Students praise FFA

Chandler Snow

My name is Chandler Snow, I'm a freshman, I'm a member of the FFA at Pea Ridge High School. I've been a member of the FFA for two years now. One of my favorite experiences was the Arkansas/Oklahoma State Fair trip, last year. Now we may have got the dates off, and completely missed the fair, but I got to ride on a bus with a bunch of dudes all day, and miss school. This year we made the fair, it was pretty fun. We got to judge livestock, and stroll around the fair all day.

Another one of my favorite trips, would have to be the John Brown University lock-ins we go on. We head over to John Brown, and we play basketball all night. It's pretty fun. We also do a lot of shop work, whether it be building bluebird houses, welding, or cutting metal, it never ceases to amaze how much fun we all have doing these things. FFA has opened up a lot of opportunities for me, I'm thankful I took this course, it's been one heck of a ride, and I can't wait to see what else it has to hold.

Caden Whitted

My name is Caden Whitted. I am a freshman and have been in FFA for two years. I like FFA because of all the field trips. My favorite are the Bass Pro field trips. I like the Bass Pro field trip because we get to hang out at Bass Pro and buy whatever we want and then go eat at Lambert's. I also liked the Arkansas Oklahoma State Fair field trip.

The first year I was in FFA we went to the Arkansas Oklahoma State Fair and when we got there it wasn't there so we had to drive all the way back and we stopped at a gas station and eat gas station food. But this year it was actually here this year it was pretty cool. We got to walk around and we got some Trump signs for a dollar. I got me a hat and some food. The lock-in at John Brown University was also pretty cool. We left the school at 11 p.m. and when we got there we played basketball for six hours and played some racquetball. That was all the field trips that we have gone on. FFA is pretty cool. That is why I like FFA so much.

Lucus Carreira

Hi, my name is Lucus Carreira and I'm a freshman at Pea Ridge High School, and I'll be talking about what has happened in Ag and how it has helped me in my life so far.

As surprising as it may be, Ag is already impacting my life positively. And I'm only a freshman. Not including the fun events they host, they have also taught me skills that have helped with different and various affairs. The majority of these things involve my grandpa and his farm, but some of the things have helped with things like making prop weapons for Halloween costumes and even building makeshift forts for my little brother. Considering the things with my grandpa, he owns a farm in Oklahoma and is often in need of help. Using the information ag has taught me, I've been able to help him make pig pens, lay down barbed wire and rivet metal. These things have allowed me to get very close to my grandpa who I now consider a good friend. Considering other uses if you don't have farm work are easy. Using the wood cutting skills ag has taught me, I was able to modify a broken electric guitar I'd bought into a rustic looking prop axe. Things such as listed above are just a few reasons why I love ag.

Thank you for your time, Lucus Carreira.

Tyler Cope

My name is Tyler Cope. I have been in FFA for four years now. I am currently the junior advisor for my chapter. FFA has impacted my life in so many ways. I had my first ag class in my ninth grade school year. We have been on many fun trips locally and in different parts of the country. We have been to the state fair, state convention, national convention, judging competitions, workshops, as well as many other activities.

When I first joined FFA I had no idea that it would change my life in such a huge way. I was a very shy girl my freshman year. Mr. Mason encouraged me to join one of the public speaking teams. I thought he was crazy, but I joined anyway. What was the worst that could happen? Well I ended up loving every minute of it. I started with the creed competition, then went on to competing in the Extemporaneous Speaking competition. This year just so happens to be my first year to go on to district in April. If I had never joined my first ag class I wouldn't have found the thing that made my high school experience stand out in my life.

Danielle Dishaw

Hello my name is Danielle Dishaw, I am the Pea Ridge FFA Chapter's treasurer. I started FFA in the ninth grade and been treasurer for my 10th and 11th years. I'm hoping I can be treasurer for one more year for my 12th grade year.

My favorite trip we had was the one when we went to Indianapolis, Ind., for the FFA National Convention. A lot of stuff happened from an embarrassing video of me (that's going to be played at banquet ) from meeting new people and even when we tried to find me a cowboy at the rodeo. Even the other trip like the AR/OK state fair, we got to even judge livestock and by the time the judging was over we were set loss on the for hang out with friends to meeting new people from other FFA . Then there was the trip we went on the summer of 2016, we went to Camp Couchdale; the whole time we were there it rained almost every day of State Convention. But we all had fun and a lot of good memories of our trips and even the very weird moments. Being in FFA has changed my life it helped me get out my shell a little. I can talk in front of big crowds, before when I had to talk in front of people, I clammed up, frozen in front of every one. I don't do that any more. My people skills got better and everything . I'm happy I joined FFA .

