Officer Retreat -- Off to the East Coast!

On June 9th, after finals were over and the retiring teacher was bid farewell, the 2015-16 Big Foot FFA officer team made their way to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Each year the Big Foot FFA takes their team on an officer retreat to jump start their year of service. Typically it is a cross country experience full of bonding, leadership development, and planning the upcoming year as well as the duties of each officer.

Day 1: Philadelphia
After landing at the Philadelphia airport the previous night, the officer team began their travels by driving to Valley Forge, which was a winter encampment during the Revolutionary War. Despite getting lost and practically driving through the entire National Park at least twice, the group reunited for a trolley ride through the rolling valley. Then the officer team headed back to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. To finish off the night, they obviously had to try Philly cheese steaks for dinner! Afterwards, the team worked to begin planning the chapter's activities for the upcoming year.


Big Foot FFA's 2015-16 Officer Team with the Liberty Bell

Day 2: New York City

Statue of Liberty and the Office Team

The team boarded an early train in hopes of arriving in New York to see the Today Show. After being delayed due to an earlier derailment, they divided into three groups and hailed taxis. However, one taxi caught a flat tire 20 blocks away from our destination, leading to a long walk. While they did not make it onto television, the officer team's trip to NYC was nonetheless exciting! The team traveled to Times Square, where they took photos and entered into M&M World. Next, they headed to Battery Park, where they boarded a ferry which took them to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island! Late in the afternoon, the team returned to the mainland and made their way to the 9/11 memorial. Afterwards, they headed back to Philadelphia, exhilarated from the sight-seeing and eager to discuss the upcoming year and its events.



Day 3: The Airport
After an eventful few days, the Big Foot FFA officer team had packed up and was meeting for one last planning session before heading to the airport for their flight. They had planned out through much of the year and feel confident in the exciting activities planned for the chapter's members.  So the officers and their advisor headed to the Philadelphia airport with ample time to go through security. However, the plane was delayed. And then again. Luckily, the plane eventually took off and arrived back home!

The Officer Team of the Big Foot FFA chapter is comprised of 7 individuals who are highly dedicated to the FFA organization and are looking forward to serving their chapter in a leadership capacity throughout the next year. They had a lot of fun on their retreat, while also bonding with each other and creating a stronger team which can better serve the community.

2015-2016 Big Foot FFA Officer Team
Mikayla Grinnell- Vice President
Faith Carpenter- Vice President
Laura Brost- Vice President
Destiny Schmidt- Secretary
Chris Walter- Treasurer
Amelia Hayden- Reporter
Mitchell Schaefer- Sentinel
2015-2016 Big Foot FFA Advisors
Lisa Konkel
Jeanne Case

Written by: Amelia Hayden
Big Foot FFA Reporter