Wrapping things up... BI&E Little Falls /Royalton!

Ever heard the phrase, "Go big, or go home." ?

After my 3 days visiting chapters from Region I & II, I was most certainly NOT READY to go home. Labecca and I went big and visited Little Falls. (oh irony)

It was Homecoming week at Little Falls high school, so the halls were buzzing with the excitement of the upcoming football game and as to who would be crowned Homecoming Royalty. Little Falls, Minnesota has its claim to fame as the birthplace of Charles Lindbergh. It is also a small town with a large passion and connection to the dairy industry. Most of the students we met, including Frank, either grew up on a dairy farm or worked on a dairy farm.
While visiting the Animal Science class at Little Falls, we started thing out with a 'little' game of "Skin the Snake", followed by class discussion and activities about CDE's , SAE's and Leadership.

Megan... looks to become an even more active member in the chapter. Lucky for Megan, her mother helps run and coordinate all FFA activites within the chapter. Her sister, Natalie is serving as the chapter president.

Sarah... has her sights set on going to school, after she graduates this year, for Agricultural Education. It was clear, even though she was humble about it, that she is a great leader not only for her FFA chapter, but for those around her, like her peers.

The leadership and potential for leadership within this classroom was evident . And I'm not talking about your typical FFA leadership. Most of these students lead while on the football field, during cross country practice, at home with younger siblings or simply by volunteering or raising their hand in hte classroom. The number of leaders in this school is great, it's just of a matter of getting them to become leaders for their FFA chapter. I can't wait to see where this chapter goes!

Just after Little Falls, we drove further down state, back towards the Twin Cities, and to Royalton, Minnesota. Royalton opened up their chapter meeting for Labecca and I to watch, learn more about their chapter as well as provide activities. Royalton is another strong chapter with a pretty good dairy influence being their Dairy Cattle team has placed 2nd in state for 2 consecutive years. Here is the rest of the scoop:

John... has the best last name ever. SCHMIDT. (And it's spelled correctly). John is quite active on the chapter and state level. He is currently serving as the Royalton chapter president, and has been honored on the state level for his accomplishments in Dairy Cattle Evaluation. (1st place individual, 2nd place team 2008) ... not bad at all...

Katie... clued everyone in at the meeting about the current budget for the chapter. She is currently serving as the chapter treasurer, ontop of being an athlete in cross country. Katie also shared with me her interest in horses.

Royalton is has an outstanding Agricultural Education Program thanks to the students, community and administrative support. But above all, their FFA program would not be of as high quality without the advisory of Mr.Voyles. It was truly an honor to see this great educator in action with his students, and the desire for them to learn.

When the bell rang, school was out-practices started and people left. When that bell rang, it chimed the end of one incredible adventure through the Agricultural Programs of northen Minnesota. I wish it didn't go by so fast, but it makes me excited for future visits with agricutlural education programs throughout the state of Minnesota.

Recap: St.Paul->Duluth->Grand Rapids->Baudette->Northome->Blackduck->Wild Acres-> Brainerd-> Little Falls-> Royalton -> St.Paul.

TOTAL MILES: 705 miles and over 14 hours on the road! ... 100% worth it.