Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Fazendin, Abramczak, Knusta, Hunt, Hurst, Neisius, Schraufnagel, Duffy
----Source: Thorp Courier, (Thorp, Clark Co., WI) 8/13/2014
FFA Attends (Washington D.C. Leadership Conference – 2014)
Each year, FFA members from all over the United States travel to Washington D.C. to attend the Washington Leadership Conference (WLC). Over the past 10 years, the Thorp FFA has sent 30 students, and this year, six of Thorp’s FFA members, including Ashley Fazendin, Chet Abramczak, Jon Knusta, Paige Hunt, Shelby Hurst, and Chelsea Neisius, attended along with advisor, Glen Schraufnagel.
During the five-day event, attendees learned how to become effective leaders by learning their purpose, how to value people, how to take action, and how to serve others. FFA members leave WLC with the knowledge and the confidence to act in a way that helps their schools community, and their country.
This is no ordinary leadership conference,” said Glen Schraufnagel. FFA members spend a week putting skills into practice as they make new friends from across the United States and tour our nation’s capital. This action-packed conference allows students to gain self-confidence and leadership skills and they bring them back to their FFA chapter to share with other members.
“The best thing at WLC were the coordinators,” said Paige Hunt. “They has such passion for what they were teaching, and actually showed that they believed in what they were doing. They taught me so much about living to serve, and how easy it is to affect people around you. Going to Washington D.C. was incredible, but even if this conference weren’t in such an amazing place, I would recommend it to everyone. You feel so empowered and special when you leave.”
The capstone event of the Washington Leadership Conference is the civic engagement activity, where participants apply what they have learned at the conference to a real, hands-on service activity. During their week stay in D.C.. FFA members prepared and bagged 55,000 meals for the homeless.
Also, during their trip FFA members toured the Arlington Cemetery, witnessed the changing of the guard and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by a night walk through the mall, including Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, and the Washington Monument. Continuing on in their tour throughout history, Thorp’s members found the Holocaust Museum and many other museums while on their amazing journey.
Thorp’s FFA members met with Senator Tammy Baldwin and also spoke briefly with Rep. Sean Duffy, who even took a moment to take a group “selfie” with Thorp’s members [pictured].
The Thorp FFA would like to extend a special “thank you” to the Thorp School District for allowing this trip to take place, the Thorp FFA Alumni for financially supporting the six members by providing $2,000, and the local FFA chapter for providing $1,000 from the Calendar Account. “Without the financial support of these two organizations, this trip would not have been possible,” said Schraufnagel. “The FFA Calendar sponsors are very much appreciated, as the profi6ts from the calendar are used financially support this trip. All of our Calendar sponsors are recognized with free complimentary tickets to our banquet in April.
“Thank you to the parents of these amazing students,” Schraufnagel added. “Just hanging out with them for five days was a privilege. I’ve been sending students to WLC for 16 years, but I’ve never been there myself—financially, it’s expensive for the teacher to go. I get to hear from the students when they return how amazing the monument tours and the conferences are, but after this year, I don’t’ ever want to miss this trip again.”
Pictured left to right: Chet Abramczak, Shelby Hurst, Chelsea Neisius, Ashley Fazendin, Paige Hunt, and Jon Knusta come together in front of the Jefferson Memorial on their monument tour during their five-day trip to Washington D.C. Contributed photos.
Pictured are Thorp’s FFA members having a brief meet-and-greet with Representative Sean Duffy, who took a quick moment to take a ‘selfie’ with the group.
