FFA Day at the Georgia Capitol
Members stand on the north steps of the Georgia State Capitol.
Bright and early on a Tuesday morning, a sea of blue jackets joined in the historic railroad crossing for the capitol building in Atlanta, Ga. In celebration of National FFA Week, it was FFA Day at the Georgia Capitol.
Representatives joined the high school students from their district and lent a listening ear to hear about their FFA stories and chapter involvements. Important members of Congress headed up on stage to stress to the crowd their understanding of the importance of agriculture. These included Speaker of the House Jon Burns, Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper and Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones. Many inspirational stories were shared, and it was nice to hear lawmakers acknowledge the importance of FFA and agriculture as a whole.
Members stand on the floor of the state senate with Senator Max Burns and Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones.
Then, the group headed across the street to explore the state capitol. Lobbyists scampered about, waiting to meet with representatives. Interns rushed around with papers and cups of coffee, and pages scurried around the Senate floor. It was a collection of chaos in business attire, ideas and opinions.
FFA members in attendance were allowed to sit in on a senate session and were lucky enough to watch a new senator get sworn in. Then, because of Screven County’s “connections” (Senator Max Burns’ grandson is the president of our FFA chapter), we were allowed to go onto the senate floor and snap a picture with Lieutenant Governor Jones. Also, since the speaker of the house is closely related to other chapter members, we were invited to go on the floor and take a picture with Burns, too.
Members stand on the floor of the Georgia House of Representatives with Speaker of the House Jon Burns.
Overall, the experience of exploring the Georgia Capitol was one that our chapter is incredibly grateful for. Time and time again, being an FFA member presents you with life-changing experiences. Eyes are opened, new paths are discovered, and it’s all thanks to FFA.
National FFA Week is an absolute ball of fun in itself, but it’s also a time of education and awareness in the agriculture community. While it’s true that a day off school and a trip to The Cheesecake Factory were fun, the real joy of the trip was learning the inner workings of our state capitol.
