Countdown to State Convention

The 37th annual Alaska FFA State Convention is quickly approaching and the excitement is building! There are so many great things planned from all the great CDE's such as Ag Mechanics and Envirothon to the awesome tours of UAF, Chena Hotsprings, Fort Knox Goldmine, Ice Museum, and Reindeer Farm. This state convention is sure to be memorable (as always) and all of us state officers are excited as the time draws nearer. In just two days the state officers and state staff will be in Fairbanks, making our final preparations for everyone's arrival.


Everyone please remember to have all your paperwork with you though! Its important that you have applications turned in, forms signed, and that you are completely prepared for all your events. Things go a lot smoother if people are prepared. You're not going to be disappointed with all the activities we have planned for you and the awesome prizes that go with the CDE's. We have some awesome special guests visiting us this year and as always we'll have our National Officer there too! We've got past national officer candidates from New York and Iowa coming and Mya and I went to the Hawaii FFA State Convention to add to the pot of ideas for this year!

Can't wait to see you all!!

Traven Apiki
2012-2013 Alaska FFA
State President

Homer FFA Chapter at Flex High School

Chapter development has been made a major priority for Alaska FFA in 2013.  The State Association has been putting a lot of energy and funding into building up struggling chapters, supporting strong chapters, and recruiting new schools and communities to join our association with new chapters.

The Homer FFA Chapter is one of Alaska FFA's oldest chapters, with its original charter dating back to over 40 years ago!  In recent years, the chapter has seen declining membership and the need for a transition in leadership and a boost in support.  Last week, Alaska FFA state staff and officers paid a visit to two local high schools in Homer: Homer Flex and Homer High.  Homer Flex School has shown a lot of interest in FFA, and our goal was to help them re-establish a chapter and keep FFA alive and strong in Homer.

Brittany and I visited Flex on March 29th with our advisor, Amy Harmon, and our alumni coordinator, Hannah Harrison.  We were met  by some amazing and very friendly students who graciously showed us around their school. Homer Flex is an alternative high school, and we were impressed by their awesom wood shop, ceramics studio, and independent learning atmosphere.   We were invited  to present to the underclassmen science classes and we were impressed by how quickly the students jumped on board after we all explained what FFA was and all the amazing things they could gain from joining. In the first class alone, over half the students put their name on a roster of interested members. Many of them had great questions, and we discussed the time commitments of FFA, how they as students leaders direct the business of the chapter, and how it was a great chance to put their leadership skills to the test while also progressing their agricultural and natural resource education.

The next class we presented to asked even more questions and the interest was evident on their faces. Most of the class quickly put their name on the roster and they all decided when their first meeting time would be, today April 5 at 9:30. At this meeting they elected chapter officers and also decided on their next meeting, so that they could put together a POA, or program of activities. Brittany and I will be around to help kick-start the chapter and provide any support they might need, whether it be for the students or the new advisor, Mr. Jeff Szarzi.

Alaska FFA is very excited to see Homer Flex FFA off the ground and running!

By Traven Apiki, Alaska FFA State President 2012-2013

Kodiak Takeoff

Kodiak is ON TOP OF THINGS!!! Darien and I were amazed when we traveled to Kodiak for their annual takeoff. The Kodiak Chapter was really impressive, all the classes we presented in seemed to have a blast and enjoy having something new in their class. We were able to present in numerous classes ranging from a survival class to natural resources. Due to the fact that the chapter was so on top of things, Darien and I had to change our schedule for takeoff. Instead of the normal workshops we focused mainly on team building and recruitment. We had a lot of individuals not associated with FFA show up and find out what was going on. We all had a blast, had an amazing pool party and played a lot of different games long into the nights. A lot of the members and I ended up pulling an all nighter and in the morning had an awesome breakfast of pizza!! I'm excited to see all of Kodiak at convention and I hope you guys bring some new members!!!

Hawaii FFA State Convention

Hawaii was an amazing opportunity to broaden our horizons concerning other association’s state conventions. We had a blast and were able to take part in an extremely fun state convention down in Hawaii. The Hawaii FFA Association has around 300 members with about 100 of them attending the state convention. Chapters from four different islands came together on the Big Island for the convention in Hilo. For two and a half days, state convention activities took place all over the University of Hawaii at Hilo, activities that allowed the students to have a blast, learn all about FFA, and think about their future. We were also able to work with the state officers a lot, especially with their retiring addresses. We had a great time with all of the state officers and quickly bonded. Traven was able to meet a great friend that he will be going to college with next year while Mya was able to meet an awesome visiting state officer candidate from Idaho. We both learned a lot of stuff to incorporate into our own state convention, a favorite of Mya's was a game called Gimmie Gimmie. This game got members up and moving and a lot of the Hawaii FFA members got into the game. There was a lot of activity both before and after the state convention as well. We were able to tour half of the big island with the Pahoa chapter, a chapter native to the island and on the tour we were able to tour the Mauna Loa macadamia nut plant, see a sea turtle, and visit an amazing candy store. On another outing, we were able to visit a black sand beach and we saw a turtle get flipped on its back on the reef. It was unable to escape and so a lady went out to try and rescue it but the turtle was too heavy and wedged in the rocks. Traven went out to help and with their combined effort, they were able to save the sea turtle.  Overall, everything in Hawaii was a blast and we are so glad we were able to attend.

