Upon arrival, we met state officers from South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. Soon after, we had the opportunity to begin getting to know Levy Randolph and Chase Rose, the National President and National Central Region Vice President. Levy and Chase ran the four day conference for the 34 state officers that were excited to learn more about how we could make a difference throughout our year of service. The very first day also had one more surprise; we met the famed National FFA Advisor, Dr. Case. Believe it or not, that smile that you see in pictures and at National Convention is only the surface of a man who has spent 26 years stationed by the owl.
Along with meeting many people we also spent the week learning about how we work as a team, not just a group as individuals. We covered how to create synergy, the stages of team development and what may be potential barriers to being a team, planning workshops, trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and facilitation. To end our time at NLCSO, we held a banquet to celebrate all we had learned throughout the week. Since we needed a little time to unwind, we spent the night in an Iowa movie theater, surrounded by corn, taking in the thoughts of 18 year old Andy's toys and their struggles to begin a new life. That's right- We watched Toy Story 3, and highly suggest it to anyone looking to apply lessons on leadership in a little different way.
When Friday came, we were all disappointed to have to say goodbye so soon, but extremely excited to put what we had just learned into action. We finished putting final details on planning for State Greenhand Leadership Conference and began looking forward to welcoming campers. We are excited to meet each one of you!
Stationed by the ear of corn,
Erin Daninger
MN FFA State Secretary
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