In This Issue: Sacramento Scene Sacramento Scene: Changes on the Horizon Department of Education Update Honoring Bob Heuvel Association Update California FFA Hires New Leadership Development Coordinator News & Views Spanish FFA Creed Speaking Contest: A Latino Perspective Creating a Self-Sustaining Horticulture Facility Empowering Others

Sacramento Scene: Changes on the Horizon By: Matt Patton, CATA Executive Director May is an active time in the state’s Capitol. The “May Revise,” a modified proposed budget composed using current revenues, was released by the Governor. Legislative subcommittees have approximately two weeks to consider the proposed changes to the budget and negotiate its contents. Additionally, the movement of bills increases in the legislature as the June deadline for passage looms closer.

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Honoring Bob Heuvel Please join California FFA and the Agricultural Education Community as we celebrate the career and life of Bob Heuvel and formally dedicate the State Officer Dormitories in his memory. The event will be begin at 10:00am on June 11, 2022 at the California FFA Center in Galt. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP prior to June 1 by leaving a message at (916) 319-0673 or by emailing cparker@cde.ca.gov.   A scholarship has been set up in Bob’s memory. Contributions can be made to California FFA Foundation, Bob Heuvel Memorial Scholarship, P.O. Box 186, Galt, California 95632.

California FFA Hires New Leadership Development Coordinator The California Association FFA is pleased to announce the hiring of Jasmine Flores as the Leadership Development Coordinator. Ms. Flores is a graduate of California State University, Fresno where she majored in Agricultural Communications. Ms. Flores brings with her a wealth of experiences as a team facilitator and team leader in the Integrated Leadership Continuum. She was part of the team that evaluated and revised the Made for Excellence curriculum and was the staff lead in managing the arena at the 2022 State FFA Leadership Conference.  Read More Spanish FFA Creed Speaking Contest: A Latino Perspective By Francesca Carrillo, Student Teacher at Nipomo High School The addition of the Spanish FFA Creed as an official Leadership Development Event is gaining traction among states with a high proportion of Spanish-speaking FFA members. After hearing a lot of discussion among teachers representing a wide range of views, I wanted to share my own opinion about the value of establishing a Spanish FFA Creed Speaking contest at the local and state level.  One of the points that came up about the Spanish Creed during the South Coast Region CATA meeting on February 28th, was that students can already compete in the FFA Creed competition in Spanish if they choose to. While this is true, not very many students compete in Spanish or other languages because of the limitation for fair consideration. When a student participates in the FFA Creed and competes in Spanish there are not always native Spanish speaking judges available. I think that the Spanish FFA Creed will provide a means of representation that Spanish speaking students don’t have currently in FFA. Read More A video of the Spanish FFA Creed produced by the National FFA Organization.

Creating a Self-sustaining Horticulture Facility By Matthew Smith, Teacher, Sequoia High School Ornamental horticulture is a very beneficial course for students' scientific exploration. It connects life science, biology, climate, environment, art and even business to real life applications. These are critical skills for students to connect in-class scientific theory to real life designs in their own landscapes, or even turn these skills into a business/career. There are a number of challenges to successfully operating a horticulture facility. One roadblock is facilities and/or funding for the program. There will be various start-up costs but if you run your horticulture program as a nursery business, your program will grow quickly and students will begin to see the returns as well. As for any business, you must consider your product to be sold, resources that you have available for the program and how to sell your product. The main goal is to create a self-sustaining horticulture program where students can learn by doing and gain valuable hands-on experience through real life application.   Read More Empowering Others By John Williams, CATA Secretary In my last article, I expressed the need for the members of our association to speak up and say what is on their mind. After some reflection, I thought it would be good to talk about empowerment and what we can do to help each other speak up and encourage each other to serve. I understand that this is not easy for many of those in our profession. As we enter our careers, we hear names of teachers who have been in the profession for many years, and I remember feeling intimidated by experienced teachers serving in leadership roles. In many ways it seemed easier to let experienced teachers do all of the talking, leading and serving. In my first job as a teacher, I had the privilege of working alongside a an experienced teacher who had high expectations for our department, an expected us to step up and serve outside of our campus and chapter. She was the person who encouraged me to run for section office and nominated me for my position. This type of encouragement and mentorship enabled me to continue to serve through the Operation Division, Region Office, and now as a State Officer. This is just one example of how an individual can empower someone else to serve the teachers in our association and not be afraid to speak up when needed. Read More