Chapter Activity

Written By Carlee Garrity. FFA week is quickly approaching (Feburary 22-28), and our chapter has a fun packed week planned for members and the community!! Each day of the week will be titled something special because we will have social media challenges throughout the week related to the title. Stay tuned to find out what the challenges may be. Members - keep and eye out on https://www.instagram.com/dewitt_ffa/?hl=en for challenges posted daily, one member will receive a pri

Written By Caden Bernauer. On January 5th-11th, a group of DeWitt Central FFA Members earned the opportunity to travel and compete in the National Western Stock Show in Denver Colorado. The group included Senior Caden Bernauer, Senior Kyle Deppe, Senior Ty Henningsen, and Sophomore Audrina Gordon. They were coached and chaperoned by Douglas and Kim Deppe, and they received this opportunity from placing second at the FFA State Livestock Judging Contest. Following this on Tuesd

Written By Molly Burken. In the FFA Greenhouse, there’s a myriad of succulents that are cared for by some ag classes and FFA members. There are fully grown plants, as well as some less-matured plants that were propagated by the Plant Science and Horticulture classes. This was accomplished by taking portions of matured plants, putting them in soil, and watering them regularly. There are various types of succulents, and they will be available to purchase in the Spring.

Written By Gavin Walker. This January and December, Mrs. Grantz’s Ag Leadership class participated in a unique assignment in which each student was responsible for teaching an important life skill. The class experienced several outstanding lessons, including how to hang a tree stand, jump a car battery, and evaluate livestock. Through this project, students learned practical skills that can be applied to everyday life, making each lesson both engaging and highly valuable. Tho

Written By Adam Wilke. Our member of the month for January is freshman Ashton Leibold! Ashton has been super involved in our chapter since entering high school, participating in a multitude of different activities. He has signed up for many shifts at the booster concession stand, which has been a big help. During fruit sales, he played a big role in organizing the fruit in the shop, which saved lots of time. Ashton recently signed up to participate in the conduct of meetings

Written By Coy Krukow. On Sunday, January 18, 2026, members of the Central DeWitt FFA attended the Clinton County Cattlemen’s Banquet. The evening began with a meal that brought together local cattle producers, supporters, and community members. Following the meal, the Clinton County Cattlemen’s Association presented awards recognizing outstanding contributions to the cattle industry, along with scholarships and Cattlemen’s royalty. The awards highlighted the dedication and h

Written By Macy Poll. A lot has been going on in the eighth-grade class. They just finished their ag technology. These eighth graders created their own Ag technology innovation. Now these eight graders are working on international food truck projects. This is where they get to pick a country and research that country, and then make a menu and food truck to represent that countrys food. These eighth graders have done a tremendous job in this class so far this year.

Written By Klaire Gruntorad. The January FFA Chapter meeting was held on Monday, January 12th. The night started off with some pickleball fun at 6 pm, which was followed by the meeting at 7 pm. The meeting was very successful, with pizza and drinks provided. Mrs. Grantz talked about some opportunities coming up, which you can find out more about in the email she sent out.

Written By Carlee Garrity. On Monday, January 19th, the DeWitt Central FFA Boosters held their monthly meeting in the ag room at 7 pm. The boosters discussed topics such as the FFA’s fishing derby coming up, concession rewards party, updating the Facebook page, a recap of the livestock judging team, putting money into a CD to fund materials to build a storage shed, scholarships, and more. The two biggest takeaways from the meeting were that they still need members to help out

Written By Avery Mommsen. Our November member of the month is Cooper Barber! Cooper is a sophomore, third-year FFA member, who continues to exemplify an outstanding dedication to our chapter. Cooper recently attended the Global Youth Institute (GYI) from October 21-23. At this conference, students, teachers, and community leaders from around the world gathered to share ideas and develop solutions for ending world hunger and poverty. In addition to his involvement with GYI, Co

Written By Coy Krukow. The Central DeWitt FFA Chapter held its monthly meeting on November 10th, where officers shared updates on finances, communication efforts, and recent chapter activities. Members heard recaps of IAT Leadership Conference participation, the National FFA Convention trip, and Greenhand Night, along with a report on the chapter test plot and its sponsorship from LiqiGrow. New business included planning for fruit sales pickup, voting to officially change the

Written By Caden Bernauer. Moving into our winter season, one additional opportunity available to our chapter member, especially upperclassmen are State Proficiencies and Degrees. Proficiencies - Iowa FFA Proficiency Awards recognize the real-world skills and growth students gain through their SAEs. With dozens of categories from livestock and mechanics to agribusiness, research, and communications there's a proficiency area for whatever your SAE is. These awards give members

