OXFORD – Oxford Academy hosted national and state officers from the Future Farmers of America (FFA) as part of their 1,600 mile tour of the state Tuesday morning. The purpose of the FFA is to provide youths with unique opportunities to learn leadership skills and better prepare themselves for the future.
Although Oxford’s FFA chapter has a long history, the program had etiolated in recent years. Three years ago, Oxford agricultural teacher and long-time FFA member Crystal Aukema took the reins of the faltering chapter and began to breathe fresh life into the program. Yesterday, FFA officers from as far away as Alaska congratulated Oxford students on reinvigorating their chapter.
Last year, two Oxford students secured an award handed out to only 16 other New York State FFA members. Thomas Ryan and Megan Golden were the recipients of special FFA jackets with their names embroidered below the right lapel.
“I joined FFA because I wanted to be a part of the community and learn more about agriculture,” said Golden.
“I am a member because FFA is more about agriculture and that’s what I want to get involved in after I graduate high school,” said Ryan, pointing to the fact that he already works on a farm as proof of his interest.
In order to receive the prized jackets, contenders had to answer a list of questions such as why they believed they deserved it. “In my answer, I spoke of my admiration of the other chapter members and my enthusiasm to be part of something huge,” said Golden. “Some day I even hope to be an agriculture teacher myself,” she added.
Oxford’s revitalized FFA program helps students in many different ways and is great for the community, said high school principal Jan Laytham. “Students are given unique opportunities to learn leadership and public speaking skills, as well as gain hands-on experience,” she said. Sub-state competitions take place on Saturdays, and during state competitions, students only miss about a day and a half of school. “The skills they are learning from these competitions more than makes up for what little classroom time is missed,” Laytham said.
The FFA’s New York State executive secretary Juleah Tolosky, who accompanied the officers, said they had purposefully chosen Oxford as part of their tour based on the belief that it is a special place. Some of FFA officers have already been on tour for a long time. Seth Pratt, a national officer from Idaho, took a year off from college so he could spend the past 300 days on tour. Tolosky said she chose to join the FFA in high school because she perceived it to be a great opportunity for an intelligent rural girl. “As an FFA officer, it occurred to me what a positive effect I was having on so many different people, so I decided to continue working for the organization as an adult.”
During the breakfast of locally produced foods, many of the officers said they were looking forward to standing next to Oxford students at upcoming state and national competitions. “A chapter is like a campfire, the more members work together, the greater it shines,” said Pratt.