The FFA chapter at Morro Bay High School is getting ready for a busy year full of meeting new people, helping out the community, and competing in statewide competitions. Our local chapter is looking forward to focusing on growth, involvement, and continuing to build a strong sense of family within the program.
Chapter secretary Neilani Boyd, a junior who is now in her third year of FFA, said, “We want to get all of the freshmen more involved, and want to have a 70% rate of people joining and going in their activities.” The officer team is also preparing for upcoming fall competitions and leadership conferences, with events like the opening and closing ceremonies as well as Club Rush. “I’m excited about all of the activities we have planned and seeing if we’re more successful this year,” Boyd said.
Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Peggy Flynn, who has been teaching for 30 years here in Morro Bay, said, “I really hope it [FFA] grows.” “We are up to 120 students in our Ag program, which means about one in every seven students in the high school is involved. That’s huge progress, seeing as how, like, five years ago, there were maybe 50 kids in the program,” said Flynn.
The Ag class, anticipating more growth in the future, plans to hire another teacher. “It would allow us to do so many more things with our students,” said Flynn. Flynn also hopes to improve FFA members’ public speaking skills. “Public speaking is definitely one of our big ones that we work with, whether it be opening and closing ceremonies, job interviews, any of those kinds of public speaking contests are definitely something we want to work towards,” Flynn said.
Flynn made it clear that recruiting new members and maintaining the program’s strength are top priorities this year, along with community outreach. The chapter is reaching out to local service clubs, such as Kiwanis and the Rotary Club, and plans to assist with the Los Osos Christmas Parade. Flynn also discussed the benefits of FFA’s leadership conferences, “The networking they get to do and the people they meet across the state—it’s one of those things that until they do it, they don’t know how great it is,” Flynn said.
Chapter president and junior Addyson Janovec, like Boyd, also said that one of the biggest goals is getting the freshmen to be more involved in FFA. “We want to get all of our new freshmen involved in all our events and competitions.”Janovec is anticipating many leadership opportunities this school year, and especially enjoys leading events such as ‘Go for the Gold,’ a friendly competition among regional FFA sections. What stands out most to her is the sense of community FFA creates. “This is like my family,” she said. “I always know that I can come to FFA…it’s really helped me to see how many people we can actually get involved in this community.”
(Peggy Flynn)
Beyond animals, leadership, and competitions, the people in FFA say the program is simply fun. Working with fellow FFA members is one of the highlights, and regarding this, Boyd said, “I enjoy all the friends, and definitely having an officer team, because we get to go on trips and we get a team bond, and it’s fun.” Janovec agreed and said, “It’s very social and interactive.”
All in all, it looks like the future of FFA at Morro Bay High School is bright. With growing membership, plenty of ambitious goals, and so many activities coming up, the chapter is ready to make the most of this year and show our school that FFA isn’t just an agricultural program, but a place where you can work hard, socialize, and be yourself.
