For the second time in three years, the West Liberty High School FFA Chapter has been named the top chapter in Iowa, the school district learned last week.
The FFA Advisor since 2011, Zach Morris was proud of his chapter’s success, calling the honor “fantastic” and pointing out the chapter has gone “full circle” since taking the title in 2018. It finished just ahead of North Scott High School of Eldridge after finishing second in 2019 behind Central DeWitt.
The 2020 honor comes during a COVID-19 pandemic infested year that saw unique changes in the way teachers taught, the chapter raised money and organizations responded to aiding the chapter in community events.
Morris says the key to the FFA’s local success has been the eighth grade “Exploratory” program, middle school students recognizing they don’t have to live on a farm or be involved in agriculture to become an active member.
“We break barriers,” Morris said, noting youngsters find out they can get involved despite not growing up on a farm. From showing livestock at the Muscatine County Fair, participating in other FFA projects, learning through involvement in contests and working with other community organizations in areas like community beautification, the 90-some FFA members are making a difference. “FFA can be for urban students,” he said.
Morris says a strong support group including the school’s administration, FFA Booster Club, local businesses and organizations like the Rotary Club of West Liberty, Muscatine County Fair Board and West Liberty’s 100 Women Who Care also make a big difference, helping create activities that grow local agriculture interest.
The organization adapted every way they could during the COVID-19 year that began in mid-March 2020, even reworking the chapter’s website, led by an effort by member Brielle Page, to make it more social media friendly while the chapter’s Ag Issues and Perspectives team has become a perennial powerhouse in state and national competitions, getting out in front of the community in making presentations to groups.
One of the largest organizations at West Liberty High School at 92 members, about 25 percent of the nearly 400 students belong to FFA annually, many learning they don’t have to be a farmer to eventually get involved in agriculture, getting educated on the fact there are a variety of fields from marketing to engineering to even getting involved in special positions in meat packing that open the eyes of youngsters.
“One hundred percent of our kids take part in at least one FFA activity,” Morris said, noting most do much more than that and said it’s not an organization you’re going to find boring. “It’s awesome, because every kids’ journey looks different,” he said, noting chapter officers and fellow FFA advisors Elyse Buysse, a first-year ag instructor at the school and Michelle McMichael, a ninth-year advisor, are a big reason the chapter has continued to stay competitive.
Morris is quick to point out that before he came, Dick Brand was the FFA advisor for at least three decades and established groundwork he simply “brought to a whole new level” noting the program was always top quality, but the program has changed over the years.
“He laid the foundation,” said Morris, including helping put together the separate agriculture learning center when WLHS was built anew. Morris said Brand has always been supportive of the program and played a major role in developing so many of the programs the chapter enjoys today.
Morris, an Iowa State graduate, said the chapter has been fortunate to have great mentors, pointing out it was a blessing finding Buysse, a West Liberty graduate who was part of the chapter when it took fourth in the state in 2015 before being named as one of the top 10 chapters on the national level.
Buysse is quick to point out she was in eighth grade when Morris started teaching in West Liberty and said she couldn’t be happier being back in her hometown after graduating from Iowa State. Morris said Buysse’s experience in high school is making a difference in the chapter.
“We want them to be successful,” Buysse said, noting many of the older, more experienced members aren’t bashful about mentoring their younger chapter members. “Rankings are great. It’s the icing on the cake, but it’s one of the least of our priorities,” Morris added.
Still, he says it’s become an “expectation” to win district and state team and individual competitions, utilizing an annual momentum that he describes as unique.
“We’ve created an unnatural norm,” he said. “It’s not normal, but we keep doing it.” That says a lot about the chapter’s mentors, who simply have a new group every year to work with in building teams – including taking seven district titles again this year.
Morris says although the West Liberty FFA continues to win state and national honors annually – including earning three-star status nationally for nine straight years and among the top 25 annually among 8,700 chapters – he’d like to see the chapter even “branch out,” from getting more involved in the community through volunteer events to learning more about the advantages to belonging to FFA.
He said the chapter will play a role in getting involved in helping prepare for the Muscatine County Fair, pointing out having his wife, Kelsey, as the fair manager, doesn’t hurt in finding projects at the fairgrounds.
Morris said he’s also promoting getting involved with the West Liberty Lions Club and their “Flags over West Liberty” program, helping the organization raise and lower flags on special holidays for over 150 area residents and businesses.
The chapter is also considering bringing back the ‘Cuddles for Kids” program started by member Austine Crees, making fleece tie blankets for youths at the Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House.
Morris says having the top program in Iowa for “Growing Leaders and Strengthening Agriculture” was instrumental in helping the chapter gain the top chapter in the state noting the chapter’s emphasis on safety and adding programs back into the curriculum like welding all played a huge role as well. He said FFA students learn things like livestock safety when showing in fairs, something many non-farm youngsters wouldn’t ever get to experience, making the chapter pretty unique.
He says there is a lot of very good competition out there and credits the success of his chapter because of the hard work members put into preparing for competitions, getting involved and taking ownership in their specific areas.
But he stressed it all starts at the eighth grade level and getting about 30 of those students involved in FFA and opening their minds to agricultural careers is vital. He said 2020 was a year of “all kinds of firsts for them” and said creating opportunities for involvement and nourishing a great attitude from the start is essential in building a solid FFA Chapter.
This fall, the chapter is hoping to attend the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, an annual event typically attended by at least a couple dozen members. After being cancelled last year due to the pandemic, Morris said he’s really hoping things change this year because it’s not only a great experience to attend the event, but an opportunity to meet and gain ideas from FFA members from across the nation.