Article by North District Secretary Ivy Harbin

The North District FFA had an outstanding attendance at this year's COLW. Numerous officers, members, advisors, and guests were present at Albertville High School as well as Falkville High School.

Report :
The morning opened with fellowship, setting the tone for a "brother helping brother" workshop. With the leadership of our president, Valerie White, the opening ceremonies began. Each District Officer was well prepared and perform in pristine condition. Prayer was to follow, given by Josh Black former District President at Albertville, and Blake McMahan former District Secretary at Falkville. Valerie then opened to address the crowd with a lovely prepared speech reminding us to "look back on our Greenhand days" . We then began to break up into our workshops. A theme of Duck Dynasty and workshops such as "How to keep your ducks in a row" and "Teamwork, JACK!" held the attention and got the point across. I truly believe that every one enjoyed themselves and had a great time. Everyone displayed superior behavior and respect, Thank You.



 
I am going to try and keep you updated on National FFA Convention. As the National FFA makes updates about Convention I will be updating here. Below you can find some things that have already been decided on for this years Convention. 

Convention Theme: Ignite

Keynote Speakers:

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Rick Pitino - Rick Pitino is no ordinary college basketball coach. His energy and charisma have pushed teams toward national championships (most recently the 2013 NCAA Division I title) and unprecedented success. The head coach of University of Louisville basketball will bring his 10-step process that will motivate you to realize "success is a choice" on the road to becoming a winner, just like his basketball teams. 

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Joe Torrillo - Joe Torrillo is a hero in every sense of the word. The New York City Fire Department veteran was heading to a press conference when the first plane hit the World Trade Center on Sept., 11, 2001. He rushed to join the rescue efforts, was buried alive twice in the twin tower collapses and miraculously survived. Now, Torrillo is on a mission to promote dreaming big and patriotism in the "Re-United States of America." 

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Josh Sundquist - Josh Sundquist was told at age nine that a rare form of bone cancer left him with a 50 percent chance of survival. Chemotherapy treatments and the amputation of his left leg by the age of 13 saved his life. Josh was never deterred by the loss of his leg, and took up ski racing – eventually competing for the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team. Now, the author of Just Don't Fall uses his phrase "one more thing, one more time," a sharp wit and humor to inspire determination and optimism audiences everywhere. 

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Katie Pratt - Katie Pratt has an appreciation for hard work, nature's power, sunrises and sunsets that keep her believing that life on the farm is the greatest challenge tempered by the greatest rewards. A former FFA member and officer from Illinois, Katie lives on a farm with her husband Andy and family and maintains an open door policy that regularly welcomes students, consumers and more to allow her to tell the story of agriculture. A “Face of Farming” for the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance’s The Food Dialogues, Pratt is dedicated to telling the story of today’s farmer.

Entertainment

This year the FFA Concert will be presented by Dierks Bentley and special guest, Jana Kramer. The concert will take place Wednesday, October 30th at 9:30 p.m.

Other entertainment at the National FFA Convention will include: a rodeo, hypnotist shows, the FFA Dance, and the band, chorus, and talent.

National Convention Expo

Each year the National FFA Convention expo is set up and includes more than 450 exhibitors from which students can learn about career and educational opportunities from, the "Hall of States", a Career Fair, and a shopping mall and food court. This year the Expo will be open Wednesday from 12:30 pm to 5:00 pm, Thursday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. 
 
Article by: Kaleb Richard, South District President

On Thursday, July 25th and Friday, July 26th the South District Officer
team held there Chapter Officer Leadership Workshop at Daphne High School
and Rehobeth High School. The theme for this years COLW was "Suit up for
FFA". As sports has a big influence in south Alabama we use this to help
spread the message of Officer Responsibilities, Involvement in the FFA,
Proper Function of a FFA Chapter, Communication, and FFA Chapter
Development to around 200 FFA members. During this event we use several
activities  to keep the members involved and learning. Whether in be a 112
FFA members participating in the Human Chair and succeeding in it or
having a student and teacher dance off. The day was filled with fun,
laughter, and learning. At the end of the day we let the members battle it
out playing quiz bowl. Awards were given to the first and second place
winners. COLW prepared the members for this year and to help them to have
a succeful FFA chapter and have fun this year.
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Alabama FFA South District Officer Team
 
Hey there AG Princess readers! If you haven't already I think you should check out the latest article in the Alabama Farmer's Co-Op Magazine. The article was written by me and is about the 2013 Alabama FFA State Convention. I have put a link to the article at the bottom of this blog post. Thanks for being such great readers! 

- Brittany Taylor
The AG Princess
Central District FFA President
Alabama FFA Association

"2013 State Convention in Review!" - Alabama Farmer's Co-Op - August 2013