FFA Activities
Monthly Meetings: Waterford FFA hosts a chapter meeting on the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 in Rm A216 or the LGI. All members are encouraged to attend these meetings as they are where most of the official business of the organization is conducted. Meetings typically last about a half hour and are where all business of the chapter is discussed.
County & State Fairs: Exhibiting a project at the Racine County Fair or Wisconsin State Fair can be one of the most educational experiences available to our members. Every year Waterford is represented by dozens of students who show livestock, pigs, horses, rabbits, poultry, goats, and non-animal exhibits including basketry and photography.
Career Development Events: Career Development Events (also known as CDEs or simply judging competitions) are tests of real-world skills and knowledge on a specific topic in agriculture or science. Waterford FFA usually has a livestock judging team, a dairy judging team, and an environmental science team. However, dozens of other categories are also available, including wildlife, marketing, business, machinery, and
others. Each events usually consists of a multiple choice exam based on real-world knowledge followed by tests of skills. For example, dairy and livestock teams evaluate different live animals for their genetic traits. Environmental science teams must test water and soil quality and assess the impact of different pollutants on living organisms and ecosystems. Marketing teams must create a sales presentation for a hypothetical product. In each case, students compete by using skills that professionals use daily in their jobs. Practices for teams begin in late January or early February. Contests are held in March at the Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton. Those who qualify for state competition compete on the UW-Madison campus in late April. Dairy judging, dairy foods, and forage analysis competitions are also held in late September at World Dairy Expo in Madison.
Speaking Contests: The FFA has a strong tradition in preparing excellent public speakers. With events ranging from prepared public speaking to extemporaneous speaking to delivering the FFA creed to job interviewing to discussion on current events, many opportunities exist for students to become exceptional in their oratory skills and speech preparation. All public speaking competitors begin at the district level with competitions in February. Those who qualify for sectionals compete again in March, and the top finishers in all sectional competitions compete in June at the State FFA Convention.
Parliamentary Procedure: One event offered at all speaking contests is called Parliamentary Procedure (or Parli Pro for short). Parli Pro is a competition in which teams of contestants from each school are ranked in regards to their ability to conduct a meeting using Robert's Rules of Order. Knowledge of these procedures are highly valuable for anyone interested in pursuing a career in business, politics, or an organization. Practices typically begin in November with competitions in February and March.
Leadership Conferences: Leadership development is one of the top priorities of the FFA. As such, many leadership development opportunities are available to students through monthly conferences held all across the state.
State & National FFA Convention: At every level of the FFA (local, state, and national), members are recognized annually for their achievements and accomplishments. At the chapter level, an awards banquet is held on the last Monday of every April. For those students whose achievements propelled them to state-level competition, recognition for their efforts occurs in June at the State FFA Convention in Madison. Nationally-ranked members receive their recognition at the National FFA Convention each October in Indianapolis, IN. In addition to recognizing outstanding achievement, the State and National conventions exist to provide students with opportunities to interact socially, build leadership skills, and prepare for their futures. Both the state and national conventions offer career shows, skill-building workshops, and leadership conferences for students to gain personally and professionally. Furthermore, students gain a wide perspective of the impact of the National FFA Convention when they have the opportunity to interact with over 50,000 FFA members during the National FFA Convention.
Community Service: Waterford FFA members take part in numerous community service events each year, helping to make the Waterford community a more vibrant and caring place to live. From Adopt a Family in December to Road-side Cleanup each fall to bake sale parties and bingo with residents of Levi Barnes Retirement Home, FFA members demonstrate their commitment to their community on a regular basis.
Social Events: While the FFA places education, leadership, and career development as its top priorities, that does not mean that our members can't have fun! The FFA has many regular social events, including snow-tubing, Badger hockey games, new-member orientation (with games and food), haunted houses, movie nights, and more.
Monthly Meetings: Waterford FFA hosts a chapter meeting on the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 in Rm A216 or the LGI. All members are encouraged to attend these meetings as they are where most of the official business of the organization is conducted. Meetings typically last about a half hour and are where all business of the chapter is discussed.
County & State Fairs: Exhibiting a project at the Racine County Fair or Wisconsin State Fair can be one of the most educational experiences available to our members. Every year Waterford is represented by dozens of students who show livestock, pigs, horses, rabbits, poultry, goats, and non-animal exhibits including basketry and photography.
Career Development Events: Career Development Events (also known as CDEs or simply judging competitions) are tests of real-world skills and knowledge on a specific topic in agriculture or science. Waterford FFA usually has a livestock judging team, a dairy judging team, and an environmental science team. However, dozens of other categories are also available, including wildlife, marketing, business, machinery, and
others. Each events usually consists of a multiple choice exam based on real-world knowledge followed by tests of skills. For example, dairy and livestock teams evaluate different live animals for their genetic traits. Environmental science teams must test water and soil quality and assess the impact of different pollutants on living organisms and ecosystems. Marketing teams must create a sales presentation for a hypothetical product. In each case, students compete by using skills that professionals use daily in their jobs. Practices for teams begin in late January or early February. Contests are held in March at the Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton. Those who qualify for state competition compete on the UW-Madison campus in late April. Dairy judging, dairy foods, and forage analysis competitions are also held in late September at World Dairy Expo in Madison.
Speaking Contests: The FFA has a strong tradition in preparing excellent public speakers. With events ranging from prepared public speaking to extemporaneous speaking to delivering the FFA creed to job interviewing to discussion on current events, many opportunities exist for students to become exceptional in their oratory skills and speech preparation. All public speaking competitors begin at the district level with competitions in February. Those who qualify for sectionals compete again in March, and the top finishers in all sectional competitions compete in June at the State FFA Convention.
Parliamentary Procedure: One event offered at all speaking contests is called Parliamentary Procedure (or Parli Pro for short). Parli Pro is a competition in which teams of contestants from each school are ranked in regards to their ability to conduct a meeting using Robert's Rules of Order. Knowledge of these procedures are highly valuable for anyone interested in pursuing a career in business, politics, or an organization. Practices typically begin in November with competitions in February and March.
Leadership Conferences: Leadership development is one of the top priorities of the FFA. As such, many leadership development opportunities are available to students through monthly conferences held all across the state.
State & National FFA Convention: At every level of the FFA (local, state, and national), members are recognized annually for their achievements and accomplishments. At the chapter level, an awards banquet is held on the last Monday of every April. For those students whose achievements propelled them to state-level competition, recognition for their efforts occurs in June at the State FFA Convention in Madison. Nationally-ranked members receive their recognition at the National FFA Convention each October in Indianapolis, IN. In addition to recognizing outstanding achievement, the State and National conventions exist to provide students with opportunities to interact socially, build leadership skills, and prepare for their futures. Both the state and national conventions offer career shows, skill-building workshops, and leadership conferences for students to gain personally and professionally. Furthermore, students gain a wide perspective of the impact of the National FFA Convention when they have the opportunity to interact with over 50,000 FFA members during the National FFA Convention.
Community Service: Waterford FFA members take part in numerous community service events each year, helping to make the Waterford community a more vibrant and caring place to live. From Adopt a Family in December to Road-side Cleanup each fall to bake sale parties and bingo with residents of Levi Barnes Retirement Home, FFA members demonstrate their commitment to their community on a regular basis.
Social Events: While the FFA places education, leadership, and career development as its top priorities, that does not mean that our members can't have fun! The FFA has many regular social events, including snow-tubing, Badger hockey games, new-member orientation (with games and food), haunted houses, movie nights, and more.