Delaware FFA Association

"Fall" into FFA

2009-09-27T17:08:00.001-07:00

Delaware FFA,

The summer flew by with exciting events such as the State Fair including displays, entries, CDE's, games, and the Annual Breakfast. FFA members all over the state are ready to jump back into action and start up the school year. Whether you were elected as an officer, or remaining to be an involved member, keep up the good work!

Over the past few months, the State Officer team and I have been working diligently to prepare for the upcoming year. We attended NLCSO in Gettysburg, PA (with Riley and Regina!), put on a lot of Mini-COLT's, did chapter visits, and much much more. We are so ready to "Rock the Blue, and Live the Legacy" with Delaware FFA members.

With COLT in just a few days, I cannot wait to meet everyone, put on workshops, and see what Delaware has to offer in the "FFA's Got Talent" contest. Bring your A game!! We have so many exciting things planned, so be ready!

Your State Reporter,
Amber Bullock

July

2009-08-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

Busy, Busy, Busy! That pretty much sums up the month of July for my team and I and I'm excited to finally have the opportunity to reflect on all of the experiences we've had.

The month began with Sam S. and I traveling to the West Virginia state convention, we drove the over 7 hours to Cedar Lakes and found ourselves having a great time. Cedar Lakes is the West Virginia FFA Camp and what I thought was really awesome about it was that many of the cabins and buildings were built by their FFA members as projects over the years. Sam and I presented our workshop to many of the WV members and it was crazy to realize that even though we come from different states, we still have the same common goals and interests in Agriculture Ed and FFA. While we were there we got to hang out with Regina Holliday, the Southern Region National Vice President and watch her present a workshop as well. We also received the opportunity to watch the outgoing officers who we had served the previous year with give their retiring address and got to see there new state officers be elected. It was overall a great experience and we are so lucky to have gotten the opportunity.

Next Lindsey and I traveled to Washington D.C. for the State Presidents Conference. There we got to be part of starting the delegate process, visit with congressman, see many of the national museums, and meet tons of new people. My roommates were great, they were from the states of Florida, Nebraska, and Michigan. I had a great time getting to know all of the other State Presidents and either Vice or Secretaries from around the country and getting the chance to work with them to be part of the history of our organization.

After we left D.C., we went straight to the fair grounds in good old Harrington, DE. I got there and couldn't wait to see all of the FFA exhibits that members from around the state had been working on and they were all outstanding. Congratulations to all who participated. I got to show my pig like always, and for the first time got to show a steer for the Breeding's and I was a little nervous, but Mrs. Breeding from Woodbridge really helped me before the show and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Working the Farm Bureau was exciting as always, I was in charge of making milkshakes.. and made a mess.. a really BIG one! Ha thanks to Amber and Brent for the help in making the messes and the milkshakes. The state officers and many members were invited and did ride in the parade each night, thanks to everyone who came out. We ended out a great 10 days with the FFA games, where there was a record turn out that not only included members but the Governor and Miss Delaware. Followed the next morning by our annual awards breakfast where we also had a record turn out. I can't thank everyone enough for making all of the events this year and the fair such a successful and fun time.

July was all kinds of fun and August has already promised to be the same. Good luck to everyone starting school soon. I can't wait to come to your classes and see what new projects you've got going on in your school.

Until Next Time,
Sam B., DE FFA State President

Florida FFA Association State Convention

2009-06-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Delaware FFA Members!!!,

I hope you all are enjoying the beginning of your summer break, I hope it turns out to be a great one for each and everyone of you! To kick my summer vacation off I had the opportunity to attend the Florida FFA Association State Convention. There is only one way to describe this experience and that is WOW!! While at the convention Mrs. Stacey and I assisted in the day of service event but specifically volunteering at the local food bank. At the food bank it was emphasised the importance of community volunteers and how hunger is simply overlooked. At the food bank I assisted the awesome Florida FFA members sort various food items by expiration dates. I truly enjoyed this experience, for I had the opportunity to learn more about their experiences in the FFA but also them individually, while most importantly serving a great cause!

