Brockway FFA Learns About Teamwork

BROCKWAY, Pa. (EYT) – The Brockway Area Junior-Senior High School Chapter of the FFA had a visit from two state-level FFA officers recently.

(PICTURED: PA State FFA Secretary Michael Riggs teaches a class in Brockway.)

FFA Secretary Michael Riggs and Vice President Brandon Bixler traveled to Brockway to host workshops on FFA membership, communication skills, and teamwork. The state FFA sends officers to different chapters every year.

Brockway FFA Advisor Matt Holt said that the visit is beneficial to both the local FFA chapter and the state officers.

“These officers are the leaders of our state organization,” he said. “The best way for the officers to understand what they are representing is to meet the members around the state. In addition to that, the officer visits give our students a chance to see what the officers do. Every year, we have students who have the goal of becoming a state officer just from meeting the current officers and talking with them.”

Emily Roush, a Brockway FFA officer, said that the workshop on communication was useful in reminding students that there is always something new they could learn about someone.

“What they were trying to teach us was how to accept people,” she said. “Our FFA group has to be able to work as a team and make each other better. We learned about that.”

In one activity, the students grabbed a ball from the bag, and, depending on the color of the ball, the student had to say a number of facts about himself or herself. In another activity, the students stood in a hallway. When a fact was called that applied to the student, they took a step forward, seeing who could get across the finish line the fastest.

“You shouldn’t judge other people,” Roush summed up. “There are many things we don’t know about each other. You can’t judge them just on one thing. A leader has to help make people better than they were before.”

Roush joined FFA in her eighth grade year. Now a junior, Roush is the alternate, which is a leadership position that means when an FFA officer is unable to fulfil their duties, Roush steps in.

“FFA has improved her ability to manage different projects, speak in front of people, and to be a part of a team,” she said. “The leadership skills covered in the activities added to my experiences.”

FFA is an organization that was founded in 1928 to help young people with farm-related leadership and activity. As the organization grew, it became a place for people who “aspire to careers as teachers, doctors, scientists, business owners and more,” according to its website. To reflect this, the organization updated in 1988 from Future Farmers of America to FFA, reflecting the way the industry of agriculture had changed and diversified.


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