Hillsboro Future Farmers attend state conference
Leaders of 24 FFA chapters from across Kansas, including the Hillsboro FFA Chapter attended the second session of the 48th Annual State FFA Conference for Chapter Leaders, July 10-12, 2006.
The conference was held at Barton County Community College and Camp Aldrich in Great Bend, Kan.
The conference kicked off with the theme of Be the Brand of Leadership and engaged students from across the state to discover their own potential as well as that of other members in their chapter. The leadership built and service learned with hands on application will help the chapter officers lead their fellow members in the upcoming year.
Just as cowboys must step up and succeed at the many different aspects of their trade, leaders must be willing to step up and take on new challenges in order to improve their organization. During the conference, presented by the 2006-2007 Kansas FFA State Officer Team, the leaders were able to build their leadership skills and help them fulfill the roles they were elected to fulfill in their chapter. The first day of the conference was spent learning the duties of their respective office as well as how they can serve as role models for their chapter members and lead their chapters with purpose over the coming year. That evening, students participated in the ABLE ropes course at Camp Aldrich, where they challenged one another to build communication skills, use teamwork, and develop trust.
The second day, students had the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of how to successfully operate their chapter. They participated in workshops that develop accountability and follow through. The students also had the opportunity to gain practical information that they can take back to their chapters in areas such as planning chapter meetings, using parliamentary procedure, public speaking, and chapter fundraising.
The students were then able to put their leadership into action, performing service learning activities at the Great Bend homeless shelter and soup kitchen. Students assisted with renovations and improvements to the facility. Other students had the opportunity to work with the local meals-on-wheels program.
The final day of the conference was spent learning how to apply the knowledge and skills they had gained at SCCL back in their home chapters with workshops on planning chapter activities and developing a chapter vision to engage all members
State FFA President, Dalton Henry said, "I saw 24 amazing teams of chapter officers come together and grow as individual leaders and as a team this week. The knowledge and skills that they gained at this conference will help them to help their chapters grow and succeed over the next year."
The State Conference for Chapter Leaders is presented by the Kansas FFA State Officer Team, the Kansas FFA Association, the Kansas State University Department of Secondary Education, and the Kansas Department of Education.
The Kansas FFA Association is part the National FFA Organization and has 6,981 student members preparing for careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture in 165 local chapters across the state. FFA strives to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. Visit www.ksffa.org for more information.
