Slinger, WI – Slinger High School FFA Chapter of Slinger, Wisconsin had an exceptional week in Indianapolis, Indiana for the 95th annual National FFA Convention & Expo. Members were in attendance Saturday, October 22 through Saturday, October 29, 2022.
The Slinger FFA earned on-stage recognition as a 3-Star National Chapter. This puts them among the top 3% of 8,817 chapters across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands.
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To demonstrate this achievement, local chapters must provide a minimum of 15 engaging learning activities for the membership each year in 3 independent areas of interest: Growing Leaders, Building Communities, and Strengthening Agriculture. Past FFA President, Paul Loosen and current FFA President, Abigail Wolf, accepted this honor on the chapter’s behalf.
Benjamin McMeeken was officially recognized as a National Finalist and top 4 in the nation in the SAE Proficiency Area of Agricultural Education. Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) are individual, student-led projects that members grow and improve over their years of membership to develop skills for future personal and professional success.
For his SAE, Ben developed and implemented curriculum at Slinger Elementary and Middle School to improve agricultural literacy in 2nd, 4th, and 6-8th graders. Ben is currently a freshman at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls, majoring in Agricultural Education.
Allison Loosen was selected to play the trumpet for the National FFA Band for the second year in a row. A product of our strong music program here at Slinger, she further auditioned upon arrival in Indianapolis and was selected as a drum major.
The National FFA Band and Choir could be seen performing multiple times a day around town and at Lucas Oil Stadium as part of the general sessions for members, chapters, and supporters to enjoy.
Sponsored by Kerry Foods in Jackson, the Slinger FFA Food Science Team represented Team Wisconsin in national competition. Their creation of “Cluckin’ Good Noodles,” a ready-to-eat, vegan, rice-based meal ranked them 17th in the nation and silver status. As individuals, Marie King earned gold ranking, Ben McMeeken a silver-ranking, and Cheyanne Kedinger and Megan Mosgaller a bronze ranking.
Allison Gundrum, Hope Lockstaedt, and Brooke Kiefer joined the elite 1% of FFA members to earn their American FFA Membership Degree at the 95th National Convention & Expo this year.
To reach this pinnacle of achievement, members must have active membership for at least 3 years, complete at least 3 years of agricultural education in high school and 1 year at a post-secondary institution, earn at least $10,000 in their SAE project, and complete at least 50 hours of community service.
In addition, the Slinger FFA sent 8 individuals on a charter bus with 6 different schools from the southeast Wisconsin area. Chaperoned by Slinger FFA Alumni, Lillia Janz, Abbi Wolf, Chloe Cauwels, Maddy Hess, Isabelle Gintner, Jack Gintner, Liv Strupp, Josie Ebert, and Paige Jambura were among those selected from the chapter of 184 members to represent the community in this capacity.
Members toured University Technical Institute in Lisle, Illinois, RDM Shrimp Factory in Fowler, IN, and Cornerstone Bakery in Indianapolis, IN to visualize and understand various stages of agricultural production and ideas for careers in their future. Members had the opportunity to attend student leadership workshops and network with hundreds of colleges, universities, and agricultural businesses at the convention expo. For entertainment throughout the trip, the students enjoyed the Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo and laser tag with other FFA chapters.
As an NAAE Agriscience Ambassador, Slinger FFA Advisor, Katelyn Dei, began her newest role leading teacher workshops at the National FFA Convention & Expo. She worked with fellow Agriscience Ambassadors from North Dakota, North Carolina, and Kentucky to plan and present a workshop about water pollution to other agriculture educators and professionals from around the country.
The Slinger FFA would like to thank the school and community for their support over the years. Events like this would not be possible without the support of various fundraisers throughout the year, such as the mum sale, strawberry sale, ice cream booth, and fall fruit sale – going on now.
