Members Reflect On The 2022 FFA Banquet

By: Mia Angulo

The FFA (Future Farmers of America) banquet was hosted on May 9th. This banquet is an event that honors its members’ hard work and their overall accomplishments, giving the senior class members recognition. A huge acknowledgement was made towards the seniors, this was their last year of being in FFA, which makes this event even more memorable for them.

“We really like to treat this banquet as a good wrap up to the year! Hopefully this banquet just makes people happy and makes them realize what an amazing year we’ve had,” FFA member, Tessa Hemphill, ‘22, says.

The vision that the members had for their banquet was met and their overall goal for hosting it was achieved. 

Lillie Wasem, ’23, says, “Saying goodbye to our seniors and thanking them for everything, while also appreciating the past 4 years they had and the rest of the students’ hard work really allowed us to all come together and celebrate our chapter and what we accomplished in a big special way.”

While this night was fun for all, it was bittersweet to the closing of the chapter on the year they had. The night was a meaningful end to a successful year. 

“This banquet gives every individual within the program a chance to step back and reflect on what we did well and how we could do better. It also allows us to find gratitude in our hearts for those who supported us in our program and give thanks to them,” acknowledges Elise Hyde ‘22.

At the banquet, many board members were recognized for their contribution and the huge impact they had on the program overall. Wasem says, “ Such as our Superintendent and Assistant Superintendents as well as our AD Michael Wright, former FFA Officer and RHS Counselor Ms. Buchanan.” 

Working towards an event of this magnitude required a lot of preparation. The to-do list was long and they needed all the helping hands they could get. 

“We made an order of events, planned food, decorations, created a script, and found others to recruit for set-up and cleanup,” says Hemphill, ‘22. 

“ The day before is always busy. Every class has something to help with whether its setting up tables and chairs or finishing off auction items,” says Bradshaw ‘22.

As always, the hard work eventually pays off in the end. It’s rewarding to see the smiles on peoples faces when it all comes together.

“We had so many people back together in one room as one club and community which was our biggest hope! It also went very smoothly which was really good for us coming off not having a banquet for two years,” reminisces Wasem. 

Tags: banquet, clubs & lifestyles, FFA 2022-2023, ffa officers, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism