Twenty-two Miami East FFA members were involved in repurposing the old newspaper boxes by removing their coin mechanisms, sanding any rough surfaces and decorating the boxes. All seven boxes, all uniquely designed and fully stocked, are now in service to the community. “This is a very small, wonderful community with supportive parents, school staff and community members; we are very blessed,” said Miami East FFA advisor Marie Carity. “When we find there is a need, everyone jumps on board. We talked with our scholarship committee about how some of our kids don’t have access to books beyond the school library because we live in a school district without a public library. “We thought that we could give them access to a free library book exchange, so we approached several community members for pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade books, got the boxes donated by the local newspaper and applied for a grant to help cover the supplies. We quickly collected over 400 books from community members to begin the libraries, and they are now all over the school district.” To follow through, members developed a reading program at the nearby elementary school and volunteered to read to area toddlers and other youngsters. “It was a wonderful opportunity for our kids to be able to mentor younger kids,” said Carity – a sentiment shared by Miami East FFA seniors Kylie Blair and Liza Bair. “I didn’t realize how many younger students didn’t have access to a library outside of school hours,” said Blair. “The closest is 10 or 15 minutes’ driving distance. I have always had a great passion for reading, and I am sure that some of the district’s younger students feel the same, so this is a way to get them books even when school is not in session.” Bair added, “It is special to us to bring our chapter a top ten nomination this year. As an underclassman, it was always the older (members) doing great things and leading projects. When we first built these boxes, we didn’t realize how popular they were going to be. “Now we are looking forward to this (National FFA panel) interview, and if we were to win top honors, that would be amazing.” To learn more about the 91st National FFA Convention & Expo taking place this week in Indianapolis, visit https://convention.ffa.org |
