Paulding FFA travels to Ohio State House for leadership conference
On Tuesday, September 24, four Paulding FFA officers traveled down to Columbus for the Ohio Legislative Leadership Conference. The officers included Vice President Tori Schlatter, Secretary Myrriah Manz, Reporter Vivienne Myers, Chaplin Jacob Harris and their FFA advisor, Ms. Baylee March. In the morning, the students mingled with other FFA chapters while playing a game that separated them into representatives and lobbyists. The lobbyists argued for a specific bill to be passed and the representatives decided whether that bill aligned with their values or not. The Paulding FFA Chapter presented a bill regarding hydraulic fracking in Ohio, in which they proposed several more environmentally friendly alternatives. After this, they explored the State House and met with an aide from Representative Roy Klopfenstein’s office to learn more about the inner workings of Ohio’s government. The students also heard Tim Schaffer speak, a former Ohio senator and current state representative. The chapters were then served lunch and got to meet State FFA officers and various state representatives. Ohio FFA President Carter Boyd then gave a closing speech regarding the importance of representing the needs of agriculture in our government. The Ohio Legislative Leadership Conference was an excellent opportunity for our officers to learn more about representing agriculture for the better.
