WOODBURY — How much does safety mean to the Woodbury FFA? Woodbury FFA brings safety to a whole other level both in and outside the classroom.
“Safety is our No. 1 priority in our program for the sheer fact that most of our classes are using dangerous equipment or handling live/large animals,” agriscience director Lee McMillan said. “In each program, students go through safety training for all equipment from identifying hazardous parts, to safe handling, to recognizing when something is wrong.”
Mechanics class is just one of the many classes that make up the Woodbury FFA program. Andrew Zielinski, the teacher for the mechanics class, speaks about how he practices safety with his students in class.
“I cover safety throughout the year,” Zielinski said. “Many times it is specific to the unit I am teaching at the time so I can discuss any specific safety concerns.”
One of the biggest concerns in mechanics is the welding unit. Zielinski says he makes sure his students take extra precautions during this unit.
“With welding, I talk about the importance of protecting your eyes, treating every piece of metal as though it is hot to prevent burns, and making sure you set up the shop in such a way to protect yourself and others around you,” Zielinski said.
Student safety means a lot to the teachers in the Woodbury FFA.
“Being industry trained leaders means we need to lead by example and demonstrate safety in every class,” McMillan said.
One way that teachers convey the importance of safety is by hosting events during the year for students to attend and demonstrate their understanding. The Woodbury FFA hosted a Safety Day on Sept. 19, when first responders from Woodbury assisted in demonstrating techniques such extinguishing fires and stopping bleeding.
Christa Freel, the Woodbury FFA treasurer, says the opportunity helped the students.
“I feel like the students had a lot of fun and got a lot out of the experience from attending Safety Day,” Freel said.
Safety day was a very important event that hopefully everyone will bring with them throughout life.
“Safety Day was a well-received event,” said McMillan. “I believe students learned not only ag safety from a classroom perspective, but also when students are on the job.”