Mya & Traven

I'm your 2012-2013 Alaska FFA State Officer Brittany Jones.

I was born in Homer Alaska and am the youngest of 5 Jones's. My older sister Jessica was in FFA when she was in school and passed that onto Wendy who was a State Officer last year. This year as State Officer has been challenging but I wouldn't have wanted to do anything else. I am privileged to say that I helped this State, that I have contributed to an Association which I love. But that is not the only way I furthered FFA, being a member is the stepping stone that led me to be in this office today. So Thank You to all the members and Alumni who have inspired me to be where I today. 

This wonderful weekend we are in the beautiful, and still a little chilly, Fairbanks! We are planning our State Convention, which will be held in April 24-27. If you have more questions contact your local FFA advisor! We have a lot of exciting events planned and hope to see a lot of new faces this year. Don't forget that the State Officers have a long standing bet on you can remember the most names. Follow us on Facebook: Alaska FFA Association.

Darien Cooke
State Reporter

Hey everyone! I hope it is going wonderful for all of you! Soon we will be going to our state planning meeting, and THEN we have STATE CONVENTION! I am so excited. It has truly been a wonderful experience getting to know all of the wonderful people in FFA. If you didn't know already, we have a Alaska FFA facebook page, and we would love it if you checked it out!

Have a super fantastic awesome day!

Darien Cooke
State Reporter

FFA After High School

Hey Hey FFA!

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Corinne Ogle. I was the Alaska FFA State President in 2009-2010, which was also my senior year of high school, so I'm kind of a has-been. That being said, I've managed after all this time to still be involved in the FFA. I'd like to share with you my story and how, after high school, YOU can choose to still be a part of the FFA.

2009-2010 Alaska FFA State Officer Team

You face a big choice when you graduate high school in whether you want to be involved in FFA still. Of my state officer team, I am the only one still involved with FFA. There is nothing wrong with deciding that you want to move on and try something new. There are only so many hours in the day and you have to decide how you want to spend those hours. I did decide, though, that FFA was important not only to my life, but to the lives of those still in FFA and I wanted to give back and continue to be a part of the FFA. These are the avenues I chose:

Alaska FFA Alumni: This one is easy! You pay your dues (either yearly or lifetime) and then you are technically a member of the Alaska FFA Alumni. Your dues go toward Alaska FFA members - in other words, you make a financial contribution to the Alaska FFA Association that makes a difference in the lives of members. That's pretty awesome! Now, you can stop at paying dues, or you can keep going! You can donate money to pay for a member to go to state convention, to get their very own FFA jacket through the essay contest, and many more things! If you stay in Alaska after high school, you can help out at state convention as a judge, as a volunteer, and in many other ways! The avenue of Alaska FFA Alumni allows you to be as involved as you want to, from just paying your dues to volunteering your time. If you would like to further explore the option of becoming an Alaska FFA Alumni member, contact Hannah Harrison at ak.ffa.alum@gmail.com.

Alaska FFA State Staff and Alumni Develop Alaska FFA State Officers

National FFA Alumni: This one is easy as well. You pay your dues and then you are technically a member of the National FFA Alumni. Did you know that once Alaska FFA reaches a certain number of National FFA Alumni, then National FFA will pay for an FFA member from Alaska to go to a leadership conference in Washington, D.C. called the Washington Leadership Conference (WLC)? How cool is that?!

Collegiate FFA Member: This one is a little trickier than becoming an alumni only because this is only offered at certain colleges. I was fortunate enough that Cornell University has a very strong Collegiate FFA. Through Collegiate FFA, you help run events, conferences, state convention, and leadership workshops for FFA members of that state. You also have the option to compete in collegiate activities at the National FFA Convention. I'm sure that each Collegiate FFA chapter is different and their involvement and the opportunities they provide may vary, but I would highly recommend checking it out if the college you go to has a Collegiate FFA. It has helped me find many new friends and mentors as well as helped me grow as an individual.

 Collegiate FFA Members Volunteering at a Leadership Conference

Alaska FFA National Officer Candidate: This is a phenomenal opportunity that only one individual from the Alaska FFA can hold each year. Typically a National Officer Candidate has been a state officer in the past, but this is not a requirement. I'm not going to lie, it's a very honorable position to hold, but it is a rigorous one. Each state, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico can send a National Officer Candidate, with a possible of 52 candidates, all competing for only 6 National Officer positions. As the Alaska FFA National Officer Candidate, you have to have dedication and be willing to work hard. You have to want to serve as a National Officer, meaning taking a year off and traveling the United States to visit FFA members and sponsors. It's an experience of a life time that, if you're interested, you should definitely strive for. While the inputs are large, the outputs are incomparable. You make lifelong friends from across the country, develop your speaking and interviewing ability, and overall grow as a person. I was fortunate enough to hold the position as the Alaska FFA National Officer Candidate in 2012, and it was the best experience of my life. I would highly encourage you all to consider and strive to this position.

2012 Alaska FFA National Officer Candidate

The choice is yours!

- Corinne Ogle, Alaska FFA Alumni