On November 19th, FFA members Makynna B., Tack C., Micah D., Kambree H., Kassie L, Shawnie M., Leeigh M., and Luke O. participated in FFA Leadership Development Events (LDEs). In these competitions, the students were challenged to push them-selves in many different ways. The events in which FFA members participated were job seeking, creed speaking, and an agricultural demonstration.
Job seeking is one of the most helpful and realistic activities for the students to participate in. It helps students learn to apply for jobs, prepare resumes, and create cover letters. The members completed a mock interview with a panel of judges. After the interview, they wrote a follow-up letter. Although it was stressful for the students, it taught them what the job process entails and how to be more professional.
In creed speaking, students recite the FFA creed word-for-word and then answer questions about agriculture and the meaning behind the creed. They had four minutes to recite the creed and five minutes to answer questions. They were judged on accuracy and presentation. This event helped the students with memorization and staying calm while speaking in front of an audience.
The agricultural demonstration event focused on teaching through interactive demonstrations. Demonstrations must be under ten minutes and can be about any agricultural topic, as long as they are not lectures. Judges ask questions to ensure the students understand what they presented. This event builds confidence levels within the student presenters and emphasizes the importance of clarity when explaining their topic.
All of these LDEs are valuable because they push students to think critically and communicate their understanding efficiently. Student awareness increases from these events which allows the students to develop skills to handle different types of pressures. These events are called Leadership Development Events for a reason: they encourage students to grow as leaders. We can’t wait to see how these young FFA members contin-ue to develop into leaders for our com-munity and school. Keep up the great work! -by Kyrie R