2013 Officer Retreat

On July 22-24, 2013 the Gillett FFA Officer team went on their annual retreat. They started their retreat by going to Shawano to go mini-golfing, go-carting, and get some ice cream before they headed off to JD Photography in Clintonville, Wisconsin for their pictures. After the pictures, they traveled up to a wonderful cabin in Lakewood, Wisconsin. At the cabin, they did officer team bonding, set the schedule for the upcoming year, discovered what their position in the FFA is and means, went swimming in a nearby lake, and overall had a great time.

-Jacob Timm, Gillett FFA Reporter

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National FFA Organization 2013-14 Theme

Beef Project Clinic

There will be a Beef Project Clinic on Monday, July 29th at 6:00 p.m. at the Fairgrounds in Gillett. The clinic will focus on showmanship and nutrition.

This meeting counts as one educational point. Supper will be provided after the clinic.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathy at 920-855-2940. Hope to see you there!

Summer Dairy Workshop

Summer Dairy Workshop
Saturday, July 27, 2013
11:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.
Blaser Dairy Farm
9267 State Highway 22
Gillett, WI 54124

We will be talking about dairy cattle nutrition, fitting and showmanship. Lunch will be provided. Please bring any clippers/fitting equipment that you have.

A great way to learn more about your animal project and earn an educational point!

Gillett Ag Program Receives Grant, Teacher Attends Professional Development Conference

Kellie Claflin, agriculture teacher at Gillett High School attended the 95th annual Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators (WAAE) Professional Development Conference, June 24-27, 2013 in Green Bay. The theme of the conference was “Inquiring minds + Collaboration = No Limits.”

Claflin attended workshops on vertical hydroponic farming, budding and grafting, developing forest health materials, classroom technology, the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) in food science and irrigation in greenhouses. She served on the statewide teacher mentoring committee to help ensure the retention of agriculture teachers across Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Agricultural Education Foundation awarded four grants to middle and high schools. The Gillett agriculture program received $250 to “flip” the food science classes. The grant go towards supplies and software to allow students to watch lectures before coming to class. More information about flipped classrooms can be found here.

Recipients of the Wisconsin Agricultural Education Foundation grants.

At the conference Claflin was recognized as the  Wisconsin runner-up of the Teachers Turn the Key Award. The Teachers Turn the Key Award program (TTTK) is a scholarship to allow early career agricultural educators to attend the annual National Association of Agricultural Educators convention, giving them an opportunity to become involved with their professional association on a national level. TTTK participants take part in special programming geared toward agricultural educators in the early stages of their careers.

The conference brings over 275 agricultural educators from both the secondary and post-secondary levels together to network with colleagues, individuals from business and industry and gain tools to assist them in strengthening local agriculture programs.

Agricultural education is critical at all levels of the education system as these classes provide students the skills and knowledge needed for careers in this fast-paced industry.  One in five people work in Wisconsin’s agricultural industry to provide food, fuel and fiber to meet the needs of the world.

The WAAE professional development conference gives members an opportunity to participate in hands-on workshops that focus on the latest trends in agriculture, technology and innovative strategies to bring those techniques in the classroom.  Agricultural educators are able to meet and network with business leaders, colleagues and sponsors.  Above all, the WAAE conference gives the agricultural educator time to revitalize the curriculum and rejuvenate for the upcoming school year.

FFA Members See the Vision and Live the Mission at the 84th Wisconsin FFA Convention

The Wisconsin Association of FFA celebrated 84 years of premier leadership, personal growth and career success at the Wisconsin FFA Convention in Madison June 11 to 13. The convention attracted over 3,000 members, advisors, parents, alumni and sponsors to celebrate their year’s success and support for students involved in agricultural education.

Gillett FFA members Abbey Horsens, Evan Rank, Kallie Rank and Rachel Ransom attended the convention.

Abbey Horsens was recognized for receiving a gold rating on her dairy production-placement supervised agricultural experience (SAE) program.

