Having a car to drive to school is a big deal for some teenagers.
But driving a tractor to school means that students not only get to showcase one of their family’s prize possessions, but also that they get to showcase their family’s work, history and bond.
St. Joseph-Ogden High School sophomore Tessa Smith was one of three students who came to school on a family tractor, a John Deere 4640, this morning to raise awareness of the high school’s FFA program during FFA Week.
“It gives everyone a chance to see where we live, what we have and what we do,” SJ-O junior and FFA Reporter Mallory Ames said.
Only 15-years old, Tessa arrived with her dad, Greg, who had to drive the tractor.
Riding in the tractor with her dad is one of Tessa’s favorite things to do.
The Smith family farm, which includes 670-acres of corn and soybean fields, was started by Tessa’s grandfather.
Today, Greg and his brother man the farm.
They are passing down their knowledge to Tessa as she gets older.
“I like to ride with my dad in the combine, but I have recently started learning how to work the ground,” she said.
“I think it’d be fun to continue that in my family.”
Tessa also followed her older sister into FFA when she enrolled at SJ-O last year.
“She told me about all the great things and I wanted to be a part of that as well,” Tessa said.
“I’ve learned a lot of different things like leadership skills and communication. I don’t think I’d be where I am today without FFA.”
By bringing her family’s tractor to school, Tessa hopes to spark conversations with her peers about FFA.
“I hope people notice them and realize that FFA is a fun thing to do,” she said. “I hope they join because FFA will teach them a lot of new things.”
The SJ-O FFA will round out FFA Week with elementary students visiting the high school to interact with livestock and do activities on Thursday.
On Friday, they will host a teacher appreciation breakfast, and also kick-off the weekend that day by wearing pajamas to school.
Over the course of the week they have also collected non-perishable food items from the St. Joseph community and surrounding grade schools. A donation will be made near the end of the week to the local food bank.
