Agricultural Research Facility Open House

 

 

On Sunday, April 6 the Kiel FFA Alumni hosted an open house of the new Agricultural Research Facility at the Kiel High School Agricultural Education Department from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

During this open house, visitors from the community got to see firsthand where their money went, as well as viewing the newest and latest technology brought into the facility.

 

FFA Alumni members and teachers were available to answer questions about the new facility as well. Ag instructors Katrina Pionek and David Friend are excited about the opportunities that the new facilities (built with funds authorized by the last referendum) will bring to students. The department will allow students to discover new experiences and also garner new opportunities for students to create apprenticeships and more school to work choices.

 

The new additions replace an old greenhouse with a new state-of-the-art greenhouse, a hot house to prepare plants, a clean
room, a feed room, and small and large animal rooms that will better serve the needs of the department's educational programs.

 

Your FFA Alumni also held a Ticket Raffle for chances to win many great prizes!

 

 

FFA/FFA Alumni Trivia Answers:

• ARF stands for Agricultural Research Facility.
• FFA was founded in 1928.
• The letters "FFA" stand for Future Farmers of America; however, in 1988 the official name of the organization was changed from "Future Farmers of America" to "The National FFA Organization to reflect the growing diversity of agriculture.
• SAE stands for Supervised Agricultural Experience.
• This year's FFA theme "Ignite" celebrates more than 80 years of FFA.
• Nationwide FFA has more than 550,000 members.
• Wisconsin has 225 FFA chapters.
• Wisconsin has over 19,000 members.
• The official chapter date of Kiel FFA Alumni is Oct. 6, 1973.
• Kiel FFA Alumni was the 3rd chaptered in the state of Wisconsin.
• The first president of the Kiel FFA Alumni was Gary Vondrachek.
• In 1973 Kiel FFA Alumni dues were $5 annually.
• Kiel FFA Alumni is celebrating its 40th year as a chaptered alumni.
• In the last 10 years, Kiel FFA has been honored to have 4 state officers from our chapter: Ross Bender, Sean VandeWall, Whitney Barnes, and Nicole Petrie.
• WLC stands for Washington Leadership Conference.
• The website for Kiel FFA/Kiel FFA Alumni is Kielaged.net.
• The 4 types of Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) are: Entrepreneurship, Placement, Research and Experimentation, Exploratory.
• Kiel FFA president this school year is Brittany Lefeber.
• 7th and 8th graders at Kiel Middle School attend Ag Career Days in September, featuring 13 different aspects of agricultural related fields.
• Official colors of FFA are National Blue and Corn Gold.
• The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
• In 1955 and 1956, a quartet of Kiel FFA members took 2nd in the State FFA Quartet Singing Meet: Alfred Eckhardt, Walter Siemers, Roger Spindler, and James Joslyn.
• Kiel FFA chapter has their 8th and 9th agricultural advisors teaching presently: Mr. Friend and Mrs. Pionek.
• There were 47 chartered members when the Kiel FFA Alumni was started in 1973.
• The Kiel FFA Alumni annual fundraiser "Nut and Bolt Sale" is always held the week after Thanksgiving.
• FFA is structured on 3 levels: local, state, and national.
• National FFA Foundation has raised more than $232 million for the National FFA Organization since 1944.
• To date, more than $34 million in FFA collegiate scholarships have been awarded to students pursuing higher education.
• Through 24 national career development events and one activity, FFA members are challenged to real life, hands-on tests of skills used to prepare them for more than 300 careers in the agriculture industry.
• Collectively, FFA members earn more than $4 billion annually through their hands-on work experience.
• 44% of FFA members are females, with women holding approximately 50% of state leadership positions.
• FFA has taught us that agriculture is more than planting and harvesting: it's a science, it's a business, and it's an art.
• Kiel FFA Dairy Judging team placed first this year at Dairy World Expo. The last time Kiel FFA Dairy Judging team placed first was in 1962. This year's team consisted of Tyler Siemen, Zachary Lensmire, and Barloe Brisson.