...into the summer of a sentinel. I'll try to give you the quick rundown of my entire summer. It has been jam packed with trainings, members, and memories! I'm not sure how it will all fit into this blog, but here we go...
June 10, 2010 was a life changing day for myself and the other ten members of the 2010-2011 Kentucky FFA State Officer Team. I screamed, cried, laughed... posed for awkward pictures with people I barely knew. I can't possibly put into words everything I felt that day.
CTSO, Career Technical State Officer Training, was our first true bonding experience as a team. We learned about time management, facebook etiquette, and how to eat properly (Apparently you aren't supposed to give all the peppers in your salad to one person... really, Joenelle had a HUGE pile of peppers!). We survived with only a few injuries... most notable being Lauren's broken ankle. Much thanks goes to Mr. Brandon Davis of John Hardin FFA and Quint Pottinger for heading up this training.
Next... NLCSO! National Leadership Conference for State Officers, lead by Chelsea Doss and Alex Henry, two of our National Officers. We got to meet the state officers of four other states, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois (or Illinucky, as we prefer to call ourselves). This was our first crash course in giving workshops and the beginning of our ROAR planning. I can't forget to mention the spirit stick. The picture at the top shows our dress for one of the sessions... we were definitely a sight to see.
After getting about one day at home, it was time to leave for camp! I was lucky enough to be able to attend the 5th week (The best week EVER!) with Logan, Audie, and Alex. Finally getting to meet over 300 FFA members of our state will definitely go down as one of my favorite memories from this year, I'm sure. Highlights of the week include... playing volleyball with Johnson Central Sunday night, Harry Carey at waterball, teaching "the dance" to our classes and workshops (windshield wipers, windshield wipers...), playing pranks on the camp council (and... getting them in return), and watching the staff keep campers in their cabins Thursday night. Needless to say, it was one awesome week!
A few days at home and then it was back to camp for BLAST Off... Building Leaders and Strong Teams of Officers. I promise I'm done with acronyms now. This was our last training of the summer and was delayed by storms in Wisconsin. Yes, storms in Wisconsin. They kept our trainer's flights from leaving on time and he ended up being almost a day late. In the meantime, we got busy picking a theme (Embrace the Challenge!), setting goals for the year, and discussing our strengths as a team. Overall, it was an awesome experience.
Well, that has been our summer in a nutshell. It absolutely flew by! Now I'm ready for state fair, learning to balance FFA and college, and an awesome year of chapter visits!
Kevin Herndon
State Sentinel
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