Above: Dr Jake Baker demonstrated how to perform a physical exam on a dog during one of the afternoon workshops at a recent mini-FFA convention event at Martin County West in Sherburn.

SHERBURN — While vaccinations are underway and restrictions are slowly lifting, the pandemic continues to affect a variety of gatherings. One of those is the State FFA Convention, which was once again held virtually for 2021. However, that didn’t stop FFA students at Martin County West (MCW) from being able to enjoy a special day, thanks to the efforts of MCW staff.

Ag teacher and FFA Advisor Stephanie Wohlhuter explains.

“We haven’t been able to take students to the state convention last year or this year, so we decided to put on a mini-state convention this week here in Sherburn,” she said. “We tried to simulate as many parts of the convention as we could.

“We had a food truck, Gerhardt’s Catering, come in and the kids got to eat outside. We had a keynote speaker and several Ag workshops, and we ended the day with an hour-long service project somewhere in town.”

Wohlhuter shared that one group of students went out to Temperance Lake Ridge and did some landscaping, while two groups went to visit older residents and do yardwork, while a final group went to the family of a National Guardsman to do some yard work.

“During the workshops, one of those was called “Digging in the Dirt,” and the kids potted up a bunch of planters and delivered about 18 of them to different residents in town with a little note wishing them a happy spring from the Martin County West FFA Chapter. That went over very well with people.”

Wohlhuter said she thinks the event was a big success.

“It was a good afternoon with a lot of opportunities for the kids,” she said. “I think it made them feel like they had a special experience since they haven’t got together to do a lot of that stuff in the past year. It was an opportunity for them to be together, do some safe hands-on activities, and have a lot of fun.”