By Ansley Hollingsworth
Last month, the Hollow Rock Bruceton FFA Officers attended the greatest event for any student in the widespread organization: the 2024 National FFA Convention. This massive gathering was first established in 1928 (the same year the organization was founded). For months, the team made preparations for the event including scheduling, applications, scanning events beyond the convention, and finally getting the infamous corn gold and national blue jackets together. The team was composed of 5 students (Ansley Hollingsworth, Allie Paschall, Taylor Walters, Cadence Guinn, and Makray Brown) and 2 adults (Amanda Paschall and the FFA advisor, Michael Stanford). They began their journey bright in the morning at dawn on October 22nd. Halfway into the drive, the members stopped at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory for an educational experience of the history of the bats. After hours of traveling, they arrived at their promising destination: Indianapolis, Indiana. In the beginning, only 33 delegates came to the convention from 18 states. This year, 70,000 students from all 50 states, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico came together and celebrated Future Farmers of America. The club offered the students not only chances for educational experiences, but also options to make the proceeding four days memorable for every attendee. This included a private concert from famous country singer Megan Moroney and Nate Smith, and a rodeo sponsored by the city of Indianapolis. Throughout both events the crowds cheered with happiness, laughter, and everlasting gratitude. The organization also arranged classes that the Hollow Rock Bruceton Chapter and other teams participated in. These classes taught the students about life and how they could make situations better simply by applying new ways of thinking. At the convention center, there were two things that the students loved to adventure. One of them was the FFA Mall, where many southern themed brands would come and set up little shops for the students to spend their money on high quality goods. Some of these brands were Wrangler, Cowpokes, Ozark Candy Delight, Newt’s Hat Co., Epic Threads, and more. There was also a spot where the FFA members enjoyed a dance floor set up by Tractor Supply and Co. by dancing their hearts out to classic country line dances. The second was the National FFA Expo which was where colleges all over the nation informed students about educational paths and classes. The tables were filled with merch from the colleges as well. On October 25th, the Hollow Rock-Bruceton FFA team prepared to leave the trip with new memories to last a lifetime. Hollow Rock-Bruceton FFA Officer Cadence Guinn said this about the experience, “It was one filled with memories and joyful times. We all loved everything about the event, and we hope to attend it in the future.” They arrived home that afternoon, and it was clear that the trip was worth all of the hard work that was put into it. The officers would also like to thank every business that helped them visit the convention. And hopefully, there will be many more National FFA Conventions to come for Hollow Rock-Bruceton FFA Chapters in the years to come. You can follow the Hollow Rock-Bruceton FFA chapter on Facebook to see their growth and endeavors as a new and growing chapter.