WOODBURY — With only one month of school left in the year, current Woodbury FFA chapter officers are in the home stretch of their duties, and one of those jobs is assisting in the decision of next year’s officers.  

There’s a lot of preparation involved in deciding what role students get. Prior to the week of spring break, sophomores and juniors started filling out a multiple-page application to give an idea of why they wanted to be an officer and how they would fit into the team.

Applications were due two weeks later, but that was only the first step. After a month, Nonnewaug’s nomination committee discussed students’ applications and pulled them in for interviews. Each interview was about 15 minutes long after school to give applicants enough time to express themselves.

“The committee, set up by our constitution, consists of two freshmen, two sophomores, and one junior from each of the content areas in addition to the current officer team,” says Eric Birkenberger, chapter advisor. “I think in general the committee feels that the process was pretty smooth and fairly easy with a general consensus early on that didn’t require much debate.”

This process is very long, but the students who apply are committed and ready to take on the duties of an officer 

“I put my heart into both the application and the interview,” says Nick Saccomani, incoming chapter parliamentarian.

For other students, the application process wasn’t so intensive.

“The application process was simple,” says Jamie Paige, incoming chapter vice president. “It was a four-page packet that asked about extracurricular activities, community service, and why I wanted to be a chapter officer.”

The duties of a chapter officer are pretty extensive which involve weekly chapter officer meetings, participation in all FFA events, and hosting all Ag meetings during the school day.  Being an officer involves lots of participation but students do it for all different reasons

“I wanted to become an officer to better the chapter for all members,” says Saccomani. “I wanted to give them the best experience possible throughout their time in the FFA.”

The FFA has also encouraged students to strive for bigger and harder positions.

“I wanted to become an officer because throughout my time in the chapter I have been able to grow as a person and develop valuable skills,” says Paige.

 “I have made unforgettable and unique memories, and I want to give back to the chapter that has given me so much.”

The election process is very official and it gives every applicant a fair chance.

“The committee really tried to focus on the interviews and application as best we could. I think we used them equally when determining the qualifications,” says Birkenburger. “The hardest part  was keeping personal opinions about the applicants to oneself and not being biased.”

Elections occurred on May 18th and it left applicants waiting and hoping for the best.  Students on the nomination committee had the difficult job of not releasing any information about the candidates. 

“It was hard not to share the results of the election,” says Jack Wendel, a junior on the nomination committee. “My friends kept pestering me about the results but it was our job to keep it a secret.”

“Having some friends on the nomination committee and knowing what I got was kinda nerve-racking,” said Saccomani. “I felt a little nervous before getting elected because there was a lot of pressure on my back from friends and whatnot.”

Saccomani wasn’t the only student who was feeling the pressure.

“After my interview, I felt calm and confident in myself that I did a good job presenting myself as a good choice for a chapter officer,” said Paige. 

“However as time went on I got very anxious, and the day before the meeting I was extremely nervous. Especially when they started announcing positions and my name wasn’t being called.”

Every officer that applied worked hard for their position and is ready to make next year’s chapter as fun and inviting as possible.

“The thing that I’m most excited about for next year’s officers is the idea of starting fresh with a new team of officers that will bring new ideas and new excitement and energy to the chapter,” said Birkenburger. 

“Every new year with new officers generates a feeling of excitement that the new team will have bigger and better ideas building on the successes of the past teams making our chapter bigger and better every year,” he added.