Gabby Schiesser and Becky Rose of the New London FFA chapter, and Joe Kaczorowski and Courtlynn Oltz of the Manawa FFA Chapter attended the Wisconsin Association of FFA Half-Time Leadership Conference. The conference was held at the Holiday Inn & Convention Center in Stevens Point on Jan. 6-7.
The Half-Time Leadership Conference provides FFA chapter leaders from around the state the opportunity to set goals and prepare for the second half of their year of service in their local FFA chapters. Nearly 600 FFA members, advisors and state FFA officers participated.
FFA members attended workshops focused on leadership and personal development, membership and chapter development, and opportunities in FFA. They learned about preparing for FFA events and getting involved in community service. In addition, FFA members heard from Matt Reinders and Adam Wehling, past state FFA officers and current Agricultural Instructors and FFA Advisors, who presented a motivational address to the members on Saturday morning.
The Half-Time Conference has a tradition of more than 26 years for Wisconsin FFA members to bring top leaders together to assist in leadership development. This year’s leadership conference was designed and conducted by the 2011-12 Wisconsin State FFA Officers. The theme of the conference was “Destination: Unknown.”
“Half-Time is one of the premier leadership conferences in our state and designed by student leaders. It allows FFA chapter leaders to develop their leadership skills, learn more about FFA activities and meet people while having fun,” said Cheryl Zimmerman, State FFA Executive Director. “We are able to provide young people with an excellent experience to develop their leadership skills and get them excited about Agriculture, Agricultural Education and the FFA so they can build their local programs.”
“The conference helped me to become a better leader and prepare for my future career,” said Oltz.
Kaczorowski added, “It has given me great ideas to improve our chapter.”
FFA advisor Sandy Cordes joined nearly 200 other agri-science instructors during the weekend as they attended training for the new Agricultural Career Network that students will be using for student
membership and career portfolio development. Teachers were also involved in the Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators (WAAE) Board Meetings and Committee meetings.