Mulhall-Orlando FFA’s officers attend retreat, prepares for the upcoming year

Special to Guthrie News Page
By: Joci Fogle – Mulhall-Orlando FFA Reporter

On June 5th, the Mulhall-Orlando FFA Officer Team headed out to their annual officer retreat. Six members and their Advisor Tonya Middleton loaded up on a bus for Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Only two members Kaylee Blagden and Jace Taylor have ever been on this adventure.

The members, who stayed at a cabin right off the Illinois River, did many team-building activities at the cabin and planned for the upcoming school year. Every member of the team brings their special talents.

One of the activities that was most memorable for the officers was the number game. A large circle was made with string and the numbers 1-20 were written on sticky notes and set randomly inside the circle. Members then stood on the outside of the circle and one by one had to touch the numbers in order. But there was a catch, only one person could be inside the circle at a time and they had to go as fast as they could. Members began the game and failed almost immediately. They then would try again and again until they slowed down and walked themselves through it. After they got it the slow way they began to speed it up more and more. After each round, a member would have a new idea of how to do it faster and better. They found that if they had three people on each side of the circle facing each other and went down the row like that it worked best. When the activity was all done, they sat and talked about what they had learned. Many of the members said they learned to listen to each other and that trying new things was okay and expected. The officer team stayed up late doing numerous different activities to become a better team together.

The officers also planned out the school year and came up with an activity that they were in charge of.

The officers are so excited to be able to share their activities and all the other plans they have created during their trip with their fellow FFA members and the community. On the 6th, the officer team set out to float the Illinois River. They spent the day swimming, jumping, and having a blast with each other. Many memories were made during this trip and hopefully the officers can make many more during the year.