District Administrator's Corner

by Loren Glasbrenner,  River Valley School District Administrator  From February 19 through 26 the River Valley FFA chapter and our district are proud to be celebrating the 75th anniversary of National FFA Week. This week is a good time to share what FFA is all about and the impact it has on our local communities. The first National FFA Week was celebrated in 1948 by chapters across the country. At that time, there were a total of 260,300 FFA members. Since then, the organization has grown to 735,000 student members in 8,817 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, the organization is supported by more than 8 million alumni members (https://messenger-news.com/2022/02/16/national-ffa-week-to-celebrate-75-....) President George Washington stated that “Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man.” Records at his historic home at Mt. Vernon established Washington as a founding father emphasizing and studying agriculture. He was a leader that believed in improvement and innovation, which mirrors the intentions of our FFA traditions. His example extended to recordkeeping, organization, and experimentation of new products. Washington’s practices extended beyond the acres of Mt. Vernon to economic viability and feasibility. The correlation between his beliefs and the pride of our students in FFA are incredible…both are visionary. The FFA purchased 28.5 acres of land from Washington’s estate in 1939 to build the first National FFA Center. Our local FFA chapter has a proud tradition of excellence. We have an incredible school fair that is unparalleled. Another example is Mia Hillebrand, an alumni of our chapter, who is currently serving as a Wisconsin State FFA Officer. We have many alumni who are willing to work with our youth through Youth Apprenticeships, learning experiences, and chaperoning events. We offer many agricultural courses for our students (including middle school Introduction to Agriculture)-- Agribusiness, Animal Health & Nutrition, Aquaculture, Food Science, Greenhouse Management, Horticulture, Large Animal Science, Small Animal Science, and Youth Apprenticeship in Agriculture. We have courses articulated with Southwest Technical College as well giving students the opportunity to take college courses while still in high school. Outstanding community support makes it possible to offer these related agriculture opportunities to students. Yet, all of this tradition wouldn’t be possible without Shari Graffunder (aka “G”). She is the main cog on the ever-turning sprocket of agriculture for the River Valley School District. She is a whirlwind of activity that creates a system for FFA and agriculture in our schools. Without “G,” it wouldn’t happen. We are thankful for her leadership. (She also serves on the Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators Board and was President in 2014-2014. She has served as the Region III Secretary for the National Association of Agricultural Educators, is currently serving as Region III Vice President, and was appointed to the National FFA Alumni Board of Directors.) So, this week, we pause and celebrate agriculture and our local FFA traditions. The clothes on our backs, the food on our tables, and the products we enjoy are part of an expanding $100 billion industry in Wisconsin–agriculture. As a past member of the Fennimore FFA chapter, and a holder of an honorary chapter FFA degree, I am an advocate for support of the FFA motto of “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.” Our district is proud to have students and staff highly engaged in FFA.