Wood Shop for Amateurs

By Rachael Sturgeon

 
As my peers and I file into our second period Ag Leadership class, we take our seats and look to the board for our daily bell work.  Usually, we are ready to have a speech to write or to get ready for an interview but that was not the case today.  The board read “Grab a birdhouse packet and start to read about the tools.”  Reading this I thought  why are we reading about a drill and a hammer?  But as I continued to look through out the packet I noticed that it wasn't going to be so easy.  Knowing what a miter saw and a drill press are isn't my cup of tea.  After Miss. Schaefer read over all of the tools and equipment that we were going to be looking at, she mentions that we will be using these tools to build our very own birdhouse!  
If you were to see our faces you'd think we saw a ghost.  Once the classroom became calm again, we took a tour through the woodshop and got the opportunity to try out the machinery.  This for sure made my classmates and myself more comfortable with the idea of using them.  Being able to practice before hand made the first day of getting our boards measured and cut a hole lot less nerve racking.   We filed into the woodshop with our safety glasses on our faces and boards in hand.  Being the first in line, I was eager to be able to build a birdhouse for the most part on my own.  Once we had all of our pieces cut and measured to fit perfectly we have to assemble!  

Later this week and in the beginning of next we will be finishing up our birdhouse and our long but life changing experience with our amazing student teacher and friend.  After the long weeks and many FFA trips with Miss. Schaefer I have to say that I have learned a lot about her as a teacher, person and friend.  She has also taught and showed me a lot about myself and who I want to become in the next couple of years.  I hope to be following her foot steps and taking all of her wonderful advice on becoming the best agriculture educator I can be in the coming years.  

Early Morning Parli Pro

Early Morning Parli Pro

By Victoria Inskipt

           It was early in the morning as I walk into homeroom I hear my fellow classmates say “I” or “NAYY.” Welp, it’s a parli pro morning in the Ag homeroom.  For those who don't know what parli pro is it's parliamentary procedure or how a, "real" meeting suppose to go. Five of my fellow peers and I all get together in the morning and go through motions to practice so we can hopefully make it to States to compete against other schools. This is my second year doing it; I’m still learning but it has been a great experience. We have our own certified parliamentarian as our instructor, Mrs. Hoover. (Sorry Miss Schaefer we don't think plastic trees are good for the environment.) Mrs. Hoover guides us through all the motions, debates, and questions to help us make it to States. Even though we may not want to practice we try to every morning. Just hearing everyone say "I,” "nay,” or even "second" gets me excited in the morning because then I know we are having a parli pro meeting!

Ag Room Purchases Alpacas!!!!

By Sydney Relihan

APRIL FOOLS!!!

Today is April Fools day and who knows what pranks are planned here at the Fort. Mrs. Hoover and Miss Schaefer better watch their backs today! :)

Today is also the day for the county Job Interview and Team Sales CDEs against Trinity and McGuffey. The Job Interview CDE is a great opportunity because it gives us members a chance to be mock interviewed for a made up job. The Team Sales CDE basically consists of teams making up a product to advertise in front of a panel. Both of these CDEs are excellent opportunities for FFA members to explore careers hands on. This past week in ag leadership, we all completed resumes with cover letters. We also filled out an application for our “job”. We could choose to apply to one of three positions including a florist’s assistant, a landscaper, or a dairy farm hand. Personally, I chose to apply for the florist’s assistant position because I am also in our ag department’s floral design class. On a side note, we are currently making Easter arrangements in class.  

So by the end of the day, someone might be frightened by a hidden peer or be offered an Oreo filled with toothpaste instead of the yummy cream. The possibilities are endless, we’ll just have to see what this year’s April Fools Day has in store. 

What is SLLC?

        By Destinee Davis
        What is “S.L.L.C”, my brother asked me when I got home from a three day long conference. I just brushed him off and told him that it was a FFA conference and it was really fun, but it was way more than that. The three day long conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is chocked full of  workshops, leadership opportunities, community service , and who can forget… the legislative process.

         Now to most people, that doesn’t seem very fun, but as I returned from my third time going to S.L.L.C. I beg to differ. After the four a.m. wake up and probably four hour s.u.v. drive we finally arrived for our first day at around noon Sunday. We went straight into workshops that explained parliamentary procedure, table manners, and how the legislative process is used. All of these tasks we would be using throughout the next two days.
        After the workshops, we dove right into our first bill. The groups start off small then work up to a conference from full of people, simulating how a bill starts off small and makes many changes throughout the process all the way up to the room which is filled with the majority and minority groups. We ate a very delicious dinner then went right back to it to discuss different bills until almost eleven at night. That followed into the next morning until we were shipped off into Lycoming County to volunteer at the Jubilee Ministries (http://www.jub.org/) for a few hours. We cleaned and raked and helped the place look a little better. By working with the organization we found out exactly what they do and how by having a thrift shop they are able to raise over a third of their budget just through thrift shops. We came back to a super fun dance (and a hilarious mishap from Allegheny County) and finally got to drop dead back into the beds for a wink of sleep and up at it again in the morning. Our six a.m. check out time came very fast and we were packed and our way to the Raddison to eat a very formal breakfast with our state legislators, the people to get to do the legislative process in real life.            There was a few speakers and after a group picture, it was over. My last FFA conference with my amazing friends and FFA family was gone in a flash. Now all thats left is the knowledge and memories of the fun we had.

