Slinger, Wi – This year the Slinger High School FFA sent seven members to the 96th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. About 70,000 FFA members attended, from all of the 50 states, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
While there Slinger High School students were able to network with FFA members, explore future colleges, and meet with tons of agriculture related businesses. Listed below is a small paragraph written by the attendees explaining their experiences.
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Written by: Kate Dornacker
The National Convention is such an amazing experience where you get to meet people from all over the nation. I really enjoyed going to the general sessions and seeing the national officers lead the sessions on the stage. It was really cool to be able to walk into a stadium that large and see all the members wearing the same blue jacket I was wearing. I also enjoyed the expo, and shopping in between sessions. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and plan to go again in the future.
Written by: Paige Jambura
If I had the chance to tell my whole story about the convention it would take forever as this trip was truly unlike any other. Through this amazing opportunity I was able to make new friends and experience so many new and exciting things. A few highlights would definitely include dancing in the crowds of people before the sessions, jamming out to music in the car as other chapters passed and danced along, the silly hotel shenanigans that nobody can seem to bring up without laughing, and so much more. Needless to say, the National Convention trip is definitely worth the ride.
Written by: Megan Mosgaller
In the movie Inside Out there are core memories, the National Convention is a core memory for me. From the thousands of national blue jackets to the millions of memories made, I will never forget Nationals. Our second stop on the way down to Indianapolis we stopped at Harden Ranch, a bison ranch in Illinois. This is where our group came up to our little “Tatonka” (meaning Buffalo) chant. I shared many laughs with what I now consider some of my closest friends as well as learned many new things, like Georgia’s top commodity is no longer peaches, it is peanuts. All in all, Nationals will forever and always be one of my favorite core memories.
Written by: Niko Burns
I was in awe when I first walked into the Lucas Oil Stadium and saw the sea of thousands of blue jackets. I’m beyond thankful for the opportunity to go this year. I will never forget this trip.
Written by: Wyatt Merten
From seeing a week-old Bison to the beautiful sea of blue FFA Jackets, this was a wonderful experience to go into my senior year. I will never forget all of the memories I made while being there. From Niko kicking butt in boxing on his VR to playing Cards against Humanity with two other state chapters at 9:30 p.m. at night when we were all exhausted. All of this ties back to the FFA by us making new friends and creating memories with each other and other chapters.
Written by: Liv Strupp
I will never forget the 96th Annual National Convention. My absolute favorite part was making new friends. I now have friends in Colorado, Georgia, and Washington. I will never forget the connections I made. I also became a lot closer with the people in my chapter. Everyone I talked to during this trip has not only become a memory, but they have become a part of who I am. This has deepened my love for agriculture greatly. Hearing the different colleges, like South Dakota State University and Tennessee, talk about their agriculture programs with great passion filled me with so much love.
Written by: Noah McMeeken
National convention was an experience of a lifetime. I met so many new people and made so many new friends from so many different states. I learned so much from this convention like how to run a business at an entrepreneurship workshop, seeing how many different businesses and colleges care about FFA and agriculture.
Slinger FFA is taught by Lillia Janz. Slinger H.S. students are publishing articles about their FFA course. If you would like to contribute your education article, contact judy@washingtoncountyinsider.com
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