Pitman FFA started the new year with its monthly meeting on Jan. 7 at Ram Farms with over 150 students in attendance. Pitman FFA members had lots of fun while ice skating, the music was awesome, and the snacks were delicious.
The committee meetings for January were held on the 12th and the 26th. These productive meetings were to prepare for upcoming events and help the department with tasks that need to be completed. For example, some members help in the social media committee, where they help format informative posts for our social @pitmanffa02 as well as fun videos detailing what Pitman FFA has been up to and what’s to come. Another committee is the poster committee, which helps create monthly classroom and upcoming events posters to be posted around campus to get the word out. The Pitman FFA chapter encourages our members to participate in these meetings for activity points while also helping plan events and bring them to life.
As the end of the year holidays pass and Valentine's Day comes up, Pitman High School FFA has come up with the idea to send out cards to our elders of Cogir Turlock in hopes of making an impact on their lives during the holiday season, as they have once made an impact on us. There were Pride Times with students and agriculture teachers on the 27th of January, where they made cards. In the following days, members will be able to give out the cards made to the residents on Valentine's Day.
Sectional speaking took place on Feb. 4 at Turlock High School. Our members from John H. Pitman High School attended numerous types of LDEs that included the creed speech, prepared public speaking, extemporaneous speaking, job interview, impromptu, BIG, and water issues. Creed speaking is reciting the National FFA Creed from memory and explaining its full meaning. Prepared Public Speaking is presenting a speech on an agricultural topic, which is followed by a Q&A. Lastly, Extemporaneous Speaking is developing and presenting a speech on a random agricultural topic, but with limited prep time, normally thirty minutes. These events help develop students by pushing them to remember things, preparing them for any public speaking, being able to develop and presenting a speech in a limited time, and overall becoming a leader. These are the types of qualities that colleges and jobs look for during the time of recruitment.
This year, Pitman FFA has added two more CDEs (Career Development Experiences) that students can join. These two CDEs are livestock judging and dairy products judging. We are excited for our students to get this chance to participate and to be exposed to more opportunities where they can learn and grow. The typical CDEs we have include vet science, B.I.G, floral, and welding. These competitions will begin on February 7th. Our advisors will be preparing us for these competitions so we can be all set for the challenges that may come, as well as the learning opportunities to benefit our futures with knowledge and skills for careers in those industries.
On behalf of the Pitman Cross Country and FFA Programs, we would like to remind you of the Lourenco Memorial Run taking place on today. This event is to honor the memory of the Lourenco family, who lost their lives in a serious car accident a little over a year ago, while also helping raise funds for families grieving from loss. The goal of this run is to remember and honor the lives that have been lost. The runs will consist of a 5K and 2 mile run. Please visit https://tinyurl.com/Lourenco5k for more information and to sign up for this event.
— Courtesy of Pitman FFA members Alan Rivera, Emily Soares, Isabella Andrade, Isabella Chapa Diaz, Melina Mercado, and Brianna Olson.