Meet Our Bloggers!!!

          My name is Sydney Relihan and I am a senior at Fort Cherry High School. I played for the Fort Cherry Lady Rangers basketball team, I am student council treasurer, and I am senior class president. I am also H.G. Parkinson’s Chapter Reporter; this is perfect for me because I love taking pictures! I hope to keep photography as a side job/hobby in the future. I am unsure of where I want to attend college at this time, but I know that I want to pursue a degree in a biomedical science. I hope to be a geneticist some day. I love FFA because it teaches me life skills that other clubs/school by itself does not. Something many people don’t know about me is that I can carry stuff between my shoulder blades!

Dustin J. Henke

Senior 
       Whats up guys! My name is Dustin Henke and I go to Fort Cherry, for now.  I am a Senior here at FC, but this Fall I will be attending Penn State Behrend to major in Plastics Engineering.  I used to live on a farm and I love FFA and 4-H.  Every year I take a pig to the fair to auction it off and help fund my college education.  I also love mechanics and chemistry, two completely different subjects.  You can find me at home in my garage tearing things apart and putting them back together, or in school mixing acid-base solutions.

          Hi! My name is Matt McDonald and, as a senior at Fort Cherry High School, I am President of the H.G. Parkinson FFA. I have been involved in FFA since my Freshman year and getting involved has been the best decision of my life. It has honestly changed my life. My sister encouraged me to join, however I was weary. I don’t live on a farm and I never plan to, but when I joined FFA, I realized it has so much more to offer than what I once thought. The FFA has taught me so many life skills including public speaking, parliamentary procedure, marketing, job interview preparation, and other career developing skills. At this point you may think, “Well that seems kind of boring.” It’s not! I have had some of the most fun times of my life in the FFA whether it be competing in contests with my friends or traveling to the many exciting conferences in Pennsylvania. 

          Thanks to the person FFA has shaped me to be, I plan to attend a four-year college or university and obtain a bachelor’s degree in public relations. It is my dream to one day work in the agricultural industry; relating to the public the importance of agriculture and how we can create a food-secure tomorrow. Kind of a fun fact about me is that last summer I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Botswana, Africa for five weeks with an organization called the Experiment in International Living. While there, I was able to see first-hand the effect malnourishment can have on people around the globe. This only added to my passion and eagerness to join in the movement to establish a food-secure tomorrow. Without the FFA, I would have never obtained this opportunity and I definitely would not be where I am today. I am thankful for the experiences I have had thus far and I am very excited to see what my future will hold!

          My name is Tyler and I am a Senior.  My future plans are to attend Liberty University in the fall where i plan to major in Youth Ministry. While in college I plan to be active in the community and to help those in need. After college I plan to use my degree to become a Youth Minister but also plan to attend many mission trip on which I hope to use the skills I have gained from FFA to help teach people to feed themselves and bring them to God.

I have been a four year member of the FFA and have enjoyed the countless hours spent at FFA, and agriculture events. I have made many friends and have learned so much that I hope to use in my future.

          A fun fact about me is that I love soccer and have played for over 20 seasons.

          My name is Victoria Inskipt and I am a senior at Fort Cherry. I play percussion for the Fort Cherry Band and the H.G. Parkinson secretary. I will be attending Venango Clarion College for Nursing. FFA has taught me a tremendous amount of life skills like leadership, hard work, and other life skills that will help In the future. Not only did FFA teach me life skill I also made a lot of friends in FFA. I love to play piano and going on "nature walks" in the woods. You can always find me doing something adventurous outside in the summers and snuggled in my bed with Netflix in the winters!

        My name is Destinee Davis and I am a senior at Fort Cherry. I am the Vice President of our FFA Chapter and I have been in FFA since I was a freshman. I am also the treasurer of Fort Cherry’s Rod and Gun Club. I am planning to attend West Liberty in the fall and to major in Environmental Education & Stewardship. I really enjoy the outdoors and hope to spend my career committed to the outdoors working in conservation. I hope to preserve the environment for the future generations. I hope I can spend everyday working in the field. I believe that the FFA has helped me to see my passion for agriculture and the leadership and public speaking that encapsulates all aspects of the FFA.

          

Hello,
Welcome to PA FFA H.G. Parkinson !!!