PHOTO OF THE DAY: VALUE-ADDED EXPERIENCE

This photo of Claire Hofer, Olivia Smith, Ethan Buchmann and Jackson Buchmann is on the front page of this week’s Courier along with the following story about FFA.

VALUE-ADDED EXPERIENCE

It may not get the attention of other extra-curricular activities (like sports), but those involved with FFA say the organization is a key part of their education because it develops critical career and leadership skills — in school and in life.

In a few short weeks, Claire Hofer and Olivia Smith will join the Class of 2025 in saying goodbye to the life and times they have known as students at Freeman High School. They will spend one last summer at home and then begin a new world of post-secondary education in a new surrounding — Claire at Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa and Olivia at Black Hills State in Spearfish.

And they will, of course, take with them all the things they learned at Freeman Public Schools, starting with kindergarten and continuing through their higher-level curriculum.

But one of the biggest skillsets they will leave with isn’t the result of traditional classroom education, but rather through the Freeman chapter of the National FFA Organization and all the extra-curricular offers — leadership camps, retreats and competitions.

“There are just a lot of development opportunities to grow skills,” says Hofer, who will pursue secondary education in college. “Just making connections with other people is really cool; it allows you to create fellowship with a big group of people who are there for the same purpose.”

“It definitely gives you a set of skills that other people who aren’t in FFA might not get,” says Smith, who will study social work at Black Hills State. “Through FFA we do a lot of community service, so when we’re applying for scholarships, that looks really good. It’s not why we do it, but it’s certainly a bonus. It gives you opportunities to be involved.”

Hofer and Smith are both at the end of their FFA days and have focused almost exclusively on Floriculture, one of the many Career and Leadership Development Events (CDEs/LDEs) available through FFA.

Two others — brothers Ethan and Jackson Buchmann — are still on their FFA journey. Ethan is just finishing his sophomore year while Jackson is wrapping up his year as an eighth grader. Both are focusing on Ag Mechanics because that’s the area of study they plan to purse in college.

“And it overlaps in hobbies outside of work,” says Jackson.

And Ethan notes how important FFA has been to him, even though he still has two more school years to go.

“Some of my best memories are in FFA and just growing yourself as a person,” he says. “And I also love competing.”

The Buchmann brothers and Hofer and Smith all had numerous chances to compete in FFA this year, including at the state competition in Brookings the first week of April, where they were joined by 18 others from Freeman Public and 2,200 from across the state.

Students advance to the state competition as either individuals or teams by placing well at the district level — top five for some areas and top three in others.

And Freeman did well.

Hofer and Smith finished fifth and 19th, respectively, in Floriculture and were part of a team that included Justice Mehlhaf and Ellie Anderson that finished second overall.

And Ethan cracked a top 20 spot with a 19th place finish in Ag Mechanics, following up his first-place state finish in Ag Broadcasting last fall; he was also first at districts in Radio Broadcast.

Malynda Penner, who is finishing her third year as junior-senior ag instructor and fourth year as FFA advisor, says sticking with the same CDEs/LDEs over multiple years is beneficial in competitions.

“If you want to win, you do,” she says. “If you just want the experience, you try other things.”

Case-in-point is Hofer and Smith’s state finish in Floriculture, an area that Smith has focused on for five years and Hofer for four.

“It builds year after year,” says Hofer. “Every competition you go to you learn something new — new skills and techniques. It compounds over your whole high school career.”

Penner says that FFA can feel scary for those first starting out, “but you just do it. You learn by doing.”

And she notes that FFA is an intracurricular student organization, meaning that learning begins in the classroom and then extends outward through practical applications and competitions.

“One you experience it, you build, and then you grow from there,” Penner says.

All CDEs/LDEs — from Food Science and Parliamentary Procedure to Forestry and Marketing — are structured through a rubric that’s specifically detailed, giving the students the skills they need to execute specific projects and scenarios in real time.

“If you follow the rubric and you follow the steps and do what they say, you’re going to score well,” she says. “But it’s the learning aspect that’s important. It is a learning curve, and that’s why, if you stick it out, you build — and we’re seeing that and we’re seeing good results with that.”

And Penner notes that FFA is not only for students who come from farms, despite the FFA standing for Future Farmers of America, which the organization is hanging on to as a tribute to its roots that go back to 1928.

And it’s not just for males.

In fact, Penner says, she has seen more females take part the last few years, and the majority of the students aren’t from farms, but rather from town.

And all of it is taking place under the motto, “Learn, Lead, Succeed.”

“And that’s what I see,” Penner says. “It’s cool. We’re just getting going.”