THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 19, 1997 TAG: 9702190380
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 61 lines
Straighten your ties. Zip your jackets all the way up. And SMILE!
Lakeland High School's chapter of Future Farmers of America stepped into the spotlight Tuesday as a dozen members posed for photos that will illustrate the National FFA 1997/98 manual.
The manual, published yearly since the FFA began 70 years ago, is distributed to FFA members in more than 7,000 chapters across the country.
``Our intent was to put some new faces in the manual as it is updated every year,'' said John M. ``Jack'' Pitzer, FFA communications consultant who oversees the manual's publication and photographs FFA students from different parts of the country annually. Last year's manual featured students from Missouri.
Once Pitzer focused on Hampton Roads this year, he randomly selected Lakeland from a list of local chapters.
``When I called, they were so helpful right from the start that I decided, with a group as very enthusiastic as this one, why look any further?'' Pitzer said.
Pitzer snapped photo after photo of the students - sophomores to seniors - changing film as the students traded ties and jackets to get the best fit and the right look. They posed with school administrators, in the agriculture classroom and shop and outside the school.
The duty was a little more strenuous than the simple pose-and-smile gig they had expected. Pitzer frequently asked their input in setting up shots and was not shy about asking them to rearrange furniture as necessary.
Between photos, Pitzer offered a little FFA history.
The national organization is headquartered in Alexandria, on a 35-acre site that was once part of George Washington's estate. FFA Week is observed each year during the week of Washington's birthday as a tribute to his agricultural achievements.
The FFA had its roots in Virginia during the early 1920s, when the state organized a Future Farmers Club for boys in agricultural classes. The idea caught on nationally and led to the founding of the FFA in 1928 in Kansas City, Mo.
In 1965, the FFA enlarged its ranks when it consolidated with the New Farmers of America, a similar organization for African American students. Four years later the club grew again when it welcomed women into its membership for the first time.
In 1988, the FFA changed its name to the National FFA Organization, one of many changes made within the FFA to keep pace with the rapidly changing needs of its evolving membership and of the agricultural industry.
The FFA now emphasizes education, leadership, and career development. ``We are more than just working in a shop or working with your hands,'' Pitzer said.
Nationally FFA members number over 450,000, with 10,700 members in Virginia. ILLUSTRATION: MICHAEL KESTNER photos/The Virginian-Pilot
John M. Pitzer, communications consultant with the National FFA,
photographed the Lakeland Future Farmers members.
From left, students Melissa Hale, Grace Thompson and Donald Craddock
listen to a presentation concerning the new manual in which their
photos will appear.