I quietly (well, as quietly as an accident prone person like me can) slipped out of the house and walked down the street, across the road, and through the parking lot to the Athens Agriculture Department. It was 5:45 AM sharp, and it was time to get rolling.
Destination: Louisville KY
Adventure: 88th National FFA Convention
Cast: Mr. Steinfelt --> Agriculture Educator and FFA Advisor
Carla --> Female Chaperone and School Van Connoisseur
Me --> Ag Teacher Wannabe
Crew: 12 Athens High School Seniors who are active members of the Ag Program and Athens FFA
On the way to Louisville, we were able to stop at the Elk Center (Shout-out to previous PSU Grad TOBY!) This was a great chance to stretch out the legs, look at some beautiful wildlife, and get to talk more with the other students.
Here is a snapshot of our week!
TUESDAY: Traveling for miles and miles and miles. Well, that's one way to get to know your students!
WEDNESDAY: Finished the last stretch to Louisville and got to the convention center. Students were able to explore the FFA Mall, as well as the Expo Hall to see industry professionals and look at different schools. Then we drove out to the beautiful cabins we were staying at in Taylorsville, KY. Then we finished off the night at the concert. And whew did we have neat seats in the nosebleed section... I think the air was actually thinner up there! What an incredible day.
THURSDAY: We started early on Thursday and made it to the Opening Session of the 88th National FFA Convention at 8:00AM. In this session we heard from Michelle Obama, were reminded of the FFA Creeds origins, and were inspired by guest speaker Dr. Rigsby. WOAH it was a great session. Y'all can watch it if you want at https://www.ffa.org/broadcast. We capped off the evening with a Belle of Louisville Boat Dinner and Cruise! Good times had by all
FRIDAY: We had a more relaxed day Friday, which was nice after having such a hectic week! We visited the Expo hall for a bit after a late breakfast, and then headed over to Churchill Downs. Here, we were able to go into the museum and learn more about horse racing. After this we went back to the cabins and relaxed before making dinner together. I really enjoyed eating as a chapter at the cabins. The relaxed evening allowed for plenty of joking, laughter, lots of food, and a nice reflection of the week.
SATURDAY: Driving for DAYS! Or so it seemed! We took a different route to drive home and it was nice seeing the wildlife. We saw deer, turkeys, lots of birds, and a bear! Pretty incredible.
I truly enjoyed attending the National FFA Convention with Athens FFA. While it took me awhile to respond to Ms. Royer, I feel so lucky to already know and have a relationship with 12 students at Athens. This trip has made me even more excited for student teaching next semester!
So next stop: Student Teaching... Athens Style
Best
-Sarabeth
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