The Future Farmers of America (FFA) motto is, “Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live and living to serve.” 

This is what Honesdale FFA has been aiming to do this fall and winter. Honesdale FFA kicked off this year with a huge carnival before the homecoming football game. Members of FFA helped organize and run the carnival, in which many activities were included. There was cornhole, can jam, hot chocolate, bubbles, hot dogs and hamburgers; and the biggest hit of all was the dunk tank. Kids lined up to try to dunk their favorite (or possibly their least favorite) teachers. The teachers were incredibly good sports as the water was frigid, and some members couldn’t contain the kids and they ran up and hit the dunk tank, sending the teachers straight in the water. 

Next in FFA action: as an attempt to bring our FFA community together, we opted for the great unifier—breakfast, hosted in Mrs. Pohle’s room. The FFA officers made pancakes, sausage and eggs for all of the members. Everyone sat around the tables and shared a sense of community as they enjoyed their meal.

To add a competitive edge to FFA, members travelled to the Bloomsburg Fair to participate in various judging contests. Members competed in horse, livestock, dairy,  horticulture and floriculture judging. Honesdale members represented very well, taking home three of the first places of the day. 

Taking the top five in horticulture were Logan Lester, Brayden Fritsch, Thomas Mills, Mason Peterson and Mathew Shupper.

In the dairy judging contest, Claire Goldstein placed first and Bridget Chyle placed sixth, just shy of the top five.

In horse judging, Parker Brown took the silver. In livestock judging, Andrea Korb rounded out the top 10. In floriculture were Reagan Ryan, Autumn Pierano, Kimber Gustafson and Mary Chorba, who swept the top four.

Overall, the Bloomsburg fair was a very successful day for Honesdale FFA, even with the rain.

In other FFA news, six members traveled to the PA Farm Show to participate in the Landscape Design contest, where they designed and installed a landscape exhibit and took sixth place. Members included Abe Bryant, Charlie Smith, Sam Eisele, Madeleine Schupper, Carter Schweighofer and AJ Dutton. A big thank you to Maciejewski Landscaping for sponsoring our chapter for this event. This fall and winter Honesdale FFA has served and learned throughout many experiences, while enjoying themselves and having fun. Honesdale FFA will continue to learn and serve in the new year.