The North Platte FFA (Future Farmers of America) Alumni Chapter will be hosting their Alumni Summer Cookout this Saturday, July 31, at 4 p.m. at the Edgerton City Park.
Kaitlyn Paxton, who teaches sixth through 12th grade agricultural education at North Platte School District, and others in the area started the organization last fall.
“We are still in the process of getting the word out and recruiting members, Paxton said. “Many people think that they had to be an FFA member when they were a student or that they had to attend North Platte in order to be an FFA Alumni member, but that is not the case. Anyone who is interested in supporting the North Platte FFA Chapter can join the Alumni organization.”
The upcoming school year will be Paxton’s second year teaching. She graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in 2020 with a degree in Agricultural Education.
At the Alumni Summer Cookout on Saturday, there will be a short meeting about what steps to take for people who would like to become members. “You can search Facebook for the private group called, ‘North Platte FFA-MO’ for more info about both Alumni events and high school FFA Chapter Activities,” Paxton said.
The Alumni Chapter supports the FFA Chapter by providing scholarships for students to attend conferences, conventions, and camps, among other things. Members also donate their time to helping at FFA Chapter activities, judging applications, aiding students in Career Development events, and much more.
Paxton believes that Future Farmers of America teaches youth about much more than just agriculture, because while in agriculture class, students may learn about topics such as animal science, soils, conservation, horticulture, welding, woodworking, agriculture leadership and communications, and many other subjects.
“Students involved in FFA will have the opportunity to learn leadership skills, how to speak in front of a group, communication, saving/investing money, exploring career options, time-management, and so much more,” Paxton said. “FFA allows students to step out of their comfort zone and try new things. The growth that happens throughout high school in a student involved in FFA is unmatched by any other organization. FFA is the largest youth organization in the nation with over 760,000 members and those members become exceptional young adults with a great work ethic and a well-rounded education.”
She believes the benefits and wisdom FFA gives young people can help them throughout their lives and that some of the most important things FFA members learn during their involvement in the organization include hard work, responsibility and leadership skills.
“Students are required to have a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), which is a project that could vary from doing agricultural work for someone or a business, starting a business, or researching an agricultural topic,” Paxton said. “These types of experiences teach students first-hand skills such as time-management, record-keeping, and responsibility. SAEs are something that make FFA so unique in the skills that students are learning outside of the classroom, while being involved in the organization.”
In FFA, students can compete in Career Development events and Leadership Development events. These events develop skills that students will use in future careers and allow them to work hard towards reaching goals.
“There are so many opportunities in FFA for students from all backgrounds,” Paxton said. “Students do not have to live on a farm, have livestock, or grow crops in order to be a member. I personally did not grow up on a farm, and today I am an Agricultural Education teacher. There are opportunities for all students to become involved and enjoy their time in FFA.”
If anyone is interested in joining the Alumni Chapter, they can email Paxton at kaitlyn.paxton@nppanthers.org and for information about upcoming meetings/events and to join the email list. They can also search Facebook for the page, “North Platte FFA Alumni Association” and “like” it to hear about upcoming activities.