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Pymatuning FFA members busy through the year with projects, volunteer service
ANDOVER — When Elizabeth Andrew said, “Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart,” she must have been thinking about the Pymatuning Valley High School Future Farmers of America Chapter.
The PV FFA Chapter, composed of more than 50 students, is a hard working group of young individuals, ranked top in the top 50 chapters in Ohio. The Pymatuning Valley FFA strives for and expects excellence in everything they do.
In a recent interview with Bo Shreves, PV FFA Chapter president whose job is to run, supervise, motivate and represent the FFA, Shreves explained an overview of the program, and told us what the chapter was doing in the school and community in the months to come. Anyone can join the FFA program at Pymatuning Valley; it is an inter-curriculum course of study that coincides with agricultural science and is open to all students. If working hard enough, a student can earn all four degrees in the FFA: the Green Hand degree, chapter degree, state degree and the top level the American degree. In addition to their regular classroom assignments, FFA students complete a Supervised Agricultural Experience project every year that counts for a quarter credit from their possible 1.25 credits the students can earn each year.
While working on their project, students learn to apply the concepts and principles taught in their agriculture class to real-world problems and scenarios. A student selects an SAE project based on his or her interest in one of four areas: exploratory, research/experimentation and analysis, ownership/ entrepreneurship, and placement. In completing their projects, the students take them to the Ashtabula County Fair, where they display them as exhibits or even live animals.
Shreves himself has been a four-year member and has earned his state degree. He said that being a part of the FFA has been definitive of his high school experience.
The current activity the FFA is running is the Toys 4 Tykes in the all three buildings of the Pymatuning Valley Local School District. This program allows students, faculty and other community members to bring in packaged toys to donate to the less fortunate families in the Andover community this holiday season. The FFA students placed boxes all around the school district to collect the toys. In the high school, the boxes can be found in almost every classroom. The giving spirit is what brings in the gifts, but PV also offers incentives that include Pride Bucks for those students who bring in toys, and the classroom with the most toys also wins a prize. So with generosity, everyone wins! Once the toy drive is complete on Friday the toys will be taken to Community Care; from there the toys will be distributed to the families around the Andover community.
FFA is busy all year long. Other holiday time activities the FFA is involved in is a trip caroling at the Gate Street Apartments in Andover to spread the joy of Christmas spirit. The Haunted Hayride in October at the Antique Engine Club grounds in Wayne Township is another annual tradition that the FFA sponsors. Also during the year, FFA holds a “Kiss a Critter” where students will pay money to see their teachers “kiss critters” and all of the proceeds will be given to local animal shelters. The FFA students also teach the students of the primary building about where food comes from in a program called Food for America; FFA students will bring in their animals, such as cows, chickens and pigs, and educate the young kids. One of the last of many activities FFA runs, sure is a favorite of all high school students – the milk machine. In the cafeteria sits the FFA milk machine full of chocolate, strawberry, vanilla milk and orange juice, that the students can purchase for a low price. FFA uses its milk money to help with the costs of all of the service projects.
In conclusion with the senior FFA president Shreves, his goals are to become District 3 president, and keep going farther. When asked, how do you feel about leaving the Pymatuning Valley Chapter and graduating? Shreves replied with, “I know the chapter will do fine.”
The FFA classroom is not an easy place to find – it is off of the cafeteria and to the back of the building. Even though it is off the beaten path, the FFA is a busy group, and an integral part of the PV community.
In addition to the work of the FFA, Student Council is sponsoring its second annual Soup Cook-Off on Jan. 15 before the home boys’ basketball game. To enter the soup cook-off, contact Amy Moyer at the high school 440-293-6263.
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