More Than Just a Jacket: Four-Year FFA Members

Four-year FFA (Future Farmers of America) members share how the club has affected their high school careers and how much being a part of it means to them.

By: Beth Musto

As the class of 2025 prepares to graduate, students can look back at their four years at Redwood and remember all of their great memories.

Almost all of the seniors who are in FFA have been there since their freshman year.

Sadie Hemphill, ’25, said, “It’s definitely really sad. We’ve spent a lot of time in the program and just with the officer team over the past four years. It’s all been super fun, so it’s definitely a hard thing to let go.”

Being in this class for all of high school can bring seniors into a bittersweet moment. Some seniors can have a hard time letting this class go.

Marileigh Coon, ’25, said, “I think it’s also just hard because I’ve been in this, like not only been in this for four years, I’ve been in my dad’s class for four years and it’s been just really special getting to do [work] with him and that’s going to be something hard to let go.”

Being in the class for your whole time at Redwood could be filled with endless memories and experiences to look back on. Helping out at the farm, raising livestock, being at the fair, being a part of the officer team, or just working together as a team.

Joel Arnold, ’25, said, “I would say this is probably the highlight of high school, in my opinion.
I really liked being in the shop every day and working on projects and stuff.”

“I think we’ve got to have lots of experiences that we wouldn’t have, like, showing livestock, getting to weld, and doing all this public speaking. And I think a lot of the public speaking and that has given us a lot of life skills we needed to interview for something. I think it’s helped us a lot in that aspect,” Coon said.

Hemphill said, “Yeah, I think it’s definitely taught me a lot and also just helped me grow as a person and be more encouraged to like go out of my comfort zone, because I’ve tried a lot of new things in FFA that ended up being great experiences.”

With the countless memories that this group of students has made with others and the club, the memory that holds the number one spot close to their hearts could be something that they never expected could happen for them.

Coon said, “So at fair, our last fair, our junior year, there’s this thing that you do with the whole team called Pen of Five, and we’ve never won it before. And last year, we just did really good and we ended up getting first place, and that was just like a really special memory.”

It doesn’t have to be something over the top. Even the smallest memory could have a very deep meaning to the seniors.

David Ross, ’25, said, “Probably just hanging out in the class and just having fun.”

“Just like raising lambs every year, just being at the farm, like, not a specific moment but just like coming out every morning and seeing people and working together. It’s really fun,” Hemphill said.

Mr. John Coon, the Ag Mechanics teacher at Redwood, said that this group of kids have exceeded his expectations.

“Very talented. As a matter of fact, we took on more large projects this year with this group than I’ve ever done in my career at Redwood. And they have they have exceeded my expectations.
It’s [a] really interesting group. Some are excellent welders, some are excellent thinkers, some are excellent innovators, and working together, they really have come up with some outstanding projects this year,” Mr. Coon said.

Mr. Coon said that he has watched some of the seniors grow up since they were in kindergarten. “My daughter [is] in this group.
And not only are they seniors that I’ve had for four years, but there’s a lot of these kids that I have watched grow up since kindergarten. And this is going to be one of the most difficult senior groups to say goodbye to and watch them on graduation that I’ve ever had.”

“[This is a] very special year. It only gets offset by the fact that I know where they’re going next. I know what their next steps are, and I’m really excited to go see them excel in college, work, in [the] military, and all the things that they’re going towards, the trade schools. And I am confident that so many people in this group will come back and be members of our Visalia community for the rest of their lives.
It’s kind of a deep-rooted group,” Mr. Coon said.

As Redwood has three more weeks left before school is out for the summer, the class of 2025 will be walking in their cap and gowns on the night of Friday, June 6th. All seniors who have been a part of a club or class for most of their high school career will be leaving a new legacy for the next classes to come.

Mr. Coon gives his senior students a piece of advice, something that they will be able to remember for their next journeys.

“Never stop being yourself. This is a good group. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders. Trust your instincts. Maybe listen to your heart and your gut a little bit more than your head, because sometimes you overthink stuff. 
But your heart and your gut are going to send you in the right direction,” said Mr. Coon.

“Don’t rest on your laurels. It’s not what you did today. Don’t sit around and pat yourself on the back. Go slay the next dragon. And get out there and make something of yourself. 
We’re counting on you.”

Tags: clubs & lifestyles, ffa, future farmers of america, rangers, Redwood, redwood ffa, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, rhs, rhs ffa, visalia ca