News National FFA officer visits V-S chapter

On October 2nd, the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA chapter and Ag students had the amazing experience of meeting the National FFA Secretary, Mitch Baker. Being a National Officer, Mitch travels from state to state and visits different chapters. The Iowa Southwest Sub-District of the Northeast District had the opportunity for him to come and visit our chapters.

On that Thursday night, Mitch and chapters within our sub-district were invited to the Henkle residents for a small get together. At the get together the members played nine-square, bags, and had tacos for dinner! Everyone had a blast at the Henkle’s, who generously offered their shed for the chapters’ use and provided dinner for all of the members and advisors who attended.

On Friday, the Ag classes got to experience even more of Mitch Baker. Mitch talked and did small activities for the students to participate in. Each activity had a deeper meaning than just a fun game. For example, the students did an activity where they were at a “Fancy Party” and had to shake hands with everyone in the room. There was one student who acted like the “killer” at the fancy party, and when someone would shake hands with that one student, the student would tap on their wrist twice to show that the other student had been “shot.” The person would “die” and then the rest of the students would have to try to figure out who the “killer” was before everyone was “killed off.” To figure out who it was, there were students who would go around and talk to other students about who they thought it was then they would accuse someone. In the end, the purpose for this activity was to show how people gossip and how some are targeted and bullied. The students discussed how to try to stop bulling and how to focus on positive things about people, instead of the negative.

On Saturday, there was a District National Officer Workshop, were Mitch Baker talked to FFA members from the district. Five Vinton-Shellsburg members attended the workshop and it was a great experience for those five members. At the workshop, the members learned about “Life Blinders” which is a mindset that deceives people into thinking they’re incapable of accomplishing goals. The members had to think about their life blinders and saw that everyone had them but that they need to overcome them! The workshop made the members attending open their eyes and see that quite a bit of the stuff that they worry about is all mental and not even there, that they should just be themselves.

The entire experience with Mitch Baker was incredibly amazing! It was quite an honor to have him talk to students in the Southwest Sub-District of the Northeast District Chapters and for him to do a workshop for the district.

Jessica Alderson and Katie Isbell

FFA Co-Reporters