Mckenna Dockter (left) and her kitchenmate Leisha Martinez were in the baking class and made Pumpkin Bread along with many other types of baked goods.
The cooking class made side dishes to go along with burgers for lunch, and fed the janitorial staff and secretaries at the Sleepy Eye Public High School. Pictured l to r – Priscilla Martinez, Alexis Garza, Miah Brown, Katelyn Capacia, Jorden Niebuhr, and Morgan Hoffmann.
Sophie Portner made this hanging basket holder in welding class after learning how to stick and wire feed weld.
Paige Haala attended the Nail and String Art class and made this softball.
By: H. James Mathiowetz, Summer Ag. Intern
The Sleepy Eye summer Agricultural Education program has been busy over the month of June. Beginning on June 8th, the first of the 4 week courses began. Students had the option of choosing between 7 different classes spanning 3 career pathways. No more than 8 students were in each course and social distancing and cleaning protocols were followed.
There were standalone Monday and Wednesday classes, and then classes that occurred twice per week on Tuesday/Thursday, and Wednesday/Friday. Classes on Mondays included Nail Art, where students created designs on finished lumber using wire nails and colored string, and Plant Science Basics, where students learned about hydroponics, floriculture, and floral design.
There were several different classes offered on Tuesday/Thursday. Two sections of welding were offered. Students learned the basics of stick and wire feed welding, and then made a small project by welding and using the metal scroll bender and other bending equipment. Additionally, a woodshop class of building yard games was offered. Students built bean bag boards with a ladder golf attachment.
On Wednesdays, a class building CO2 cars was offered. Students built and raced CO2 cars in the woodshop. One of the Wednesday/Friday classes was a class teaching students how to cook. Students made dishes spanning from breakfast, lunch, appetizers, and dinner, and finished the class with a “chopped” style competition. The other Wednesday/Friday class offered was baking. Here, the students made several different baked items such as cookies, breads, cupcakes, mug desserts, and much more!
Future classes will be held later this summer including: Pruning 101, Floriculture 101, Fair Food, Drones, Wood Burning Signs, How to Make Homemade Cheese, and more.
Leisha Martinez, Sleepy Eye FFA Historian, is helping out with putting the boxes into the vehicles for the Brown County Food Redistribution Service Project.
Sleepy Eye FFA members and officers put the boxes right into the vehicles of all 554 families who came through the food line.
Maddi Helget, Carmen Lendt, Nayzeth Luna, and Presley Bauer, all Sleepy Eye FFA Officers, held up signs to direct people to the food line.
This group of the volunteers and several others helped with the Second Harvest Heartland food redistribution effort in Sleepy Eye on Tuesday, June 23.
By: Katelyn Capacia, Chapter Reporter
On Tuesday, June 23 from 3:00-6:00 p.m., approximately 36,564 pounds of food was distributed to 554 Brown County families and the Sleepy Eye Public lunch program. The fresh food given out was a dairy box, a produce box, and a meat box. Items inside included: PRODUCE BOX- lettuce, celery, onions, apples, oranges, baby carrots, radishes, potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers. DAIRY BOX- milk, cheese, and yogurt. MEAT BOX- bacon, chicken patties, and chicken hot dogs .
Volunteers for the event included:12 Sleepy Eye FFA members, 3 FFA advisors, Sleepy Eye FFA Summer Intern, Trinity Lutheran members, Sleepy Eye Food Shelf board members, Mark Thomas Co employees, Miss Sleepy Eye and the Princesses as well as several community members and the Sleepy Eye Police Department.
Advisor Mary Hoffmann states, “The Sleepy Eye FFA was more than happy to help with this amazing service project! Covid has been hard on everyone and to be able to redistribute this fresh food to members of our community and county makes me so proud to be a part of it!”
Morgan Hoffmann, Sleepy Eye FFA President adds, “It was cool to work with so many other volunteers in our Sleepy Eye Community to help those in need. One of the main goals of the Sleepy Eye FFA is service and we were more than willing to help with this project!”
The food that was given out was part of a $3 billion USDA Food Box program. The USDA bought it from regional and local distributors who bought it from farmers and didn’t have any place to distribute it because of closings of restaurants due to COVID-19. They partnered with Second Harvest to get it into the hands of those who could use it!
