2010 National FFA Convention: standout students

For a lot of middle and high school kids, talking to a reporter is like talking to the police.

They’re guarded and on their toes.  They don’t really know what you want from them, so instead they’ll just give you really short answers and sheepishly giggle.

“How did you like the session?”

“It was good.”

“How so?”

“It was fun.”

You get the idea.

And then there are the Alexis. Interviewing is no big deal for Alexis, a student at Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (CHSAS).  She’s been in FFA for four years and honed her speaking skills through the prepared public speaking CDE.

 

CHSAS Principal William Hook, CHSAS students Alexis and Mahmoud, and Eli’s Cheesecake’s Marc and Maureen Schulman pose with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the 83rd National FFA Convention in Indianapolis.

 

 

I interviewed Alexis and another CHSAS student for my story on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s address at national convention.  They blew me away.  They were poised and their responses were candid.

I know there are many outstanding leaders in FFA, but I can’t help but think that the education CHSAS offers these students is something more than a typical public education.

For one, it’s the only agricultural school in Chicago.  Many of the students, like Alexis, had no idea what agriculture was before going to CHSAS.  She says it’s a really alarming sight, driving on the south side of Chicago and all of a sudden seeing a farm.

“You drive past it and you look and you’re like ‘Wow, that’s amazing!’ Literally, parents think that all the time,” she said.

Alexis said it was the hands-on nature of the school that sealed the deal.  And her parents, both teachers, knew that it wasn’t just agricultural knowledge she’d be receiving.  Through involvement in FFA, she’d receive leadership training, too.

So when urban kids like Alexis come to national convention and interact with farm kids, is it easy to make friends?  Alexis said they haven’t had the same experiences as farm kids, but the “FFA bond” prevails.

“It’s a little hard at first, but when you meet somebody and you’re nice, you can get right on past that. The FFA spirit is always there.”

That got me thinking.  If some urban students are just as excited about agriculture as rural students, maybe we just need to give all students the opportunity to explore agriculture, if they choose to.  Should there be an agricultural science high school like CHSAS in every city?  Please take my poll below and tell me what you think!

And speaking of agricultural education, this happens to be the first week for #AgEduChat.  This Twitter dialogue will take place on Sunday from 7-8 pm EST.  The first topic will be the struggles of beginning teachers.  If you have questions you’d like to submit, you can direct message them to @AgEduChat.  And thanks to @DrewBender and @sollmana for starting #AgEduChat!

2010 National FFA Convention: travel time

Steno notebook?  Check.  AP Style Book?  Check.  Professional grown-up clothes?  Check.

Flashback to 8 am last Monday morning and I was psyched for my fourth year working in the National FFA Convention Newsroom in Indianapolis.  The National FFA Organization is an agricultural education organization for middle and high school students. I was a member of the Bangor FFA Chapter in high school and going back to national convention is such a refreshing break…

The fun staff I get to work with.  The enthusiastic members I get to interview.  The 6 hour trip I get to drive.

Well, not so thrilled about the drive.  But with some good jams and hot chocolate, I can do anything.

The drive from Madison to Chicago was relatively uneventful.  In 3 hours flat, I made it to the doorstep of fellow newsroom crew member Dustin Petty.  After we tossed his luggage into my car and walked around the block once, we were on our way.

Instead of taking the direct route on I-65, we decided beforehand that we would be young and adventurous.  We’d take 57 and stop in Kankakee (Kanka-what?) to see an Abe Lincoln statue, then go east to Lafayette and stop at the Crescent Moon Cheesecake Co (I found this restaurant on Urban Spoon beforehand).  Planning ahead is good, right?

Wrong.

We got lost in K-Town (we stopped trying to pronounce Kankakee after the 7th wrong turn), so we stopped at a gas station to ask where we could find Abe.  The woman behind the counter gave me the “You are such a tourist” look proceeded by the “I have no idea what you’re talking about” look.

Girl please.  I’m pretty sure there are only so many giant Abe Lincoln statues around here.

But that’s okay.  We’ll keep looking.  We backtracked on 57 until I whipped my arm out and shouted “Abe Lincoln!”

Worth it?  Meh.

But boy were we looking forward to that cheesecake restaurant.  Eminem, Backstreet Boys, and TV theme songs kept us entertained as we drove to Lafayette through the backroads of rural America.  Time-consuming, yes, but it was a reminder of why we love FFA: we believe in the future of agriculture.

When we got there, we drove around looking for the cheesecake joint.  The address led us to a parking lot.  We called the phone number.  Disconnected.  Of course.  After 40 minutes of aimless searching, we made the executive decision that the place was nonexistant and somebody made it up just to vex cheesecake aficionados like ourselves.  We grumpily settled for frozen custard.

We arrived in Indy 6 hours after we left Chicago (that’s 9 hours after I left Madison).  It’s supposed to take 6 hours total.

That’s my national FFA convention travel story.  Now I want to hear yours!  Leave a comment or tweet me and tell me a funny travel story, where you stopped along the way, or any other national convention-related travel mishaps!

And stay tuned for more national FFA convention posts!