Rylie Hickman

My name is Rylie Hickman and I have been in the Pea Ridge FFA Chapter for four years. Ever since I was a little girl, I always knew I had a great love for agriculture and life sciences. Deciding to take my very first AG class my freshman year was the best decision I ever made! Through the FFA, I learned so much about leadership, agriculture and personally developed my career interests for the future. As an active Pea Ridge FFA member and officer the last four years, I have discovered my passion in agriculture. As my senior year comes to an end, I have decided to continue my path in agriculture by majoring in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Arkansas. Without the FFA, I wouldn't be the person and leader I am today. I am so thankful to have been taught by Mr. Perry Mason as he is one of the best agricultural educators there is! FFA and Mr. Mason have completely transformed my high school experience. When the day comes for me to graduate and give my retiring FFA address, I will look back on all the fun memories I enjoyed so much through the FFA. I want to thank the Pea Ridge FFA for giving me the best high school experience possible.

Makenna Higgins

Hello, my name is Makenna Higgins, I was born and raised in Pea Ridge, Ark., where I attend high school as a junior. I plan on pursuing my dream of becoming a veterinary technician by attending college in 2018 and graduating with a bachelor's degree. To help me prepare, I made the choice to be involved in FFA as well as animal science 1 and 2. I am new to FFA this year and I absolutely love it, I know I made the right decision by joining such a great team of America's future leaders!

Some of my experiences include observing a castration of pigs, learning how to correctly judge bovine, swine and ovine, and helping out each other as a team. From my experiences I have learned how to be involved, be successful and how to grow as a person. Being a member hasn't only helped me with in-school activities but it has also strengthened my abilities for outside of school. I currently work at Oak View Animal Clinic as a kennel assistant, spending various hours caring for every client's pet's needs and being involved in FFA has showed me how to be courageous and a successful leader.

Leala Sorrell

My name is Leala Sorrell, and I am the proud daughter of Melody and Rusty Sorrell. I am 16 years old and a sophomore here at Pea Ridge High School. This is my second year as a member of FFA and my second year taking agriculture-based classes with Mr. Perry Mason; last year I was in Survey of Agriculture, and this year I am taking Animal Science. I decided to start taking these classes because I have always been interested in farming and things of the sort, and I wanted to broaden my horizons. I am considering going to school to become a veterinarian, which is a lot of work, but I was told that if you could survive a class with Perry Mason, you could survive anything.

All kidding aside, I joined FFA because their core values are everything that I love and believe in as well. Their motto is "Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve." I think that the FFA motto can be expressed into two word: hard work. I've been brought up by two amazing, hard-working parents, and when I think of the FFA, I think of them. I love being a member of the FFA organization because I know that it makes my parents proud to see me taking part in such a great program. The FFA organization has taught me not only skills I will need if I go into the agricultural workforce, but it has taught me to become a better and stronger person. I will not wait around to make my dreams happen. I will go out there and work my way up to the top, and I will treat everyone with respect on my way up.

FFA has shaped me into a great individual, and for that, I will be forever thankful.

Wyatt Weber

Hi, my name is Wyatt Weber, I am a senior at Pea Ridge High School, I joined FFA for my senior year. Coming from a farming background, FFA was something that I had looked at for a while, but my class schedule never really allowed me to. This year, with the help of the Pea Ridge FFA family, they helped me schedule an Ag class in. It is like a whole other community of people, people who work for what they earn, live to better society and serve the world, whether they deserve credit or not. I may have only earned my Greenhand Degree, but I truly feel like I fully understand what FFA represents. I am the chairman of Career Success, and aim to make sure that the individuals at Pea Ridge learn what it really takes in an ag-based career. Life will have hardships, but determination, and the understanding that without the food producers, the world cannot retain all of the consumers. FFA is the beginning, the people in this little community and I will never forget what we should do, or better yet, give credit where it is due. I will miss this ever so small hidden community.

Jordyn Allison

My Experience in FFA

My name is Jordyn Allison. I am 13 years old. My mom is Stephanie Allison. My dad is Billy Allison. I am in Mr. Mason's eighth-grade Survey Of Ag Systems class. My experience in FFA has been the best. I know I will stay in FFA all my years in high school. FFA was better than I thought it was going to be. I really like being in FFA. I look forward to coming to class everyday I have Survey Of Ag Systems.

At the beginning of the year, we got out of school and went to the Arkansas/Oklahoma State Fair. I judged livestock in the fair. We sold Blue and Gold sausage and I sold the most out of all of Pea Ridge FFA. I sold $1,016. By selling the most I got a note pad in a binder from the blue and gold sausage company. I also got a badge for being in FFA. It was the first time that Pea Ridge did it for eighth grade. This is my experience in FFA.