The Florida State Convention quickly proved its self to be much larger than ours with over three thousand FFA members in attendance and ten general sessions. Amongst all this activity I had the privilege of presenting a workshop Wednesday and Thursday morning to some of the students in attendance entitled "Words on Everything". The Florida FFA members were very welcoming and an overall fun group to present to. Throughout the convention I enjoyed the many opportunities to speak with sponsors, FFA advisors, FFA members, community supporters, award recipients and both present and past state officers, and of course the Florida FFA Association state staff. I would like to congratulate the 2008-2009 state officer team Marshal Sewell, Will Leonard, Carly Barnes, Adrienne Boyette, David Swartzfager, Andy Mason, Jordan Fairfield, and Chanse Huggins on a job well done!!!! I would like to thank Mrs. Belinda Chason, Mr. Ronnie Simmons, and state staff for their great hospitality and assistance throughout the week, I had a great time! Finally congratulations to the Florida FFA Association 2009-2010 state officer team!

Delaware FFA members this coming week my team and I will be traveling to various industries across the state to educate them about the FFA but also become educated on their industries. Congratulations and best of luck to all the newly elected officer teams, I know you will all do a great job!

Lindsey Bethard
State Vice President

WOW

2009-05-29T08:28:00.001-07:00

FFA Members, all that I can say about the past few weeks is WOW! I have had such a great time getting to know members from all over the state and have learned so much.

Ms. Stacey and I received the chance on April 30th to attend the Appoquinimink Middle Schools at A.G. Waters Middle School and give my keynote address where I had a great audience that included Members, Teachers, Administrators, Parents, and Family Members. Mrs. Lafferty, Mrs. Kirk, and Mrs. Colbert along with their Chapter Officers from A.G. Waters Middle, Redding Middle, and Meredith Middle made sure there was plenty of enthusiasm (and desserts) to go around. I got to listen to DJ (aka Frank) recite the Creed, as he won first place in the state at State Convention and we watched their slide shows, which showed all of their activities from the year, and it's so exciting to see that our Middle Schools are doing such a great job.

On May 14th Amber, Mike, Lori, Sam S., Ms. Stacey, and I attended the Sussex Central FFA Banquet and Sussex Central High School where Mike gave greetings on behalf of the State and Amber made a delicious PB&J sandwich during her keynote. After that we moved from the auditorium to the cafeteria where the cafeteria workers made us an awesome dinner and the always helpful Garth (who got selected to be Jr. Advisor) brought us our drinks. We then moved backed to the auditorium to hear Paige, Casey, and Tabby's retiring addresses, watch members receive awards, and also to hear the results for the 2009-2010 Sussex Central Officer team. Congrats to all who retired and all the newly elected Chapter Officers.

On Monday, May 18th Sam Squared traveled to Delmar Middle and Highschool where we got the chance to attend their first ever banquet. I got the chance to bring greetings and announce the 2008-2009 Officer Team (thanks Ms. Vent for going over the names with me beforehand) while Sam S. gave a great keynote on individual talents. Their school's new Culinary Club catered our dinner and it they did a such a good job. After dinner we got to hear about members and the awards they received, we got to hear remarks from Mrs. Nesbitt and Ms. Vent, we listened to the retiring officers, and also got to witness the announcement of the 2009-2010 Delmar Chapter Officer Team. A congrats goes out to the new President Jake and his new officer team. After it was all done we got to stay and talk to some students and hopefully convinced some to join the FFA in the upcoming year.

On Thursday, May 21st, Mike and I woke up early and made it to Cape Henlopen High School (my home chapter) by 8:30 to sit in on officer interviews along with the current Senior Officers, Mrs. Hastings, and Ms. Pepper to be a part of choosing the 2009-2010 Cape Chapter Officers. After a grueling round of interviews the decision was made and we got to enjoy ourselves at an end of the year picnic for the members. It was great to see so all of the members come out to have a great time, while competing in the Ag Olymipics. Finally it was the moment everyone had been waiting for, the announcement of the new officer, Amy Lingo, the current President got to reveal the new positions. Congrats to Megan Frohman the newly elected President and her team.

