Fun Day promotes agriculture

Zach+Morell+%2812%29+participates+in+Fun+Day+sponsored+by+the+FFA.+Students+in+the+FALS+Program+played+games+related+to+agriculture.++Photo+by+Samantha+Preston

Zach Morell (12) participates in Fun Day sponsored by the FFA. Students in the FALS Program played games related to agriculture. Photo by Samantha Preston

Hereford FFA Chapter’s Kelcey Trewin (11) has been working with the PALS program since January to help FFA reach out to the community more. She got the idea to start it after someone mentioned to her that no chapter in Maryland has participated in the program in years. After she heard that, she was determined to change that statistic.

On May 7, two of the Maryland State FFA officers, Secretary Taylor Robinson, and Reporter Daniel Myers, visited the school for the FFA’s end of the year banquet but first came during the day to talk to the chapter and help out with the PALS students’ fun day.

Kelcey enlisted the help of some students for this educational, and fun day: John Schwatka (11) and Cody Reachard (11).

The purpose of this day was to not only to have fun for the last time the PALS program met this school year but to learn what “Ag can do for you.”

Taylor Ingram (10) said, “I think it’s good that the FFA is reaching out to areas other than its own.”

The students played numerous games: corn hole, potato sack races, a recycling game, and an egg toss.

The recycling game showed how to take care of the environment so the agricultural industry can keep growing; corn hole revealed how corn is used in other ways other than eating. Since the game bags were filled with kernels. And, the sack race used reused bags that had been used for agricultural commodities, proving agriculture can be fun.

“The stuffed animals represent trash and plastic bags represent recycling,” said Kelcey “[the students] separate them as quick as they can in two bags; one for recycling and one for trash.”

“I had a blast playing egg toss with Silas and Zach” said Cody, “They were always very lively.”

After the students were done playing games, they went up to the greenhouse to pick out the plants that they had grown to take home and enjoy.

John said “I had a lot of fun and good laughs with them every time we worked together.”

Joseph Keydash, an adult helper for the PALS students, stated, “The kids had fun, and the FFA did a great job.”

“[Fun day} is really cool,” said Megan Gorusch (09), “[It would] be good to do it again next year so the students can keep learning about the agricultural field.”