National Convention 2017 Day 1 If there s one thing that FFA members are used to, it s waking up early in the morning to attend one of the many amazing conventions and conferences that are offered to them. So when 8 members of the Kiel FFA Chapter found themselves standing outside (in the cold rain and wind nonetheless) waiting for a coach bus to come to take them to Indianapolis early in the morning on October 24 th, they weren t the least bit upset. The only thing that any of the members felt was excitement for what was waiting for them, 6 hours away, in Indiana. The 90 th National FFA Convention. We traveled in a coach bus, with about 45 kids combined, from our chapter as well different chapters, and their advisors. Along with [Kiel FFA] were Kewaunee, Mishicot, Brillion, Valders, and Sheboygan Falls FFA Chapters. A student who participated in the National Convention Trip stated. With all of the FFA members in a bus for about 5 hours, there was bound to be some laughs along the way down, and the students made a few friends within the first few minutes of walking on the bus. The first tour stop for National Convention was at the Albanese Confectionary Factory and Shop in Merrillville, Indiana. The students got a tour of their factory and how they run things there, as they watched a few short videos on the processes of making the factory s famous gummy candies and chocolates. No one left the shop empty handed from the Kiel FFA Chapter, many grabbing more than one bag of the simply delicious candies that were offered up to the chapter members and advisors.
After the Albanese Confectionary shop tours, the students headed back to the shuttle bus to head to their second tour of the trip. In Lafayette, Indiana, the car manufacturer Subaru allows tours to go through their car plant. Unfortunately, however, because the car manufacturing business is so big, they can t allow pictures outside of their plant due to competition. The chapter members were able to see a new 2018 car in production from the company, and got to witness the assembly lines that put the cars together. The way that machines and men worked together was amazing, and showed that industrial manufacturing has really come a long way. After Subaru, the students and their advisors were on their way to their hotel in Indianapolis. Day 2 October 25th began with a rocky start for some Kiel FFA Members. While offered great continental breakfast by the hotel, the students had a long and sleepless night. After accommodating with double booked rooms, electrical outlets hanging out of the walls, no shower heads, and a room door that could be pushed open because it didn t lock, the FFA members were exhausted. But that didn t ruin any of their fun! The first stop of Day 2 was at the Trinity Horse Farm in Clayton, Indiana. The horse farm is a place where lessons are given to younger kids, horses are trained and can be boarded as well. The FFA members enjoyed learning about how a woman and her family turned a suburban house into a horse farm with acres of land. Seeing the way that the horses and the training arenas were accommodated within the farm owner s land was a cool thing for the FFA students to experience, and many of the members will remember the impact of seeing an agricultural activity incorporated into a small lot size. From the farm to the hotel to the convention, and the students were headed to Indianapolis Convention Center for their first day of convention experience. With only two members having gone in the past, six out of the eight Kiel FFA Members were introduced to the National Convention Workshops and Expo Halls. With thousands of vendors, colleges, and FFA members surrounding them, the students recognized a feeling of belonging while walking through the building while wearing their corduroy jackets that so proudly bared their chapter s name. Witnessing the sea of blue was an extraordinary feeling for all of the members that participated in this trip, whether they were returning or there for the first time. Opening Session of the 90th annual National Convention and Expo was held in the Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers. Before it started, Kiel FFA s Twitter page was presented up on the big screens up on stage. With an exciting post shared by one of our chapter s Vice Presidents that attended the expo, our chapter was presented for the 67,000 FFA members from across the nation that participated in the Convention. At the beginning of the session, the 2016-2017 National Officer Team wowed the 8 Kiel FFA Members with a statement of I can. We will., also known as the theme for the whole convention.
The FFA members took this saying to heart, letting it lead them through one of the best trips that they have taken through their FFA Chapter yet. The keynote speaker of this year s opening session was Lalia Ali, a world champion women s boxer and daughter to the late Muhammad Ali. Laila Ali focused on relaying her own story to the members, and using her own experiences to give them ways to expose their own qualities of leadership. By never letting anyone tell her what to do and how to live her own life, she was able to stand in front of all 67,000 members that night and inspire us to never stop fighting for our own dreams and what we all believe in. While motivating us to follow our own dreams, she also stopped to remind us that acts of kindness towards others can get you farther than anything in life, because as her father always said, Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. That night, the members also attended a concert. Runaway June was the opening act, and Rascal Flatts held the lead in the concert. Although most members were still exhausted from the long day and previous night, they all enjoyed getting to see a popular country artist perform well known songs that got everyone dancing. As Rascal Flatts ended the night with two of their most well known songs, Life is a Highway and God Bless the Broken Road, the FFA members were ready to close off another day well spent at National Convention.