Jake Dixon

My Past Time in FFA

FFA is an association where you learn about the enjoyments and troubles of agriculture. We do a lot of hands-on activities with our friends. FFA means a lot to me, it's like if somebody asks you, " you were in FFA," your reply should be, "No, I got to be in FFA." You have a certain time frame you get in FFA. I'm telling you I recommend it. It will be one of the best times of your life. I've learned a lot and I did some judging, and I have got my Discovery Degree. My name is Jake Dixon and when I get farther in FFA I am going to college to be a veterinarian. My teacher is Mr. Mason and he is my favorite teacher. We have been on several trips including the Bass Pro trip, Arkansas/Oklahoma State Fair, and we directed parking at the circus. I am glad I'm in FFA it is the best time to spend.

Levi Huffman

I'm Levi Huffman and I'm in Mr. Mason's eighth-grade survey of Ag class and I'm in the Pea Ridge FFA. We do lots of fun things in here such as using the saws and building things such as tool boxes. This class is fun because we learn about farm stuff and we learn about things such as wood work and welding and its really fun things we need to know for our future to be successful if we pick a certain career. My favorite thing so far was using the saws to make our first wood project and it was a big learning experience because we learned how to read a tape measure. In FFA we have lots of fun and we learn things that are well needed and things that we are gonna want to know in the future.

Lane Ross

What FFA means to me

My name is Lane Ross and my mom and dad are Holly and Jared Ross. I am in Mr. Mason's eighth-grade survey of Ag. I am still part of the Pea Ridge FFA. So far I have done so much cool stuff in FFA.

FFA has been fun and I have learned so much from being in FFA. We have took so much field trips they have been fun and educational. One time we went to the Arkansas and Oklahoma fair. I got to judge dairy cattle with doing that I learned that there was so many things to look for when you are judging dairy cattle.

On another trip we went to Bass Pro. You may be like, "Why did you guys do that?" But one reason was the fact that it was like a reward for the hard work that we have done so far for the year. Two was so that we could learn something while we were there, I learned about how long ago it was since the first bow and arrow was invented. It was invented 64,000 years ago, it took over two million years to make the very first bow and arrow. I knew that there were some kind of animals but I did not know that there were that many types of animals.

FFA means a lot to me. My dad was in FFA and my mom took forestry. So it is like following in the family footsteps. I have learned so much with being in FFA. To me the most important thing is the fact that I have so many friends and the teacher that help me out when I need it. I am so glad to be part of the Pea Ridge FFA. That is what FFA means to me.

Nick Terrazas

National FFA Week

My name is Nick Terrazas. My parents are Tim and Adrienne Terrazas. I am in the Survey of Ag Pre Ap class at Pea Ridge Middle School. My teacher is Mr. Mason. I have had many great experiences so far in Survey of Ag.

I have only been here since January, and I have learned so much. I have learned about tools, and what they do. I have learned how to find the exact center of a piece of wood. I have learned how to use a table saw, mitre saw and a drill press. I have cut several pieces of wood and used the drill press. I haved learned safety rules around tools, and how to treat them. I have even learned how to measure things. Before I joined FFA, I barely knew what a tape measure was. Now, I have learned so much that I will be able to help my parents with our farm, and I will be able to help grow our business. I love Ag., and look forward to joining FFA in my high school years.

Chris Connolley

Where can you meet new people, gain experience in the agricultural field, and have fun at the same time. The Pea Ridge FFA is one of the few places where I have been able to gain valuable experience that will benefit me for the rest of my life. One of those experiences was being a creed speaker for the chapter. It started by first learning the creed and its origins. After practicing and proficiently memorizing the lines and paragraphs I was asked to be the speaker for the year. I continued to practice and prepare for the upcoming competitions until the day finally came to travel to the first contest. As my time approached to present my speech I began to become nervous and anxious about what was about to happen. Even with all the circumstances I was able to overcome my nervousness and win first place at the competition. Along came the second competition. This one did not go as well as the first but it was still a great experience. If you get a chance to be a creed speaker I would advise you to take it. You will not regret it.

Chris Connolley

Aden Christensen

My Experiences in FFA

When I first joined FFA, I was expecting to have joined some group that only talked about cows and farm work, but boy was I wrong. As it turns out, FFA is more than just farm work and cows, it's also about teamwork, leadership and unity. In class, we do projects, learn about how to correctly use tools, and have some good hard-earned fun.

Along with the fun, we have serious moments where you could hear a pin drop (if of course the whirr of tools stopped as well).

