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Staff and faculty members enjoyed a free breakfast Friday, courtesy of the Thomson High School Chapter of the FFA.
The breakfast is a THS tradition, said FFA faculty adviser Rick DuBose. The meal capped off FFA Week at the high school.
“The kids do it all,” DuBose said. “I’m here to advise them and help them out where needed, but it’s up to them, and they do a great job and they do it all.”
Sophomores Sarah Holiman and Autumn Shelton worked at a table beside the office, where teachers helped themselves to orange juice, biscuit sandwiches from McDonald’s and other warm food. Holiman applied face paint for a few youngsters. DuBose said McDonald’s gave the chapter a discount on the breakfast sandwiches. Sophomore Conner Cheely and junior Heather McGahee held open the west doors for teachers and invited them to the free meal.
In all, the FFA chapter has almost 140 members, DuDose said. He noted that about 60 percent to 70 percent of those members give full participation.
McGahee said this is her first year in FFA, but she plans to continue in the program. “I like it a lot,” she said. “Conner and I are going to state and testing 10-pound fishing line to see if it actually holds a lot more than 10 pounds,” McGahee said.
Cheely and McGahee said their test will use weights to make sure results are accurate. They will test three brands of fishing line.
Cheely is a three-year veteran of the FFA. “Last year I went to state and took third in the FFA quiz competition,” he said.
DuBose said school staff members look forward to the breakfast, which has been offered since 2004. They start asking about it in August, he said.
Business teacher Ebony Sanders said the FFA has offered the breakfast for at least six years. “So we look forward to it every year,” she said.
Besides the breakfast, the chapter also celebrates FFA Week with dress-up days for faculty. “Today is plaid day,” he said Friday. Teachers Christina Miller and Mandy Brantley and FFA member Shelton paused so DuBose could snap a photo of the teachers’ checkered blouses. “It’s Harley colors,” Miller said.
The FFA also set up a display case in the main lobby of the school, showing FFA apparel and other FFA items.
FFA, then known as Future Farmers of America, was founded in by a group of young farmers back in 1928. The organization’s Web site explains, “Their mission was to prepare future generations for the challenges of feeding a growing population.” For details, visit www.ffa.org.