These past few weeks haven't only been about banquets though, on May 7th, all of the Career and Technical Student Organization Leaders gathered at Dover Downs for an awesome lunch where we all got the chance to mingle with one another, make new friends, and enjoy a great buffet. From there all of the CTSO Presidents were given the chance to speak about their organizations in front of the House of Representatives and the Senate! It was such a great opportunity to talk about all of the great things that our FFA members are doing, all of the State Officers also got to present to each Representative and Senator a Geranium grown by FFA chapters. To finish the day we got to meet in the office of Governor Markell, talk up the importance of Career and Technical Student Organizations, and got to have our team picture taken with him. All in all it was a great day, and May 7, 2009 was declared Career and Technical Organization Day.

Yesterday, I did something that I haven't done in a long time, but is so important to our Organization.. I gardened. I didn't just garden anywhere, however; I got to be a part of planting a vegetable/flower garden at Woodburn, the Governor's Mansion. Along with the help of 4 students from Dover Highs Plant Classes, and the help of 24 fourth grade students from a local elementary school! It was so great to see all of the young kids go from, "I don't want to get dirty" to "This is way more fun than I thought, what can I do next?" It really showed me that if you give younger kids the chance to learn about Ag and experience it, they have the opportunity to carry it with them for the rest of their lives. Members, I encourage to try and connect with a local elementary school and show them just how fun and rewarding Ag can truly be.

Looking back on these past few weeks, WOW, but looking ahead is even more exciting. We've got the State Fair quickly approaching and I encourage all Chapters to put together displays and students to compete in CDE's. That last week in July is such a great chance to showcase your abilities and maybe find or develop new ones. Work in the grange and barnyard and have fun with it and I'm sure I'll see you there!

2009-2010 State President
Samantha Burton

Banquet Season in winding down...

2009-05-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Delaware,

I can not believe that banquet season is already over! I have had the opportunity to attend numerous banquets and I am so impressed with Delaware FFA. Every chapter has made me feel welcomed and truly did an amazing job.

Sam Steele and I attended Woodbridge FFA where we enjoyed a great chicken meal and watched many members be recognized for their accomplishments. It was nice to see Jose and other members again. Also, I was so excited because I won my first door prize ever!!

At Sussex Central's banquet I had the opportunity to give my keynote address, which was a lot of fun. The dinner was excellent, especially being served by Garth! It was interesting to see Paige, Tabby, and Casey give there retiring addresses/thank you's. Thank you and congratulations to Mary for being elected the new president.

Last night, Dr. Hutchison and I attended Christiana High School's banquet which was a lot of fun. I was thrilled to bring greetings on behalf of the Delaware Association and enjoyed eating dinner with their principals, school board members, and interim superintendent. Congratulations to Angelica for recieving the DeKalb Scholarship.

Tonight, Mike and I attended the Newark FFA banquet where I got to hear Mike give his keynote and watch 8 people recieve their Greenhand Degrees and 6 people recieve their Chapter Degrees. I really enjoyed talking with Talia, Ana, Dawn, Brandon who recieved the "livesaver" award, and Swanson who recieved the "bag of tricks" award. Also, Congratulations to the newly elected 2009-2010 officers as followed:

President: Anthony Swanson

Vice President: Atalia Ashcrav

Student Advisor: Trisha H.

Secretary: Megan Rise

Treasurer: Melissa Hall

Reporter: Jason Morris

Sentinel: Matt Brofey

Historian: Amanda Winword

(sorry for any misspelled names)

I can not wait to see everyone at the Delaware State Fair and keep in touch via e-mail!!!

Your State Reporter,

Amber Bullock

Banquets and Barbecues!

2009-05-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

These past couple of weeks my fellow officers and I have had the opportunity to travel to your chapter events and banquets. I had the opportunity to be on the nominating committee for the Lake Forest FFA Officer Team. It was really exciting to see the different goals that these students have and what they want to do with there FFA careers. Then yesterday I went the the Lake Forest FFA Barbecue and got to eat lunch with Brent, Cierra, Logan, and Joe. Thanks for having me and making me feel welcome.