Mr. Mason has been so kind to let us do the things he lets us do. For instance if we are having a bad day and feelin' kinda down, have a nice soda and you'll be feelin' fine in no time. He also lets us, if we have all of our assignments done for class, work on assignments from other classes that we need to be done. All in all, FFA has been a really fun aspect in my life and I am excited for what is to come in my future with FFA.

My FFA experience has been amazing. From the meetings and going to the Arkansas/Oklahoma State Fair it has been a blast. The fair was a really good experience for me because not only was it a learning experience, I saw some people I hadn't seen in a really long time. It was fun to see the judging and get to judge livestock myself. Going to the fair is definitely one of my favorite things we've done.

We have done a lot of things in class like animal science and terminology, learned about all the different tools, and recently started working in the shop. In animal science we took notes and had tests, we did the same with the tools. In the shop we've only cut a piece of wood and drilled a hole in the center. The point of the assignment was to see if we had paid attention to what we had been taught and if we know how to work the equipment. We're about to start a project where we make a toolbox. Working in the shop is pretty fun.

I have had a great experience with FFA so far. Survey of ag is one of my favorite classes. I can't wait to explore more into FFA.

Being in FFA is really awesome learning about different animals and what they are good for. This is a really fun class and I know more about most of the animals I've been around and what kind they are and what they do. The meat fundraisers are good because this is good food and it sold really good because people know how good this meat is. I know more about chickens because we learned about them and what kind of chickens produce what kind of eggs. We learned about horses and what all is different about them. This is where you can meet new people and you can gain knowledge going through FFA. This is where you can gain experience about animals and other things in life. I can gain experience that can be really valuable to my life, and I can talk to people and just have fun doing what I like to do.

Luke Shuptrine

I am Luke Shuptrine and I have had some amazing experiences with the FFA. The things we did were great. I can name one thing right now and that is we had a tailgate at the school and we went on a float the whole FFA and it was a hay ride and it was a lot of fun. Also not only that but we learned the FFA creed and that was a struggle. But not only that but I thought it was good for me too and it helped me be available to learn something new. But not only that we learned what the gavel means and how it works so every time I hear a gavel strike, I know what is going on now all because of the gavel. Also another thing I learned is types of animals and their stage so now I am more educated about animals.

Also we learned all time of different horses and the white stripes on the horses. So because of the FFA, I know a lot more about horses. Not only that but we learned how to use a drill press and a table saw and a hand saw which I am thankful for so now when I use those items, I feel safe around them and that's all to the FFA. So those are My FFA experiences.

Trenton Gibbs

Hi, my name is Trenton Gibbs. My parents are Lonnie and Debbie Gibbs. I have been in at least one Ag class since my freshman year and I'm a senior now. I am a member of the Pea Ridge FFA -- an honor I plan to carry to my grave.

My first great accomplishment in Ag and FFA was to recite the FFA Creed. I had to do this in front of my classmates. Also, I had the chance to do a lot of traveling around. I went to the ice cream social and later to the hayride & chili social. I received my FFA Greenhand Degree as well as my Chapter FFA Degree. I have been to the Arkansas/Oklahoma State Fair so many times I can't remember. I have judged Livestock, which is beef cattle, sheep, hogs and goats every time. I really enjoyed that.

I am looking forward to the best function FFA hosts which is barnwarming, it's a barn dance where we all get together and crown a "Sweetheart" and dance and sing to our favorite country songs. I have had the pleasure to escort an FFA sweetheart attendant the past three years and will be doing my final duty as an escort at this year's Barnwarming dance. Barnwarming will be one of those things I will forever miss about my High School years.

FFA is an awesome program that has left me with memories that I will forever treasure. I am a proud member of FFA and will take these skills and memories and use them long after I graduate. FOREVER blue and gold!

Collin Higgins

Joining FFA is one of the best decisions I have made in my life so far. In my short experience of this organization I have learned and experienced so many things that I would have never had the opportunity otherwise. One of the biggest things we've done as a chapter in Pea Ridge was attending the Arkansas/Oklahoma state fair where we graded cattle. Grading the cattle was a unique experience and it being the first time I have ever done so it was awkward and I didn't know the grading process very well, but in the end it was still fun. After we graded the cattle we were allowed to go to the fair grounds. That in itself was a great experience because I have never gone to a fair and I've always wanted to.

During my time in my Survey of Ag Systems class I have had a great time. I have learned so much about tools and animals that I had no idea about. Although it wasn't easy I think I have done pretty good in the class. I have had an amazing experience in this class. It has taught me things like how to cut wood the right way, and what tools to use to cut. If I hadn't taken this class then I don't think I would have learned these things right now in school. Overall I think I have benefited a lot from the Ag Class.