Banquet Bonanza: Tri-Valley Style

At the conclusion of each school year, many FFA chapters host a Parent/Member Banquet to celebrate the accomplishments of the members and chapter.  The National FFA Organization (formerly known as the Future Farmers of America) is one segment of an Agriculture Education program.  There are currently over 540,000 FFA members nationwide in over 7, 500 Agriculture Education programs.

On May 3, I had the pleasure of attending my high school chapter’s banquet.  Tri-Valley FFA hosted its 63^rd Annual Banquet with over 170 members, parents, and community members in attendance.  I always enjoy attending this banquet since my father was a member of this chapter in addition to my sister.  It was a great feeling to attend and see the next generation of leaders run the banquet program with such confidence and authority. 

The banquet began with the meal and door prize giveaway—a much anticipated tradition at this banquet.  The 2012-2013 Officer Team kicked off the awards portion of the banquet with the much-anticipated Opening Ceremonies.  It was so awesome to see the sense of pride and admiration of these officers as they recited their part much like many members of the audience had done years before.  This is the power of tradition that was evident throughout the banquet.

There were many highlights that followed—29 students receiving their Discovery Degree, 7 Seniors being honored for receiving their Keystone Degree, 3 Honorary Members being recognized for supporting the chapter, and my sister being recognized for being the 7^th person from Tri-Valley FFA to receive their American Degree.  Since I received my American Degree last year, we are the first (and only) sibling pair from Tri-Valley FFA to hold their American Degrees at this point in time.

As the banquet came to a close, I felt thankful to have been involved in Agriculture Education during my time as a high school student.  Even though Tri-Valley is a small school district, the Agriculture program has always had unanimous support from the administration and community members alike.  Agriculture Education provides numerous opportunities for students to succeed and prepare themselves for post-secondary education or employment after high school graduation.  Here’s to the next 63 years of successful Agriculture Education at Tri-Valley High School!

Be sure to follow Tri-Valley FFA on Twitter @TriValleyFFA to learn more about the great things going on within this chapter.

 

~DJR

The National FFA Organization is a national youth organization of 557,318 student members as part of 7,498 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. The National FFA Organization operates under a federal charter granted by the 81st United States Congress and it is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture. The U.S. Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to state and local agricultural education programs. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at www.FFA.org, on Facebook, Twitter and the official National FFA Organization blog.