Edgar Flores Silva

Seniors Abbie Notgrass, Austin Sassenburg and Riley Horn were celebrated during the Oct. 29 spirit line. They placed 1st at Nationals for Marketing.

The VRHS Agriculture program and FFA strive to enrich students by developing their leadership skills, allowing them to grow through the means of agricultural education. The mission of FFA is as follows: premier leadership, personal growth, and career success. These goals are shown greatly through the amazing and talented students who are a part of the VRHS Ag and FFA programs. This year, the FFA Marketing Plan Team had the amazing opportunity to attend Nationals in Indianapolis Indiana, where they showcased all their hard work and knowledge in front of the entire country!

The VRHS Agricultural programs play vital roles in introducing students to the amazing world of agriculture, which is an important part of food production, sustainability, and economic growth. These programs showcase various topics including agricultural engineering, animal science, plant science, and environmental and natural resources.

“I’m in Intro to Ag, right now we’re learning about beef cattle and we learn about different parts of agriculture,” freshman John Christian said. “Through FFA I’ve been taught how to take care of a live animal and be responsible for it myself.”

Through agricultural education, students are provided with many leadership opportunities including public speaking competitions, community service projects, and various officer roles. Agricultural education and FFA go hand in hand, as many students in agriculture classes choose to be a part of VRHS FFA in order to grow in their leadership and knowledge.

“Last year we made it to state for quiz team,” Junior Ryan Meath said. “My quiz team had to take a 150-question quiz and we got top two at area, making it to state.”

Hard work and dedication are common themes when looking into the students who are a part of the agricultural programs at VRHS. Competitions are a major part of these programs, allowing students to step outside of the school and their comfort zones to showcase their knowledge. This is shown greatly as the VRHS Marketing Plan Team won 1st place at Nationals! Seniors Abbie Notgrass, Riley Horn, and Austin Sassenberg worked for many long months to perfect their presentations.

“I learned so many new things about myself,” senior Riley Horn said. “I learned that if I work really hard for something, I can do other hard things. If I spend a decent amount of time with my goat then I’m going to learn how to handle different situations with animals and with people.”

The VRHS Agricultural programs and FFA significantly impact students by enhancing both their leadership skills and practical skills. Through many hours of hard work and dedication, these students gain valuable experiences that allow them to be successful in their competitions as well as in their lives. Students in agriculture-based programs gain skills that prepare them for future challenges they may face, molding them into strong and hard-working young adults.

“The hard work you put into FFA translates to other areas of your life,” Horn said. “And the hard work you put in is going to work out in the end. You get out what you put in.”