Greeley West FFA made great strides last week. With recognition for great work and collaboration, community leadership, and more, these Spartans are setting a great example for their peers and fellow members as well.

The Ag Ed Council, made up of Greeley West parents, was recognized as one of the top ten groups within the organization. The Greeley West Ag Ed Council was the first group from Colorado to ever receive this recognition. On top of that, the FFA chapter received three out of three stars for recognition of the hard work and leadership skills that are necessary for a successful collaboration.

FFA Member, Aidan Datteri said, “Building relationships with other agriculturalists is really important. I enjoy that community that we build as a chapter.”

Of course, this achievement has not come without some challenges as a result of the pandemic. FFA strives to instill hard work, dedication, and collaboration skills into those who show a passion for agriculture. This mission was a difficult one to fill and has left Greeley West’s  feeling somewhat frustrated and unsure how to work through these challenges. In addition, the Greeley West FFA chapter had many veteran students graduate, leaving a new group of students to take the reins and continue to be leaders in and out of the building. “There are a lot of individual committees and responsibilities that are divided amongst the group,” said FFA Member Sarah Porter.

FFA continues to carry on tradition and strives to invite new students into the chapter. With in-school and community outreach events, the members of West’s FFA chamber set ideal examples for students to follow. Agriculture Teacher and FFA sponsor Mr. Kelly Longacre said, “We are working on the annual farm to table event, a farewell to the old building, as well as leadership training and community engagement events.”