Across the nation, FFA chapters are celebrating their favorite week of the year: National FFA Week. Events for members, chapters, communities and alums are filling calendars far and wide.
For the Oklahoma Union FFA Chapter, however, celebrations took place early during Feb. 3-7. A schedule packed with fun dress-up days and exciting activities had the chapter’s members counting down the days until the week finally arrived. Nevertheless, the ones most excited about the week might not have been members at all.
Oklahoma Union elementary students await National FFA Week all year, knowing their high school chapter’s members will spend one morning welcoming them to school. With big smiles, members kicked off their first day of the week dressed in their FFA jackets. They lined the entrance to the school with a sea of blue and gold and high fives along the way. Like many chapters, Oklahoma Union FFA realizes the importance of recruiting future members, even at the youngest age.
“It is important to us as a chapter to recruit kids who aren’t quite old enough for FFA, so they are excited about the class when they get to eighth grade,” says Chapter President Darla Fesmire. Although this event is a fan favorite, it isn’t where the chapter’s recruitment and engagement efforts stop.
The following Friday, the chapter officer team spent time with the sixth through eighth-grade classes during their second annual chapter recruitment day. “Each of our officers shared their favorite memory or experience from being involved with agriculture,” Fesmire says.
After sharing their stories, the floor was opened up for a Q&A session with the middle school students. The officer team was joined by their school mascot, a cougar dressed in his FFA jacket (pictured above), and advisors Blake Collier and Cara Comstock. “It’s a great way to get seventh graders to see what all FFA has to offer and get them excited about joining,” Comstock says.
The advisors and officer team continue to emphasize promoting and advocating for the organization at events throughout the year. Later this semester, the seventh-grade class will have another opportunity to take a deeper look at FFA by visiting the agricultural education building for a “day in the life experience” and lunch served by the chapter.
These events help students find a passion for FFA long before they have the chance to wear the blue corduroy jacket themselves, ensuring everyone can celebrate National FFA Week, no matter their age.
