With the 2021-2022 school year nearing an end, the Big Sandy High School Ag Classes are working on some interesting projects that will soon be available for sale or auction to the community. The proceeds of these sales will go to the local FFA chapter and to help defray the expenses of future student trips. In addition, the summer will bring with it some exciting opportunities for students to participate in FFA activities.
The most obvious project, based on its sheer size and presence in the shop classroom space, is the shed building. The 8 by 12 building has been a recurring project for the junior class over the last several years. Mr. Taylor, the Ag teacher, explained the construction assignment: "It's part of our carpentry and construction unit that we do every year... We'll be looking to try to try to sell it. I think right now we've got close to $3,500 worth of materials into it. We're hoping to maybe get $4,000 for the shed. It would make about $500 to help the kids with with some of the costs for their trips and activities."
A beautiful patio set sits next to the shed project in the shop. Mr. Taylor went on to explain the sophomore class' efforts on the furniture: "We went into a woodworking unit with them, and they didn't have any anything in particular that they wanted to build. I suggested that we work together as a group and make this patio set. We've got a nice loveseat and two chairs that they help build as a group. And then a couple of my senior girls, Tavie Wortman, Savannah (Weaver), are helping me build the little table to go with it. The intent was just to try to build the set, give them a project, and maybe we can auction this off and make a little bit of money for FFA chapter to help the kids pay for their activities and trips."
Mr. Taylor explained some of the other interesting components of Ag education in Big Sandy. Much of it is focused on practical agriculture and technical skills, like basic automotive maintenance: "My 8th graders do a simple vehicle maintenance unit, where they learn to check all the fluids underneath the hood. They learn how to change a tire, hook up jumper cables, how to check tire pressure, check and change fuses. Then they check the fluids like the coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, windshield washer fluid, check and clean the battery, and some simple maintenance stuff." Students learn a wide variety of other repair and maintenance aspects of automotive care. Ag covers tractor operation as well, mixing and pouring concrete into forms, animal science, agronomy, and other skill sets. Another unit that is coming up before school lets out for the summer will involve working with horses, with a lab components taking place at the corrals on the edge of town. The equine unit alternates every other year with a fish and wildlife unit and 12 students have signed up for it this year.
The annual FFA End of Year Banquet will be May 13th at 6 PM at the town hall. There is also an FFA alumni leadership camp that will take place in the Highwood Mountains at the Farmer's Union Camp. There are several other activities taking place over the summer. The
state fair is one major event that takes place during the summer, where students have the opportunity to judge livestock and participate in various projects. There is also an FFA officers' retreat that focuses on training and team building with the FFA officer team. The retreat is a fun, bonding experience as the kids camp out, float the Missouri River, and go canoeing.
Range Days will be taking place this June, which is an event held between other schools in the district. Mr. Taylor is currently working on getting kids signed up to participate in the event. "Shelby is hosting it this year. Range Days is a camp. We go up and camp out, but they have classes that the kids go to and learn different skills like Range Management, stocking rate, plant ID utilization. They learn different ways that you analyze and look at the health of range land, and manage it for wildlife or for cattle. There's a little competition afterward. It's a two day event. One day of workshops and the next day is a competition. They've been doing it for years. And so I'm hoping to take a group of kids to that."
Mr. Taylor explained that FFA has experienced a good year as well. "We've got a lot of kids interested in FFA participation. We've had a really successful year of kids winning contests and doing very, very well. We had a state winner in Ag sales this year. Lance Rutledge was the top individual in the state in that contest. Our team didn't win state but individually, he took first. We placed well in the top 10 in a lot of those those events. We've had pretty good success in mechanics at several events. We took first and second in Louistown and throughout the year. It's a lot of positive energy. Things are going well. The kids are excited about what's going on. I think it's been nice to get off from COVID and be able to have a full regular year of contests that we haven't had for a couple of years. Things are going in a good direction."
