National FFA Week will be held February 23-29. Each year, the Garretson FFA plans several activities and events, and 2020 will be no different.
“The Garretson Agriculture Department and FFA Chapter have been working hard and excelling at living out the mission of the National FFA Organization; ‘Premier Leadership, Personal Growth, and Career Success’,” said Alysha Kientopf, FFA Advisor and Agriculture teacher at Garretson School District. “Our main focus this year is on Agriculture Education and Literacy through the annual Animal Nursery and Activity Center, classroom presentations, reaching out to local businesses, and finally to thank our community members for all their support throughout the year with the Community Appreciation Breakfast.”
She continued, “We have about 53 FFA members this year and they are an exceptionally great group of kids to work with. The kids teach me, if not more than I teach them, through instruction in the classroom to FFA trips. The Leadership Team has really stepped up and is taking a huge role in planning and seeing that events are a hit. I really could not be prouder of this group of kids.”
National FFA Week began in 1947 as a way to honor President George Washington’s legacy as an agriculturist and farmer, and continues to be used as a way to celebrate farming as a profession.
Throughout the week, students and visitors at the school will see themed dress-up days, trivia, coloring contests, a t-shirt design contest, and more.
The Garretson FFA will be hosting the Bloodmobile at the school on Wednesday from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. The public is invited to participate in this annual Blood Drive, as supplies tend to run critical at this time of year.
“With the cold and flu season upon us, less people are eligible to give blood. We also see an increase in travel accidents creating a high need for blood products, data shows a steady increase in usage as we go through the winter season,” says Ken Versteeg, Executive Director of Community Blood Bank. A person is eligible to donate blood every 65 days. Students who wish to donate must be 17 years old (16 years old with a signed consent form), weigh 110 pounds or more, and be in generally good health.
On Thursday, the FFA will host their annual Animal Nursery from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm, which allows all youth in the area to visit and learn about different types of farm animals. Each elementary class is given the opportunity to visit during the day, and daycare and homeschooled youth are also invited.
The week will culminate in the FFA Community Breakfast, which will be held at the Legion building on Saturday, February 29 from 7:30 am to 10:00 am. Freewill donations go towards programming and other opportunities for the Garretson FFA.
