The Exeter-Milligan/Friend FFA held a pep rally Wednesday
morning in the Exeter gym. Since it was held in the Exeter gym this year
all of the Exeter-Milligan sixth through twelfth graders were able to attend
and get a glimpse of the FFA program.
It was FFA week February 20-24 and according to EMF FFA
President Shelby Lawver it is one of the highlights of the year, “Our FFA members work hard year-round competing in all
different types of competitions. FFA week is a week where we plan fun
activities and dress-up days for the members to enjoy. From our past
experiences as FFA members and elementary students, it really isn't FFA week
without a pep rally.”
The pep rally opened with a welcome from Lawver who
announced the first competition, a pie eating contest. Officers had
pulled names out of the hat for each one of the competitions.
After donning plastic bags the contestants had to eat
through a whipped cream pie and find six gummy fish. In the junior high
division Avery Tuttle skunked her competitors while Jayden Capek was the high
school winner.
In between games, gift card drawings were held and the
winners received $10 gift cards to local businesses.
The next competition was a traditional bob for apples
contest. Four students attempted to find four apples in their
buckets. After testing different methods, Mikey Bartu won the contest
with his head dunking approach.
Trying to stay clean for a while, the next game involved
holding two water jugs straight out. Marcus Krupicka won the high school
division and Jaxson Brandt won the junior high division.
Carter Milton was given the task of helping Bob Milton get
his FFA dress outfit on while blindfolded while racing against the team of Abbi
Milton and Gracie Vynhalek. Carter and Gracie were allowed to give verbal
instructions but couldn’t physically help them put the clothing items that were
spread across the gym on their bodies. It was a close race but Bob and
Carter were declared the winners.
Lots of participants were tagged for the game of musical
chairs. This game is always a crowd favorite, but some of the boys
treated the game more like capture the chair and both participants got the
boot. Malorie Lawver was the winner
Four teams of students, which included two junior high and
two high school teams, faced the challenge of getting a frozen FFA t-shirt open
enough for one of the teammates to put it on. The students tried throwing
them on the floor, pulling them apart, throwing them against the wall, dunking
them in buckets of water and blowing on them. Finally the junior high
team of Alexis Paulsen, Ty Svehla and Sydney Engert quietly and patiently
worked on their shirt and Alexis was able to don the shirt.
The grand finale of the event was watching the chosen
teacher/administrator kiss an adorable baby goat brought in by Jordon
Lawver. Laura Kroll, Exeter-Milligan Principal, Exeter-Milligan history
teacher Jordan Marr, Exeter-Milligan Ag and welding teacher Miranda Hornung
were the three nominees to kiss the goat. The audience choice was Marr with an
overwhelming majority (which did not disappoint Kroll or Hornung).
Marr took a few moments to get to know the goat before
planting a kiss on her (actually twice, to make sure the photo was just right).
The event truly reflected the purpose which, according to
Lawver, “is to take time during FFA week to do fun
activities with our members that are related to FFA in some way. It's something
everyone looks forward to during FFA week!”
The EMF FFA members will travel to Utica next Tuesday to
compete in their Career and Leadership Events (CDE). Here they will
compete as a team in a variety of ag related activities like agriculture sales,
floriculture, public speaking and mechanical and technical skills. The
focus, according to Lawver, is teamwork, “Our biggest
challenge in CDEs is getting everyone on the same page. Since CDEs are a team
activity, you have to qualify for state as a team. The hardest part can be
getting all four of the team members to study and do their job. If you have one
person slacking, it brings the entire team down.”
Teams that qualify will have the
opportunity to travel to Lincoln for the state competition at the end of
March. The seniors who have earned their state degrees will receive them
in a ceremony at Pinnacle Bank Arena during the convention. They will wrap up
the year with the FFA Banquet in April. “I personally enjoy banquet
because it's a time for us officers to recognize members for all their hard
work throughout the year,” explained Lawver.
