by Dylan Sanders

PCM FFA members attended the National FFA convention in Indianapolis, Ind. There were ten students that went to the convention. Eight of the ten students that went to the convention had never gone before. Senior Brady North and sophomore Caleb Geer were the only students who have. Amber Sampson, the head of PCM agriculture, was the primary supervisor of the students.

Sampson said, “We would always like to compete at the convention, but when we don’t compete we observe other schools competitions. It also exposes kids to the diversity of agriculture. It shows what kind of jobs are out there, and what the people in agriculture are like. The convention really is a great way to show our members the diversity of FFA.”

The students went on many tours at the convention. They also attended sessions in which national officers talk about how the year went and how they want the next year to go. Another important thing about the convention is that it helps persuade first year members to stick with FFA.

Sophomore Alexis Dross said, “I think that the first year members become more interested in FFA because of the trip. I think that they saw what members from other states experience, and they want to do that also. I think that they are going to get more involved in FFA and maybe want to take over a leadership position sometime. It made the members less intimidated by the idea of FFA. I believe that the convention made them more comfortable with experienced FFA members.”