Maywood Public Schools Logo

Louisville FFA Convention a Real Slugger

Bryar Gerlach

The Maywood FFA Officer team made the long trek down to Louisville, Kentucky, October 28-31, for the 2015 National FFA Convention. The students along with multiple other Nebraska FFA chapters met a charter bus in Kearney where it took them the rest of the way to Louisville. Once they arrived in Louisville they headed to the Kentucky State Fairgrounds to attend the opening session in Freedom Hall, which has always been a very lively event.

The opening ceremonies resembled the Olympics with bright colorful lights dancing across the ceiling and walls, while a techno-beat created a mood of anticipation. Opening ceremonies have been a very important tradition to the FFA Program. In the opening ceremonies, the Vice President calls the roll of officers and the Secretary calls the roll of members. Then the President asks a very important question, “FFA members, why are we here?” Three loud taps of the gavel are then heard all across the room. When FFA members hear those words they might be at a leadership conference, sitting in the Pinnacle Bank Arena at the State Convention, or even in Freedom Hall at the National FFA Convention. Wherever they happen to be, all of them get the same chilling feeling as they rise and recite these words, “to practice brotherhood, honor agricultural opportunities and responsibilities, and develop those qualities of leadership, which an FFA member should possess.” This is one of the most important things that an FFA member should know besides the FFA Creed.

After the opening ceremonies a video was presented that explained this year’s FFA theme: Amplify FFA. This theme focuses on helping members find their voice and helping them become better leaders with those voices. FFA members amplify their voice when it comes to talking about agriculture and letting others know the importance of agriculture in today’s world. After the presentation, the National Band and Chorus had their grand entry. National FFA Advisor, Dr. Steve Brown, addressed the National Advisor’s Challenge. After that the keynote speaker, Rick Rigsby, gave a very inspirational speech.

Over the course of the week, more than 64,000 FFA members and guests attended the Convention. FFA members visited the Louisville Slugger Museum

and took a tour to see how baseball bats that pros use today are made. They also got to explore Marengo Cave and see all the cool formations of rock that have built up over thousands of years. Although the students got minimal sleep throughout the week, they would all agree that it was an exhilarating experience getting to see FFA on such a grand scale. It was almost surreal to see thousands of teenagers from across the nation that have the exact same interest and love for agriculture and FFA that I have.