Five FFA* Chapter members, including Central and South high school students, competed in the Employability Skills and Public Speaking Leadership Development Events (LDE) at the end of January.
Kaitlyn Elder, FFA Advisor and agriculture education teacher, makes sure leadership and growth opportunities are a part of the chapter. At the January competition, Londyn Detfelson, Eva Arb and Adia Peck showcased their skills in the employability LDE.
“The girls had to “apply” for an agriculture-related job that they could get right after high school,” explains Kaitlyn. “We worked on basic interview questions and how to present yourself in a job interview.” Adia's outstanding performance earned her second place in her competition group, propelling her to the final round where she finished sixth overall, receiving a medal for her achievements.
Ninth grade students, Ashlyn Calhoun and Abigail Zerbe, competed in the Creed, a freshman-only event. The FFA Creed outlines the organization’s values and beliefs regarding the industry of agriculture, FFA membership, citizenship and patriotism. Students participating in the Creed Speaking LDE learn to communicate in a powerful, organized and professional manner and build self-confidence.
“The Creed and Employability Skills Leadership Developments are helping my students build those skills that everyone needs,” added Kaitlyn. “They created a career objective and were evaluated on their public speaking, cover letter, and overall presentation in a professional setting.”
And their hard work paid off. Ashlyn secured a fifth place medal in her group competition while Abigail took sixth place in a separate competition. Both successfully recited the five-paragraph FFA Creed by memory.
Next steps for the FFA students include preparing for and competing in poultry judging during early February. Then, livestock judging, vet science, floriculture and potentially the state Career Development Events (CDEs) in April. And it’s not just all hard work. The students are planning some lighter, fun activities during FFA Week, February 17-24.
Kaitlyn wants more people to be aware of opportunities in FFA. “I think some people tend to overlook FFA and Agriculture Education and don’t realize the leadership it can provide for our students. I am excited for the Future of Salina FFA!”
Interested to learn more about FFA? Contact Kaitlyn at Kaitlyn.Elder@usd305.com.
*FFA represents the National FFA Organization which includes business, farming, science and technology aspects of agriculture.