Written By Emily Sutton. This year, our Central DeWitt chapter set a fundraising goal of $35,000 for fruit sales, our largest fundraiser of the year. Each student was given a personal goal of $500 to qualify for our rewards party. This year we are going Snow Tubing! This fundraiser helps cover the cost of conventions, contests, and tours, allowing our FFA members to participate at no cost. Although we didnt meet our goal, we came close to a total of around $29,648 in sales. W

Written By Kamryn Keester. Our members spent their Monday evening learning from FFA Coach Skylar Bator about applying for scholarships and doing so effectively. When Skylar was a senior, she dedicated countless hours into applying for scholarships. She was successful in doing so and received over 40. Through this hours, she learned many tips and tricks. On Monday, November 24th, she held a workshop to help FFA members be successful as well. She encouraged members to keep a ru

Written By Claire McGarry. There has been a new addition to the Ag room. In the Ag hallway and at the back of Mrs.Grantz' classroom, TVs have been installed. The classroom TV will feature upcoming FFA events, meetings, and other things happening in the chapter. The TV in the hallway will feature Hall of Fame members who will be inducted into our Central DeWitt Hall of Fame, as well as past FFA members and their successes. If you have anything you think should be featured on t

Written By Adam Wilke and Carlee Garrity. To help 9th grade members learn more about FFA and degrees, Greenhand Night was held on November 6th in the ag room. After eating dinner and connecting with each other, the officer team began with a presentation. They hit topics such as earning degrees, Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs), and involvement in FFA. Chapter officers gave personal example from their time in FFA to show how involvement and dedication made a big diff

Written By Molly Burken. The November Boosters meeting was held on November 17th in the ag room. The boosters discussed the concession stands, toy show, and Roots to Riches event. They made a list of what needed to be purchased for the for the concessions, as well as what new items they may offer at the stands. There was discussion of advertising methods for the Toy Show, as well as other logistics of the event, such as cost per table. Mrs.Grantz shared in her Advisor update

Written By Taylor Houser. Five of our FFA members traveled to the DMACC FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny, IA for the IAT Conference on November 8th. The Ignite, Amplify, and Transform conferences are intended to teach FFA Members valuable leadership skills they can apply to their future careers. The Ignite Conference for 8th and 9th grade members focuses on teamwork and collaboration, encouraging students to get out of their comfort zones and interact with people they may not

Written By Lucas Burken. Ten FFA members who attended the National Convention Board meeting on Monday, November 17th, talking about what they learned and experienced during the trip. They described the sessions and industry tours they too part in, all of which helped them grow their agricultural knowledge and career skills. This presentation was important because it gave the school board a clear look at how valuable the convention is in providing real-world learning opportuni

Written By Amy Grantz. Middle School: 8th grade middle school students have been such a joy this semester! They have been learning about the history of agriculture, FFA basics, livestock and poultry production, companion animals and are just wrapping up their dairy unit by making ice cream this week. They have completed many hands-on activities in the classroom! Animal Science: High school students in animal science have completed their beef unit and are just starting to wrap

Written By Caden Bernauer. On October 10th, we had 9 Central DeWitt Members attend the Kirkwood Livestock Judging Contest. There members judged 6 classes of cattle, swine, sheep, and goats, with a set of questions on cattle. One major highlight of the evening was Audrina Gordon being the champion individual out of almost 350 kids. A big thank you to the West Branch FFA and Chapter President Caden Bernauer for helping put on the contest and Kirkwood Community College for hosti

Written By Gavin Walker. Adam Wilke and Cole Nieman qualified for state cross country on Wednesday, October 22 and are number one in 3A and it happened in Williamsburg, IA. It is big for our school so that people know us and know we are capable of running at state. They were also able to run in the top 5 at the district race for cross country. Emily Sutton won Miss Clinton County Teen, it happened on October 18, 2025, at Camanche High School, this was good because it gives he

Written By Carson Tobey. The National FFA Organization allows their members to apply for SAE grants to support their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Projects. Projects can be from raising livestock to starting your own small business. These grants support members with extra cash to kickstart their project. Members 7th-12th grade that are starting or expanding their SAE can apply from November 15th-December 15th on the National FFA website. Central DeWitt graduate Kai

Written By Molly Burken. The Gift of Blue is a National FFA Program that helps provide members with FFA Official Dress components. Normally, the FFA jackets are $60.00, and the official ties or scarves are around $13.00-$15.00. For some students, this cost may be a barrier to getting their own offical apparel. The goal of the Gift of Blue is to help students be able to receive their own jacket, even if they can't afford it themselves. To help some receive the Gift of Blue, yo