As a part of National Agriculture Week which is celebrated March 17th-24th 2024, it is important to celebrate both those currently employed in Ag related careers and those who will be joining the Ag community in years to come. As Wagner is a farming community, it is important to offer Ag education to its students. Future Farmers of America (FFA) is a student organization offered through WCS for those students that are interested in expanding their knowledge of agriculture and leadership.

Wagner Community School has a very active and well established FFA chapter. The Wagner Community School FFA chapter currently has 28 members. Their advisor is Evan Papousek, who has been the Wagner FFA advisor for the past 14 years. Papousek enjoys the challenges and the fun of being the FFA advisor. As an advisor, he feels very lucky as he has great students and a wonderful community to work with. The students are all very supportive and work really hard each and every day. He would like to thank them all for all the hard work and effort that they put into the FFA program.

The Wagner FFA chapter event staples are the Welcome Back BBQ, Fun night, fruit sales, Leadership Development Events (LDE) and Career Development Events (CDE). The FFA students have been working hard preparing for CDE contests in order to qualify for the State Competition in April. There are 18 FFA members that will be competing in various upcoming CDE events.

When asked what students can get out of FFA or why should someone join FFA, Evan said that as an advisor he will always tell a student that he or she can get anything they want or need from FFA as long as he or she puts in the effort. FFA offers so much to students and can take them to many different places, all they have to do is take the first step and join the program.

The officers for the Wagner FFA chapter are Daniel Soukup, President; Jace Kuhlman, Vice President; Samuel Blaha, Secretary; Madison Robertson, Treasurer; Addison Cuka, Reporter; Kalea Kuhlman, Sentinel; and Kennedy Kourt, Student Advisor.

Daniel Soukup is the FFA President at WCS. He has been a member of FFA for the last three years. As the chapter President, Daniel’s tasks include delegating tasks, running meetings, providing guidance, and helping other members and officers. Daniel’s favorite parts of FFA are the CDE competitions because he gets to spend some time with his buddies and make many fun and funny memories. What Daniel would tell other non-FFA members would be that joining FFA is a great opportunity to create bonds and memories with people that can last a lifetime.

Jace Kuhlman is the FFA Vice-President at WCS. He has been a member of FFA for the last four years. As the chapter Vice-President, Jace assists the President with all of his duties. Jace has been a FFA member for the last four years. Going to the CDE competitions is Jace’s favorite part of being in FFA. What Jace would tell non-FFA members would be that FFA is a great way to meet new people who are interested in Ag related opportunities and learning more about Agriculture. For Jace, FFA allows a person to learn more about future career options in different Ag fields.

Samuel Blaha is the FFA Secretary at WCS. As the secretary for the FFA chapter, his position is responsible for taking notes during meetings, and keeping records in order for members to apply for FFA degrees. Samuel has been a member of the FFA for three years. His favorite part of FFA is learning life lessons from his awesome Ag advisor, Pap, that he will be able to remember and use the rest of his life. One thing that Samuel would tell non-FFA members is that FFA will help in meeting new people, learning about different people and their unique lifestyles. FFA also allows one to learn new skills in the Ag industry that no matter what career field one goes into it will help out. FFA differs from other school activities in that it offers a wide variety of activities to participate in and no matter what kind of future work one wants to go into, FFA can help in the learning of those job skills.

Madison Robertson is the FFA Treasurer at WCS. As the treasurer for the FFA chapter, she keeps track of the income and outflow of the chapter’s money. She also collects money at FFA events. This is Madison’s third year in FFA. Her favorite parts of FFA are getting to know the FFA members along with communicating with the Wagner community. Madison also enjoys helping people learn about agriculture and what as a chapter they do. One thing that Madison would tell students who are non-FFA members is that joining FFA will be like joining a family. It helps a person grow and learn more about themselves as they explore many different options and opportunities. FFA differs from other school activities in that the students are always having a good time and bring fun into everything they do. As a group they try their best to make sure that everyone gets involved and help each other enjoy things in the Ag world.

Kalea Kuhlman is the FFA Sentinel at WCS. As the sentinel, she assists the President in maintaining order; keeps the meeting room and paraphernalia in proper condition; welcomes guests and visitors; keeps the meeting room comfortable and also assists with special features. Kalea has been a FFA member for the past two years. Her favorite part about FFA would be getting to tell the younger kids and her peers who are interested in FFA about the program and using her personal experiences to share with them the joys and hardships of leading an agricultural life. One thing that Kalea would tell students who are not currently FFA members would be that it is an ever-learning experience; every day is a chance to learn more about a variety of Ag related things.

Kennedy Kourt is the FFA Student Advisor at WCS. As the student advisor, she is responsible for gaining new members for the chapter; relaying communications between the students and advisor; assists in finding study materials, event information or any advice that students may need. Kennedy has been a FFA member for the past two years. Kennedy’s favorite part of FFA is competing in the floriculture and spending time with her fellow members on the bus rides to competitions. Her least favorite part is when Daniel says, “Hey Kennedy…” on the bus. One thing that Kennedy would tell non-FFA members would be to join FFA no matter what background they come from because there is truly something for everyone. It is a great opportunity to make new friends and have a lot of fun as well as learning valuable career experiences.

Thank you, Evan and WCS FFA officers, for sharing your thoughts and experiences with the community and for continuing the Agricultural traditions of the community.