WOODBURY — Ten years ago, the Woodbury FFA sent a full bus of competing teams to nationals. This year, Woodbury came home from UConn’s Fall Career Development Day with not a single first-place prize. Has the competition gotten harder, or has the competitive spirit been lost?
Teachers who went to Nonnewaug during this peak time say that in the past, the competition was starting at the chapter level to represent Woodbury at CDE Day.
“We were always fighting for that fourth spot on the team,” said Jesse Hungerford, current vet science teacher and 2016 Woodbury FFA graduate. “We were proud to be on the team.”
Now some teams are sent with only as many members as advisors can convince to participate.
“I had a team of three on my poultry [evaluation] team,” said Jennifer Jedd, the agriculture department head. “Two freshmen and one senior, and a blank spot. I never had a practice with all of them together.”
Not being able to even fill teams makes it incredibly hard to place. With about 50% of Nonnewaug students being FFA members, in theory it shouldn’t be difficult to fill teams.
Why has there been a decline in participation? Is it that students just don’t have time or have a lack of interest?
“I think people have a lot of time commitments,” said Jedd, “but they need to make choices, you come here for a reason, you come here for the ag program.”
Students are allocating their time elsewhere rather than the program they applied to be in. Are students simply applying to ag to avoid their town high schools?
“I do believe that kids apply to our school to get away from theirs, like me, for example; I did apply to get away from Watertown High School,” said Abby Diezel, the chapter parliamentarian. “I also came because it would help me with my career, but I also feel a lot of the kids do come because a sibling has come or it will help them with their career in life.”
Is avoiding high school in their designated town driving the recruitment for Woodbury FFA? This could have an effect on the total performance of the chapter if kids aren’t interested in what they are learning.
But on the other hand, for students who are participating and dedicating the time they are seeing success. Eight individuals were in the top 10 of their chosen CDEs. Is there a way to see this dedication throughout the entire ag program?
“We will have student surveys,” said Jedd. “We will also have focus groups being pulled for student feedback.”
Maybe there is hope for a turn around in the engagement of Woodbury FFA. The current dynamic is kids trying to get away from their hometowns and the chapter is carried by a select few.
“Teachers on the other side of the building are looking at testing data,” said Jedd. “We are looking at FFA participation data, which across the board is declining.”