Kallie Rank received the Wisconsin FFA Degree, the highest degree a state association can bestow on a member. To receive their state degree students must have have completed at least 2 years (360 hours) of systematic school instruction in agricultural education at our above the ninth grade level, which includes an SAE, have earned and productively invested at least $1,000, or have worked at least 300 hours outside of schedule class time through an SAE, participated in the planning and implementation of the chapter’s Program of Activities, participated in at least five different FFA activities above the chapter level and completed at least 25 hours of community service.

Ms. Claflin facilitated the “Change Lives, Teach Ag” workshop with Mr. Santy for students interested in pursuing a career in teaching agriculture. Participants were up on their feet discussing qualities of ag teachers and the benefits of the job. They also learned about the critical shortage across the nation of ag teachers and heard from current teachers and college students.

“Students enrolled in agricultural education in Wisconsin schools and who are members of the FFA have a fantastic opportunity for leadership and career development,” said Wisconsin FFA Executive Director Cheryl Zimmerman. “The Wisconsin FFA Convention is our opportunity to recognize the importance of the education of our society about agriculture and the achievement of young people who are the future leaders of the agriculture industry.”

The Wisconsin Association of FFA is a leading student organization due to the efforts of more than 18,000 students across the state. With a focus on premier leadership, personal growth and career success, students’ FFA activities complement agricultural classroom instruction by giving them an opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge while gaining real-world experience. These activities are dependent on donor funding through the Wisconsin FFA Foundation. For more information about Wisconsin FFA and the Wisconsin FFA Foundation visit http://www.wisconsinffa.org or http://www.wisconsinffafoundation.org, become a fan of Wisconsin FFA Foundation on Facebook, or call 715-659-4807.

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Oconto County Breakfast on the Farm

FFA members from across Oconto County joined together to educate attendees through the educational tent and petting zoo. The Oconto County Breakfast on the Farm was held at Jagiello Dairy Farms in Lena. Over 4,000 people attended the annual event.

Gillett 4th of July Parade

FFA members worked very hard preparing the float for the annual 4th of July parade. The theme was “Gillett FFA is  Floating Towards Our Vision of Agriculture” and had a great time with the tropical beach theme.

2013 Banquet Review

The Gillett FFA had their annual banquet at Romy’s Holiday Inn on Kelly Lake on Sunday, May 5th.  All of the members were recognized for their accomplishments over the past school year.

Some of the awards the members received were the Discovery Degree which was given to the 7^th and 8^th grade members, those who received it were Hanna Brock, Lauren Herzog, Evan Rank, Reid Winkler, and Taylor Yonker. The Greenhand Degree is offered to high school first year high school members was given to Hailey Brock, Amberlee DeBauch, Gabriela Guerrero, Marissa Sherman, Thomas Nauke, Donavon Rose, Jacob Timm, and Austin Wright. The Chapter Degree is offered to second year members, Nik Hoeft and Sommer Pawlak received this award this year. A State Degree is the highest award an FFA member can receive at the state level; Kallie Rank will be receiving hers this June at State Convention.

In February five members sent in Proficiencies Applications to be judged by a panel of judges. They included Kallie Rank in Agriculture Education; Abbey Horsens in Dairy Production-Placement; Danielle Timm in Equine Science-Placement; and Raymond Brock and Andrea Wians in Poultry. Abbey Horsens received sixteenth in the state for her Dairy Production- Placement application. The Scholarship Award is given to a member in each high school grade that has the highest grade point average of the members in their grade, this year’s winners were freshmen: Jacob Timm, sophomore: Nik Hoeft, junior: Danielle Timm, senior: Kallie Rank. Without fundraising the chapter could not do all the things they have been able to do this year. We award the top three salespeople with a gift certificate to the FFA store. This year’s winners were 3^rd place: Taylor Yonker, 2^nd place: Danielle and Jacob Timm, and 1^st place: Raymond Brock.

At the end of the banquet, was the time the officer candidates had been waiting for, the announcement of the 2013-2014 officer team. This year’s officer team is President, Abbey Horsens; Co-Vice Presidents, Rachel Ransom and Skhyler Simpson; Secretary, Raymond Brock; Treasurer, Danielle Timm, Reporter, Jacob Timm; and Co-Sentinels, Hailey Brock and Korey Badeau.