Day 3 As the days remaining of National Convention dwindled down to two, the Kiel FFA Students found themselves not wanting to leave Indianapolis. Spending a full day searching the Exhibition Hall, the FFA shops, and going to workshops meant to improve the members leadership skills, the members noticed that the fun they were having was soon going to end. Making the best of it, they explored the whole convention halls and Indianapolis, walking down FFA Way (a street closed purely for FFA members to have walking areas) and finding themselves at various restaurants for lunches and dinners. The whole coach bus that Kiel was attending with ate at The Old Spaghetti Factory together for dinner, and enjoyed catching up with each other after of a full day of exploring and seeing new things. Pictured from left to right: (back row) Jessica Sabrowsky, Dakota Reiss, Sophie Strains, Beth Koele, Adam Luebke, Jenna Schweitzer (front row) Lexi Riebe, Blake Fellows After eating that evening, the members went back to the hotel to change, and then found themselves back at the building that held the Spaghetti Factory, however, they were going to the floor above it. Escape Indy is a well known escape room in Indianapolis, and the FFA Advisors had booked all of the escape rooms they had to offer to fit our whole bus into these challenges. Only a few of the groups got out, with the group in the hardest room only making it through 2 of a total 4 rooms. Although many kids were disappointed that they hadn t made it out of their escape rooms, it was a great team building activity that taught not only Kiel FFA members, but the other chapters that attended with them, that leadership isn t necessarily the easiest thing to understand. (What happens when you stick a group with a bunch of leaders into a room that s going to require someone to take charge? That s the dilemma the students were faced with. Imagine how they felt!) All in all, the FFA members wouldn t have changed a thing about their escape room experience and even though it was, once again, late when they got back to their hotel, the students fell asleep with smiles on their faces after a great day. Day 4 The final day of the National Convention trip had arrived. While packing up suitcases and eating their last continental breakfasts together, the students were somber. Of course they were excited to go home, but they were leaving behind these great memories that had been made together while in Indianapolis. One last tour was left, one last day at the Convention center remained, and then they were on the bus and headed back to Wisconsin. The only thing the students could do was take the last day piece by piece, experience by experience, and hopefully they could take back the memories of a FFAmily home with them. After checking out of the hotel and loading up the bus, the Kiel FFA members were off to the NCAA Hall of Champions. There, they were given a tour of not only the building, but of the organization as well. After being shown a short video about the NCAA, the students realized that sports and FFA both involved team work. Then, the NCAA employees put them up to a task; complete a scavenger hunt and then compete in an athletic challenge. The students had to find information within the Hall of Champions, and then went to the second level of the building to test out their athletic skills. We had to shoot some basketball free throws and only two out of ten of us made the shots. We had to do a vertical jump, and Mr.
Friend got one of the highest scores. We shot 20 soccer goals, and only made 11. I think it s safe to say that most of us should stick to FFA. One student recalled jokingly. After the NCAA tour, the students were on their way to their last day at the Convention. More time spent going through the expo hall meant more time for the students to talk to the vendors and ask about their jobs and the effects on agriculture that their work places left. More time to walk through college booths meant more time for our older members to get a grasp on where they might be interested in attending after college. But every good thing must come to an end, and after a few final hours in the convention halls of Indianapolis, the members were on the bus for the final time. After a quick stop at a buffet for dinner, the members were on their way home. The end of their National Convention Experience was here, and the members were reluctant to accept the fact that their return to reality, from the escape that FFA had brought them, was upon them. The final hours on the bus ride home, the members reflected their favorite memories from the trip, and found themselves laughing so hard their sides hurt and enjoying the final moments they had together. One final statement from an attendee sums up the trip for all 8 FFA members. I think it s safe to say that we came out of this experience not only better people, but better leaders. We became better innovators and better motivators. We learned how to be better and more responsible FFA members, as well as citizens of our own communities. We believed that we could find ourselves through this trip, and honestly, all of us did. After this, we understood that alone we can do things, but when we work together, as a chapter, we will accomplish them in a way that no person, no people, no chapter, has done before. I Can. We Will.