Land Lab Work Day

Only one week into school and already, members are working hard! This Saturday, we had a great turn out of parents and students to help with maintaining the Land Lab. Some tasks included weed whacking, sweeping, weeding, and clearing the pens.
From 8 to 12 everyone worked very hard, and for that we are greatful. Many safety hazards are now fixed, which will make the area more accessible to students in ag classes needing hands-on experience in the field. Participating members can also turn in volunteer sheets to the main office, which will help with the Bright Futures community service requirement. Finally, nominated by previous AG teacher Ms. Compton, the officer team participated in the ice bucket challenge, raising ALS awareness. We can't wait to see our nominees (all area 5 FFA chapters) complete the challenge!

Freshman Orientation Summer Camp

The new school year is quickly approaching! One critical goal of our chapter for the incoming year is to encourage new students to join. While anyone can join at any time, the best potential new members are those just entering high school. To get word about the FFA and agriculture program out to students, two members volunteered their time at Steinbrenner's freshman orientation camp.

Utilizing public speaking skills, chapter chaplain Alex Brockhum and reporter Emily Casper spoke to this year's new ninth grade class. Topics included the different agriculture classes available, what animals can be raised, what a career development is and its real world applications, and what the FFA is and what it teaches. Tours were led to visit the classrooms and greenhouses, and additional information was given about how FFA comes into play around the school and what it does on campus. To see students raise their hand considering joining was a very satisfying experience, as well as evidence of a job well done.

State Convention!

One experience no FFA member should pass up is going to State Convention. Spending five days in a hotel with some friends is a pretty awesome time. However, as Steinbrenner chapter members found out, it is not just fun and games, but also a learning experience. By attending the 84th State Convention, members learned valuable skills at workshops, listened to many guest speakers at sessions, created friendships with other FFA members across the state, and hopefully ended up holding this great organization a little nearer to their hearts.

Our chapter won two state level awards this year for the Ornamental Horticulture Demonstrations CDE. In the landscaping catagory, Zoe Wallace won first place. In the artistic arrangement category, Kellie Zambito and Emily Casper won first place as well.

Governor Rick Scott spoke at the convention, and expressed his respect for FFA and what it does for its members.

Amanda Walther decided to try on some camouflage clothes at the Bass Pro shop.

Ag Room Cleanup

To get started for the new year, we asked for everyone to help clean and organize the ag classroom. For four days, members and friends scrubbed, mopped, and rearranged everything. It was hard work, and there were more than a few undesireable tasks. By the usual round of nose-goes our awesome secretary was selected to clean the fridge. It still smells; however, we thank her for her best attempt. Mopping was a problem as well, and we tried not to just rearrange the dirt (although it somewhat looks that way).

During breaks we deciphered Dr. Suess books, honked golf cart horns, and played card games. This as well as the cleaning, created wonderful memories for  everyone involved.

The fridge of doom!

Cheating? More like loosing so badly another person has to hold the cards xP

Martinez Middle School Work Day

It's almost summer break! Usually, many people would be eager for a relaxing summer. Our chapter however will be busier than ever in the upcoming months, and working with our neighboring middle school's agriculture students is just the start.

Waking up bright and early, Steinbrenner FFA members volunteered to assist beautifying the Martinez campus by digging holes and planting shrubs. Skillfully evading quite a few pipes with their shovels, members ended the afternoon tired and dirty, yet satisfied with a job well done.

The day was a great experience to meet students who may be future members of our chapter. For those who will be joining us next year, we can't wait!

Let's Get This Thing Started!

Welcome to the Steinbrenner High School FFA blog! We are SO happy that you have taken the time to see what we have accomplished and hopefully learn more about the FFA while you are doing it!

To keep a chapter running requires hard work and dedication, and the members who are up to the challenge benefit greatly. To an involved member, a chapter can become akin to a second home, and bestow upon them positive qualities and memories they will have for the rest of their life. The National FFA Organization promotes premier leadership, personal growth and career success. From this blog, we hope you can see our members grow to become successful, well-rounded leaders of the future.