Nevada FFA attends leadership conferences

Contributed news from Nevada High School

Special to the Journal

Nevada FFA members who attended Ignite, Amplify and Transform leadership conferences on Saturday, Nov. 13, were (front, left to right) Mekenzie Arends, Emma Duarte, Jace Davenport, Aden Bearden, Keely Williams, Lily Henderson, Hallee Schadt, (back row) Carson Reed, Riley Murphy, Justin Mattingly, Gavin Egeland, Ava Vanderheyden, Caleb Jensen, Alexis Muschick, Alexis Bartmess, Abigail Collins, Treva Sawyer, Josie Kelly and Savannah Miller. Not pictured, Kevin Cooper, Nevada FFA advisor.

Twenty-eight Nevada High School FFA members participated in the Iowa FFA Ignite, Amplify and Transform leadership conferences on Nov. 13 and Jan. 8.

Students met in the Nevada High School ag room at 7:30 a.m. and loaded the bus for Ankeny.

Ignite is a dynamic curriculum that covers careers in agriculture, communication and cooperation, understanding genuine leadership, managing emotions and opportunities in FFA.

Thirteen freshmen and eight eighth participated in the Ignite conference. Five sophomores and juniors participated in the Amplify conference.

Nevada FFA members who attended FFA Ignite conference on Saturday, Jan. 8, were (front row, left to right) Kaine Albright, Jaden Grimm, Carson Clem, (middle row) Hunter Barfels, Kody Beving, Cedar Smith, (back row) Josselyn Leech, Gracie Scheurman and Alexa Betting.

The Amplify conference's purpose was; to connect, care and create; establish purpose as a daily practice and draft a leader purpose statement; discover how people are connected to purpose and identify their talents; discover what it means to live to serve as a leader and examine methods for serving others while pursuing purpose; identify the value in practicing practical self-care as a leader; and discover the difference between living with purpose and completing action items.

Two seniors participated in the Transform conference which focuses on college and career readiness.

“It is impressive to see young people that are willing to make time for additional learning on Saturdays,” Kevin Cooper, Nevada High School agriculture education instructor and FFA advisor, said. Cooper also drove the bus and accompanied the students to the Iowa FFA Enrichment Center, where the conferences were held.