The Greene County FFA Chapter officers include Parliamentarian Gina McCleery, Secretary Rylee Arnold, Reporter Jacob Everett, Advisor Josh Everett, Treasurer Kenneth Dueitt, President Sophey Errington and Vice President Makayla Howard.
E.M. Tiffany emphasizes “Living to Serve” in the FFA Creed, but how can someone teach others how to serve?
On Sept. 4, 2025, the 2025-26 Greene County FFA Chapter officers in Mississippi (pictured above) hosted a Fun Day for high school freshmen and sophomores. The officers presented valuable skills for becoming a leader and finding their “Passport to Success.” This day was an opportunity for FFA recruitment and to teach these students how to become better versions of themselves.
The officers kicked off the evening with a skit to get the members excited, then assigned them to two different groups. Students then attended three workshops and played two games.
To start it off, Greene County FFA Reporter Jacob Everett and Parliamentarian Gina McCleery hosted a class about agricultural advocacy. They taught students how to be advocates and promote FFA and agriculture, both through the media and in person. They also taught students the importance of highlighting the value of agriculture to get the public involved and support FFA.
Secretary Rylee Arnold and Vice President Makayla Howard presented a workshop on communication. Students learned how to effectively correspond with others, whether their interactions presented a “flood” or a “river,” and how to effectively work within groups. Communication is key to understanding how to serve others.
“I was hoping for the students to participate and learn how to be an effective leader,” Howard says. “One of the issues we were having was getting them to speak up and out of their comfort zone. So, we continued to encourage them, and in the end, they were engaging in our workshops.”
By teaching others how to express themselves properly, these students can take their new way of expressing themselves to the public to engage others to support agriculture.
In addition, President Sophey Errington and Treasurer Kenneth Dueitt hosted a workshop about growth. Students were taught how to overcome obstacles and reach their goals. They created a “Vision Map,” where members listed their ambitions and wrote down “directions” for achieving them. Setting objectives motivates students to stay on track and achieve great success, while sharing joy and lending a helping hand to others can help serve each other to accomplish goals.
Greene County FFA Chapter officers present awards to the members.
Finally, everyone played games in the shop while a few officers set up the classroom for dinner. They closed off the Fun Day with BBQ pork chops and awards. Officers presented certificates to the most engaged members throughout the evening.
“I am so proud of everyone that showed up and showed out,” Arnold says. “It not only made the event more exciting but made it where others got out of their comfort zone and joined in, showing the true aspect of what FFA can do to a person’s life.”
The Greenhands left the day feeling more confident in themselves and their knowledge within FFA. Most importantly, these members can take what they learned into the world. As a result, they can also teach others how to serve through being leaders, communicators and uplifting individuals, which is what the “Living to Serve” part of the motto embodies.
