The annual Washington Leadership Conference (WLC) was created in 1969. For the past fifty-three years, FFA members from across the country have converged on Washington, D.C. in the summer to evaluate their personal skills and interests, develop leadership talents, and create service plans that will make a difference in their communities. The WLC is the second largest student experience that the National FFA Organization hosts each year with more than 2,300 registered students.

Four Mount Pleasant FFA members including Lincoln Ellis, Jacob Townson, Aidyn Botello, and Jacob Botello along with MPHS Advisors Susie Hearron and Meagan Raine attended this year’s conference from June 21-25. They spent the week under the guidance of professionals, counselors, and FFA staff in workshops, seminars, and small groups. FFA members focused on identifying and developing their personal strengths and goals while undergoing comprehensive leadership training. This training will help them guide the MPHS FFA chapter in the upcoming school year. The capstone of the event is a civic engagement activity where participants applied what they learned to a hands-on activity.

Members also analyzed the needs of their communities and developed wide-ranging, high-impact community service initiatives. Students in recent years have promoted agricultural literacy, brought attention to abuse, collected and distributed shoes to individuals in Haiti, and created a hunger awareness plan. This year’s Living to Serve plan was specific to the local needs in Washington D.C. where attendees completed the service project on site by preparing a meal-packing event to serve the hungry in Washington, D.C. The FFA members that attended the conference packed meals for 60,000 people.

In addition, MPHS FFA members experienced the history of our Nation’s Capital and toured landmarks including the Washington Monument, the National Mall, Arlington National Cemetery, and the U.S. Capitol. In all, it was a very successful week of learning, leading, and hands-on activities that the members will bring back to help impact not only our chapter, but also our community.

Photo: MPHS FFA members and advisors visit the Lincoln Memorial. Pictured left to right are Aiyden Botello, Lincoln Ellis, Jacob Townson, Susie Hearron, Jacob Botello, Meagan Raine.