National FFA Week is from February 19 - February 26, 2022, and is a week-long celebration to promote what FFA is and how the organization helps its members.
FFA, which stands for Future Farmers of America, is a national organization dedicated to preparing youth to be leaders of tomorrow. Students discover who they are, where their talents lie, and what interests them while learning tools for success in the real world.
Hocking College started an FFA Chapter during the 2019-2020 academic year with 13 students. Since then, the chapter has grown to 25 students, representing six programs and two schools. Students who join the Hocking College Chapter remain active members until graduation.
The chapter also stays active in the local community. In 2019-2020, they adopted Federal Hocking High School's FFA chapter to help them with their projects for that year’s state competition. The following academic year, the chapter was unable to work with a high school due to Covid.
The 2021 academic year began with them hosting the state FFA Forestry Competition at Hocking College, where over 200 high school students from across Ohio participated. The chapter also welcomed visits from Wellston High School FFA and Federal Hocking High School FFA.
This week on Wednesday, February 23, Tom Ogleby from the Ohio FFA Career Development Events Coordinator will be speaking at the Hocking College FFA chapter meeting at 4 p.m. on the first-floor lobby of the Natural Resource Building. The chapter meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 4 p.m. in the Natural Resource Building. Debbie Arnold is the contact person for the Hocking College Chapter. Contact her at arnoldd26378@hocking.edu for more information.
On April 2, 2022, the chapter will host the Wildlife Competition and the Nature Interpretation Competition at Hocking College from 9 - 1 p. m. Students who participate get to test their knowledge of specific subjects. Top competitors from each region, are invited to participate in this competition. Then, winners compete at the national level during the National FFA Convention, in October 2022.
To learn more about the Hocking College FFA Chapter, contact Debbie Arnold at arnoldd26378@hocking.edu.
To learn more click The Natural Resource Programs at Hocking College.