At Sussex Centrals Awards banquet I watched the retiring addresses of Tabby, Paige, and Casey! I also had the opportunity to see the members receive numerous awards for there success in there Ag classes or for participating in a CDE. To conclude it all we heard the new team be announced.

I wish the best of luck to the 2009-2010 officer teams for the Lake Forest and Sussex Central FFA chapters! I would like to remind everybody of our State wide picnic this Sunday at Killen's Pond from 1:30 till 3:30. See you then and until next time!

Your state Sentinel,
Michael

Banquets Galore!

2009-05-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

Hello Delaware FFA!

Wow...this has definitely been a busy month. I had the great opportunity of attending Glasgow High School's chapter banquet last week where I was able to sit and chat with their officers, including past County Rep, Bianca, and also give greetings and hand out awards. I felt so honored to be treated so well, and even though I didn't win a gold fish, it was a fun time had by all.

Today, the SO's and I attended Legislative Day, where we collaborated with other Career and Technical Organizations in a luncheon and made a presentation to the Delaware Senate and House of Representatives. We were able to meet Lt. Governor Matt Denn and Governor Markell, which was a lot of fun. I also had the opportunity to share a little about our organization with Secretary of Education, Lillian Lowelry.

Tonight, Sam S, Ms. Stacey and I attended Woodbridge's Banquet, which was a blast. It was nice to see the retiring officers recieve their retiring gag gifts and watch the excitement of the newly elected officers. Also, Sam and I were ecstatic because we both won door prizes (and trust me, I have horrible luck; I never win anything)!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone really soon; whether it is at your banquet or not, and especially at the Statewide Picnic at Killens Pond on May 17th!!

Your State Reporter,
Amber Bullock

2009-05-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys!

I can feel the excitement in the air, everybody has a count down of how many more days of school they have! This past Thursday I had the honor of attending the Middletown Appoquinimink Banquet. I must say that I had a great time! Both officer teams did a great job organizing and facilitating their banquet. It was great to see so many young FFA members excited about the FFA and all they can do within this great organization. I would like to thank Katelyn Martin for allowing us to share dinner with her and her parents, I truly enjoyed our many topics of conversation throughout the evening. I would also like to thank the volunteers of my keynote Ben Somers, Chris Collins, and Kim Artist, you all were great sports. Thank you all for the opportunity to come and celebrate your many accomplishments with you!

I am looking forward to meeting many more of you at your chapter banquets and throughout the year.By the way don't forget the State Picnic is May 17th from 1: 30 t0 3:30, hope to see you all there it should be a great time!

Lindsey

April Showers Bring May Flowers

2009-04-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Delaware FFA! I hope you are enjoying this beautiful day as much as I am, finally some spring weather! Well our team has been hard at work since state convention, planning one great year for you all. Recently I had the opportunity to attend Lake Forest High School and the newly chartered W.T. Chipman Middle school's annual awards banquet. Let me tell you just how amazed I was at their very obvious hard work they put into their banquet. Present were numerous members of their community, and many Lake Forest FFA Alumni. They held a silent and live auction, with plethora of items donated by businesses in their area. I also had the opportunity to share a table with current members including Joe and Alex, and a past state officer as well. I look forward to joining many more of you, at your banquets within the next few months.

This past Wednesday evening after attending Del Tech's final FFA meeting of the year, Sam Squared had the opportunity to catch up with Maranda and Brandon of the Delmar FFA Chapter at Famous Dave's BBQ in Salisbury. This was my first time eating at this restaurant and I must say I highly recommend it! It was very yummy.

May 17th is the State Spring Picnic at Killen's Pond from 1:30-3:30. There will be plenty of food, fun and time to meet new members from across the state, so come on out bring your chapters and be ready for a good time. Enjoy your last few weeks of school and hope to see you soon!

