MORAN — Haylee Meiwes eagerly anticipated a busy year with FFA.
On top of the myriad projects and competition she enters annually through FFA, Meiwes was tapped last March as district vice president, which works in league with several other schools across southeast Kansas.
Meetings, career development events and opportunities to work with students from other chapters were certain to fill her schedule.
Problem was, the election was one of the last in-person events of any kind for Marmaton Valley when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered schools across the nation.
Just like that, Meiwes saw her vice president’s duties turned on their ear.
But, as would soon become the norm at Marmaton Valley, Meiwes took those proverbial lemons and made lemonade.
She helped design a virtual conference to introduce “Greenhands” — first-year FFA members — to the benefits they’d receive by being a part of such a wide-ranging organization.
In years past, hundreds of Greenhands would gather on site for the conference.
This year, thanks to Meiwes, et al, the information was shared online.
She’s cautiously optimistic the virtual conference was a success, but the outcomes won’t be realized for a few years, if those Greenhands stay with FFA, she acknowledged.
“It was a little different,” Meiwes said. “I’m really grateful for the opportunities I’ve had.”
Meiwes and her fellow Marmaton Valley seniors Mykayla Ard and Kaitlynn Morgan shared their thoughts about the school year that almost wasn’t, how the pandemic offered a few benefits they may never have thought of otherwise, and why not being able to attend events in person has given them a newfound respect for studying.
FOR YEARS, Marmaton Valley has attended the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis on an every-other-year basis.
As a sophomore, Ard had to skip the convention because it conflicted with high school volleyball.
No big deal, she surmised. She would get that chance to attend as a senior.
