FFA Update - Washington Leadership Conference
Author: Kaitlyn Noyes, FAA Correspondent
FFA Update - Washington Leadership Conference
Kaitlyn Noyes
FAA Correspondent
July 22nd - September 5th, 2023
Washington Leadership Conference (WLC):
This year, Kayla Kraft and Mrs. Loughery (FFA advisor) took a trip to the Washington Leadership Conference (WLC) in Washington D.C. from 07/18/23 - 07/22/23. Kayla commented, “The main things that were covered were our country's foundation, how we can make a difference in our community, and what we stand for and believe in. It wasn't some mediocre lesson, they forced you to look deep down into yourself and your community. WLC changes the way you look at yourself and the world”.
When asked what was one of the experiences Kayla had during her time at WLC that impacted her, she stated, “We focused on how we can make a change in our community. We have the tools with our general knowledge, so why not use them? We were given more resources and I came up with a living-to-serve plan. As soon as I came up with it I knew that I was going to be on fire for this plan. In that week, I learned that I can make a difference. All I need to do is put in the effort and take steps to accomplish that goal.”
Once asked if she would recommend this conference to other FFA members, she said, “Absolutely, it was 100% the most impactful experience and the highlight of my FFA career. If I had never gone I would have never realized that I can take steps to make my community a better place. I came back a different person and I had a positive outlook on our community and our world no matter how broken it is. My leadership skills have grown and now I know how I can create a Living to Serve Program.” Additionally, Kayla was able to meet with our senators.
Officer Retreat:
For August 7th-9th, this year's Broadwater FFA Officer Team took our Officer Retreat to Kalispell, where we went camping.
Our time consisted of planning out our year with our POA (Program of Activities), team building, and having fun in the lake. We successfully planned out events, community service, fundraisers, etc. for the coming year, which will be announced and voted on at our next member meeting in September.
For our team building activities, officers combined into groups of two, and planned a team building activity together with their partner to complete during the retreat. An example of one of these was the human knot, where you go in a circle and grab 2 different hands across from you, and then try to untangle without letting go of anyone's hand.
While we were only there a few short days, it was agreed that not only was it a fun experience as new officers, but we felt we planned a lot of exciting activities, which we can look forward to in the coming year.
Ag Olympics & Welcome Back BBQ:
On August 15th, 2023, Broadwater FFA held our annual Ag Olympics and Welcome Back BBQ! The event was open to parents, officers, members, and the community. We started off the night with our chapter meeting, which covered agenda items such as voting on a Chapter T-shirt Design for the coming year, upcoming events and reminders, a report on our Officer Retreat, etc. This was followed by a dinner supplied by our Officer team.
Getting into the Ag Olympics, we had multiple fun, exciting, and competitive events planned, such as:
Penny in a Haystack - 10 pennies to find, 30 seconds
Javelin - Varying points to top 3 throws
Roping - 5 throws per person
Barrel Racing - Timed
Balloon Herding - Timed
Feed the Pig (Beanbags + Pig Board) - 4 throws per person
Everyone broke themselves into groups of twos and took the total score of the group. The night ended successfully with our second place, Ross MacDonald (Treasurer) & Kaitlyn Noyes (Reporter), closely behind the winners, Amanda Pesiscka (VP) & Spencer Braaten (Sentinel).
Article Images
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PhotoCredit: Various
Image 1 Caption: Washington Leadership Conference - Mikayla Kraft with Senator Tester
Photo Credit: Credit: Jemma Loughery
Image 2 Caption: Washington Leadership Conference - Mikayla Kraft with Senator Daines
Photo Credit: Jemma Loughery
Image 3 Caption: Officers Retreat
Photo Credit: Jemma Loughery and Kaitlyn Noyes
Image 4 Caption: FFA AG Olympics
Photo Credit: Kaitlyn Noyes
Image 5 Caption: FFA AG Olympics
Photo Credit: Kaitlyn Noyes