Sam S : )

Springtime

2009-04-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hello again everyone,

This past week the Lindsey, Sam, Lori, Amber, Mike, and myself all stayed in my hometown of Rehoboth, in a beach house where we had literally a two minute walk to the boardwalk and the beach. It was great we learned so much about each other and also took away some great tools which we can use to help Delaware's FFA become even stronger. We also got a chance to pick our chapter contacts, gather information for the County Reps, and choose our theme for the upcoming year, which is....

Rock'n the Blue

Liv'n the Legacy

With springbreak over and summertime just around the corner it's time for the Spring Picnic, so mark your calendars and don't forget. May 17th, 1:30 - 3:30 at Killens Pond, there is going to be lots of food and fun so get your chapter on our there for a great time.

Until next time,
Sam B.

2009-04-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Hope you all are having a wonderful spring break. Sam, Lindsey, Sam, Mike, Amber and I are currently at our Blast Off Training in Rehoboth. We have been working on building relationships, Ag issues, key notes, and discussing the theme for this year. All of us are so excited to get this year started!

I would like to give Middletown a big Congratulations for winning the National FFA T-Shirt Contest. This is a big accomplishment. Way to go guys!

Also, remember that our State Wide Picnic is coming up on May 17th at Killen's Pond, at 1:30pm. Join all us and the members across the state for some good food, games and FUN!! Hope to see you all there! :)

Well that's all for now,

Lori Hughes
2009-2010 State Treasurer

2009-04-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Its hard to believe that State Convention has already come and gone and spring break is finally here! I am very proud to be representing you as your 2009-2010 State Vice President! At my first state convention I decided that one day I was going to become a State Officer. My entire high school career I dreamt one day fulfilling this dream. Well lady's and gentleman dream big, because I am living proof that dreams do come true!

With spring time here that means that chapter banquets are in full swing! I am very excited to get to meet and work with many of you across the state. I wish you all the best of luck in planning for this big event, I know you all will do a great job!

Our team is very excited for this coming year! We are anxious to get a jump start at our upcoming BLAST OFF conference, and begin planning for this great year. Have a great spring break and I hope to see you all soon!!!!

Lindsey Bethard
2009-2010
State Vice President

Banquet Season

2009-04-09T14:07:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone,

It's that time once again for banquet season and I know i'm very excited to get to learn about all of the great accomplishments that our chapter here in Delaware have achieved. I recieved the opportunity this past Tuesday to attend the Caesar Rodney Chapters Banquet where my fellow State Officer, Lindsey Bethard, retired from her two year term as President. While there I also got to hear a keynote from Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee who talked about how important the FFA is to forming the future leaders of our state and country, and I could not agree more. I also got to witness many students recieve awards and recognition for all of their hard work throughout this past year. I wish the best of luck to everyone planning their banquet now or hoping to recieve an award and I will be seeing you soon.

Samantha Burton
2009 - 2010
State President

FFA Members

2009-04-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

I would like to congratulate everybody on a wonderful State Convention! I am so excited to be a part of the 2009-2010 State Officer Team serving as Sentinel. Becoming a state officer has been a dream of mine for years and I finally have been given the chance to live out my dream.

I hope everyone is as excited as I am to kick off the year with our Statewide Picnic at Killens Pond. Further details will be provided later. I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know everyone.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at anytime.
Thank you all so much, and let's make this a great year!

Mike

State Convention

2009-03-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I would like to thank all of the Delaware FFA members, advisors, sponsors, and friends for making the 2009 State Convention a success. A big CONGRATULATIONS goes out to all who received their Proficiencies, State Degrees, Qualified for their American Degrees, and those who won or competed in a CDE.

I'm very excited to be writing my first blog here on the Delaware FFA blogspot and as the 2009 - 2010 State President, I am even more excited to get the opportunity to work with all of the members in our great state. Mrs. Stacey and I have already began brainstorming ideas for the upcoming year and have a lot in mind to keep all of our members involved and on the forefront of FFA and Agriculture Education.

Until next time,
Samantha Burton
09 - 10 Delaware FFA Association President