From farming to fabricating, Future Farmers of America (FFA) has expanded its horizons into new sciences and technologies that have sprouted up in the modern farming world. Its patriotic backbone has nourished our youth with pride in the American way and progress. Evolving into a national organization from a rural background, the FFA is a nonprofit founded in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1928 to promote agricultural education to High School students. Today, with 540,000 members and 7,500 chapters, the FFA now hosts conferences and competitions in all fifty states, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
The study of agriculture has changed with tangents into natural resource conservation, farming technologies, business methods, food production, and mechanization. The FFA is a modern Middle and High School program that engages students in competitions with their peers, promoting leadership, responsibility, and positive thinking.
In 2015, the Serrano FFA Alumni & Supporters was established to support the Serrano Agriculture Department and the Serrano FFA Chapter. The volunteer nonprofit organization assists the Serrano FFA through fundraising, volunteering, and advocating for the advisors and students in the program. Resolute teachers, Serrano FFA Advisors Kaylene Maize, Joe Affleck, Briana Tluczek, and Scott Laffin, have worked tirelessly to create a learning experience with a pathway toward personal growth and career success.
Always a welcome sight at festivals and parades, the FFA students generously donate their precious High School days to San Bernardino County Fair concerns such as the Annual Barn Bash. From set-up to tear-down, an amazing number of tasks must be performed by trained personnel. From tending hogs to setting up tables, FFA volunteers eagerly assist animal handlers and dispense with the duties on a farm or ranch for County Fair friends and visitors. Having the Serrano FFA High School training in Animal, Mechanical, and Agricultural Sciences is a great asset for these volunteers at the San Bernardino County Fair and keeps their skills sharp.
This student and teacher partnership does not end in the classroom. Community engagement is part of the program. Competition at the San Bernardino Fair means teamwork, homework, and farmwork to become a Blue-ribbon winner. Students can raise their entry at home, but in some cases, the school can be used. Since the Tri-Community is primed for livestock, horses, swine, and poultry, Serrano High School can take part in these events dutifully. National Future Farmers of America Week begins February 21. It continues through February 25, 2024, with many sporting events, chapter meetings, Leadership workshops, and competitions leading up to the FFA Awards Banquet in May.
With an active Google calendar, the FFA students at Serrano High School participate in the many Tri-Community events in Phelan, Pinon Hills, and Wrightwood. Phelan Phamily Phun Days can count on Phun Zone and Parade entries every year with an FFA information booth at most hometown events. Welcoming our Military Veterans at the Serrano High School High Desert Veterans Dinner, the young adults of the FFA play a vital role in this great celebration of our nation’s finest citizens. Hosting their Halloween Trunk-or-Treat at the local Stater’s Bros. is a sweet deal for the FFA students, too.
Cultivating young minds into responsible adults requires dedication and imagination. Keeping students on track with their desire to learn also makes it a little easier for the educator. School-Based Agricultural Education is the catalyst for this mentor-to-apprentice arrangement. The competition joins the two as a common goal is realized. These competitions allow students to highlight their knowledge and skills in various areas of agriculture, business, and personal life. An enterprising and ambitious youth program, the National FFA Organization can be reached at ffa.org.
