A new addition is being made to Wenatchee High School’s Future Farmers of America program and it could mean big changes. On Feb. 25 a new barn was delivered to the grounds above the track. This opens up a door to many new opportunities within the program for students to get involved.
“Our new ag barn gives students a place to actually practice what we teach in class instead of just reading about it. Our FFA students who do not own land will now have a place to raise animals for fairs rather than keeping them at home,” Ms. Gambonini, FFA advisor, said.
The implementation of a barn gives FFA students a chance to raise farm animals regardless of their living situations because the animals will stay at the school’s barn. A large part of FFA is raising market animals for the local fairs, so being able to raise these animals at school makes these tasks more accessible.
“I think projects like this teach students a lot of responsibility and time management, money management, and is just a really great project for them,” Ms. Schneider, FFA advisor, said.
FFA teachers and advisors are excited for students to be able to learn life skills through taking care of the barn animals and gaining hands-on experience in agriculture. Like Gambonini stated previously too, students are getting a place to practice the skills they learn in class.
The barn will be home to sheep, goats and chickens. Schneider said that the city is allowing WHS to hold up to 16 sheep or goats at the new facility.
“This project became possible because of our incredible agricultural CTE department and FFA students. We had great support from our school district, community members, and FFA families who believe in hands-on education,” Gambonini said.
Community involvement is the driving force behind gaining a new barn for FFA students. In CTE courses it is common to do many hands-on tasks as a way to learn the life skills being taught. Working with animals first-hand could be one of the most useful experiences students will have the chance to learn from in ag classes.
As of now, FFA is hoping to have the barn in full function by May 1, 2026. The FFA advisors, Mr. Asplund, Ms. Jaspers, Ms. Johnson, Mr. Juchmes, Ms. Schneider and Ms. Gambonini will oversee the barn and its maintenance.
The program is excited to see what the new barn will bring for them and all of the new opportunities they will receive through it.
