By Hayden Freestone
The Delta FFA is filled with many important people. Leaders such as Mrs. Nicole Lodl and Mrs. Nancy Kunk give the students the power to make decisions for themselves and to decide what to do.
Lodl was a key member of Delta’s FFA while in high school. She was the chapter reporter her senior year. And she won district awards for small animal production and care. She also continued her FFA experience in college at Purdue University.
There are also key student leaders such as the FFA president, Haylee Reading, who does things in the school and out.
“She’s actually done some cool things with Purdue and stuff too,” Lodl said.
The FFA is also led by vice president Kacie Vance, who has helped with things such as the trailer for the Albany and Eaton parade float.
With the support of Lodl and Kunk, Reading and Vance have guided the FFA through many different group activities.
They have gone to the National FFA Convention, the Livestock Skillathon and the Forestry Contest.
The national convention is a gathering of FFA chapters from all over the country that takes place every year in Indianapolis. Students go on tours and do educational activities.
“You can walk around and see people,” Lodl said. “It really shows that FFA is a national organization because you see people from like Hawaii, Alaska, even like the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.”
Lodl believes that it is best for students to get hands-on experience and tours of buildings and companies.
The group plans to do many other field trips including the Fort Wayne Farm Show and other agricultural-related tours such as Cummins.
Lodl believes that it is important for future high schoolers to be introduced to FFA early and the different opportunities that it offers during and after high school.
She also believes that FFA is a way for students to do things outside of school for those who can’t or don’t want to play sports.
“The big thing with me for FFA is there are a lot of kids that do things outside of school that are really cool that aren’t associated with a sports team, so it’s just a way to really honor those kids,” Lodl said.
Senior Dalton Royal is a student who joined FFA his junior year, but he is still an important member of the FFA who has been on many trips and has participated in competitions.
Royal thinks highly of Lodl and the other leaders of the FFA.
“I like Lodl. She keeps the meeting together, but she definitely takes a more hands-off approach, though” Royal said.
He also thinks that it is important that the underclassmen have taken so much responsibility in FFA.
“The younger students have kind of taken over. With the president and vice president both being underclassmen I know that the FFA is in good hands,” he said.
He has not decided if he wants to go into an agricultural field yet as he is also thinking of radiation therapy, but agriculture will always be in the back of his mind throughout the college process.
