Haywood FFA officers, from left to right: Millie Joyner, Madelyn Tims and Carson Osteen.
On Aug. 2, 2024, the Class of 2028 entered Haywood High School for the first time, and Haywood FFA recognized the immense potential in these students.
This class is comprised of students interested in public speaking, farming and various careers in agriculture. Additionally, this class has the highest number of students enrolled in an agriscience course. So, the potential of future Greenhand FFA members was immense.
Planting the Seed
In March 2024, Haywood FFA began reaching out to prospective students in various ways, starting with tours of the career and technical education building at Haywood High School. During these tours, chapter officers delivered a quick elevator speech to every student that highlighted the different aspects of FFA. The students’ enthusiasm was evident as they learned about FFA.
Although the officers didn’t see this group again until they registered for their classes, they managed to catch them right before they began the process. More than half of the class decided to register for agriculture classes.
Not only did this make the officer team excited, but it also made them realize they had work to do. Haywood FFA reached out to the students who registered for an agriculture class, and then it was time to present FFA to them.
The officers settled on being present at the Freshman Orientation on Aug. 2 and speaking to students to encourage them to join FFA. They worked for weeks to prepare pamphlets, flyers and more to entice these freshmen, even if it meant spending more than 12 hours making 150 brownies for the students.
Members participate in the Haywood FFA Back-to-School Ag Bash event.
Nurturing Growth
If you can plant a seed, then you must nurture the growth of that same seed.
After recruiting members, Haywood FFA officers began planning an event to showcase the fellowship aspect of FFA: the chapter’s first Back-to-School Ag Bash. This event attracted around 40 students from all four grades at the high School. Each member who attended got to know others and participated in an Ag Olympics. Overall, this event was a huge success for the chapter’s mission of reaching the Greenhand members of Haywood FFA.
The chapter is currently in the planning stages of holding its first Greenhand event, which will be called “Sprout.” With this event, Haywood FFA will continue to share the opportunities that FFA offers to each of these freshmen.
The Future of Haywood FFA
When you can plant the seed of what FFA is and why students should join, it may make it seem like there is a place where they are welcome. Being a freshman can be scary; it’s not easy. Once you can plant the seed and welcome them in, though, the possibilities are truly endless.
