Warsaw FFA drove over 10 and a half hours to Indianapolis, Indiana to attend the 96th National convention and Expo Nov. 1-4, where they attended tours, participated in social activities, participated in community service and attended a concert.
Ag teachers Amanda Smith and Jackie Downing took 17 FFA students to the convention, along with bus drivers Steve Larson and Brenda Hilburn.
Their first stop on the trip was to MU vet for a tour of their veterinarian program. Members got to see MU’s small and large animal care, seeing how their students learn to become vets while also having hands-on experience.
After that, FFA members attended the FFA mall and career fair at the expo. Sophomore Mya Taylor, a first year FFA member, learned many new things while also striving to become a better FFA member and leader.
“I got to experience meeting new people and saw how much work FFA puts into the convection,” Taylor said.
There were around 72,000 FFA members who attended the convention from around the states. Smith waited over 3 hours in line to get a front row seat to the convention for her students. There were dance parties to kick off the convention with songs like “Wobble” by V.I.C. and “Die Young” by Kesha. Members came on to the dance floor and danced with each other while creating memories and new friendships.
“It was like a sea of blue corduroy jumping and dancing together. I even ran to the middle of the dance circle with girls from other states,” senior Grace Drake said.
The first session had a key speaker Juan Bedana who talked about courage with a story about a horse named PEPE.
One of the convention highlights was the Lainey Wilson concert. Sophomore Brayden Henderson was one out of the four boys to go, Henderson was excited to see Lainey Wilson, “My favorite song by Lainey Wilson is ‘Heart Like a Truck.’” Henderson said.
On the last day of the convention, FFA members participated in National Service Day. Warsaw members volunteered at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Sophomore Jovi Robertson and Preston Wake put in hard work for service day.
“I dressed warm. I am not going to freeze while I am helping. I got these nice overalls,” Wake said.
On the way back, the group stopped at Bayer for a tour of their plant biotechnology company. Members learned about plant research and how to breed plants, having a tour of their whole building.
