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| Recruiting, remembering |
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| Alumni and current members support FFA at annual barbecue |
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 | | SHELBY CASE/CENTRAL OREGONIAN | | Janet and Bill Beeman of Prineville were among those attending the barbecue. |
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Seventy-five Crook County High School students and others turned out Wednesday night to learn more about the FFA and agriculture. The students and other members of the community attended the second annual FFA Alumni barbecue, which was held at the land lab on Barnes Butte Road. The Alumni sponsored the event and CCHS teacher and FFA adviser Sam Herringshaw was quite pleased to have their help.
"It's great to have the alumni be the go-to people on things like the barbecue, where I can just let them know what needs to be done and they do it," Herringshaw said. "They support our ag program in many ways. They support the kids financially when they want to go on trips, they give students opportunities to work on the land lab, and they do a lot of things that I simply wouldn't have time to do."
Crook County residents chomped down on hamburgers, potato salad, and potato chips and then listened to what the CCHS Chapter of the FFA is up to these days.
"The alumni provided the food, as they have done in the past," the teacher said. "We are grateful for their support."
The evening also provided an opportunity to look ahead to a new year in the local high school chapter's activities.
"We are at the start of a new membership year in FFA," Herringshaw said. "Last year, we ended the year with around 60 members. The barbecue is a chance for us to not only have a good time, but to get to know the students and parents in a different atmosphere and give them an idea of what FFA is all about. I would estimate that at least half of the students at the barbecue were not members last year."
Herringshaw also talked about the benefits of joining FFA.
"FFA is a great opportunity for students to get a head start on the rest of their lives and have a lot of fun while doing it," the teacher emphasized. "There are so many opportunities for students to find things that fit who they are. We are a very welcoming group. Anybody who is even a little interested in what we do should really check us out. You don't have to come from a farm. Just have an interest in agriculture and an interest in making yourself a better person."
FFA costs $15 in annual dues per student. Portions of the dues go to the National FFA, State FFA and the rest goes to the chapter to help the group pay for traveling expenses.
"We are all looking forward to a great year!" Herringshaw said. "The officers and I worked hard this summer to lay out a plan of what we can do to lead this chapter into the best year it has ever had. We worked on making goals, plans to reach those goals, public relations issues, marketing our program to the public, recruitment, and other topics. Some of these issues can be tough for high school students to understand. They did an excellent job and we are excited to see our progress."
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