Morgan Hoffmann, FFA Chapter President, displays the first couple of signs along Highway 14 in Sleepy Eye. One was made by her and the other, by teammate, McKenna Dockter
Gracie Sellner, FFA Chapter Student Advisor, decorates cards to give to Divine, the Sleepy Eye Care Center or Countryside.
By: Carmen Lendt, Chapter Reporter
The Sleepy Eye FFA Officer team and members are finding ways to serve the community and brighten the days of the residents. So far, the officers created 150 cards for nursing home residents at Divine and the Sleepy Eye Care Center as well as Countryside. Officers and several other FFA members are now working on the next set of cards to be delivered to residents in June.
Seven officers including: Brennen Meyer, McKenna Doctor, Nayzeth Luna, Gracie Sellner, Leisha Martinez, Maddison Helget, and Morgan Hoffmann participated in road ditch clean up as a service project in late May.
Officers have also put up a sign along Highway 14 to share a new positive message each week. The Sleepy Eye FFA is continuing to find ways to serve this great community and brighten the days of the residents. They will be helping with the Second Harvest redistribution of food project on June 23 as well well.
CAPTION: Gracie Sellner, FFA Chapter Student Advisor, decorates cards to give to Divine, the Sleepy Eye Care Center or Countryside.
Mary Hoffmann of Sleepy Eye High School is hosting H. James Mathiowetz as an Agricultural Education Intern. The internship is an opportunity offered by the Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council (MAELC) to support future agriculture teachers. Mathiowetz is originally from New Prague and is studying Agricultural Education at the University of Minnesota-Crookston.
During the internship, Mathiowetz will be working closely with Hoffmann to help local students and community members engage in agricultural education throughout the summer months. “I have always been drawn to Agricultural Education because those two words are two of my biggest passions. I love agriculture, and I love education and teaching. Whether it is helping students discover and advance their passions within agriculture, or simply being a part of the agriculture community that’s so incredibly supportive, agriculture and Agricultural Education are where I want to be,” says Mathiowetz
“Sleepy Eye is so excited to host James this summer as our intern! He will be helping teach summer Ag mini-courses, doing SAE Visits, helping with summer officer workshops, organizing CDE Materials, writing curriculum for Food Chemistry, and more,” says Hoffmann. “We are very lucky to have this opportunity to have James be a part of our summer programming in Sleepy Eye!”
The purpose of the Agricultural Education Internship is to spark an interest in current undergraduate students to consider entering the teaching profession and to provide hands-on experience as an agriculture teacher. The internship will look different this summer compared to previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, interns will still safely experience summer programming related to the three components of the Agricultural Education model: classroom instruction, leadership development, and career readiness. They will also have virtual opportunities for professional development and networking.
Overall, five students majoring in Agricultural Education at Southwest Minnesota State University, the University of Minnesota-Crookston, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and South Dakota State University with the intent to teach agricultural education in Minnesota have been selected and paired with current Minnesota agriculture teachers for the summer.
This internship was made possible by generous donations from AgriBank, AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Christensen Farms, CHS Foundation, Compeer Financial, and MAELC.
By: Carmen Lendt, Chapter Reporter
At the end of May, Sleepy Eye FFA officers held their first meeting of the new year. The students, with help from their advisors Mrs. Hoffmann, Mrs. Klontz, Mr. Manderfeld, and summer intern James Mathiowetz, discussed new summer activities, and came up with the chapter’s theme for the year.
Due Covid-19, the officers met in two different groups to follow group size guidelines and social distancing. The new 2020-2021 theme is “FFA is Home… Together our FFA Family makes a Difference!”
The 2020-21 Sleepy Eye FFA officer team includes: Morgan Hoffmann (President), McKenna Doctor (1st Vice President), Brennen Meyer (2nd Vice President), Maddison Helget (Secretary), Adam Johnson (Treasurer), Katelyn Capacia (Reporter), Carmen Lendt (Reporter), Presley Bauer (Student Advisor), Gracie Sellner (Student Advisor), Alex Joramo (Sentinel), Nayzeth Luna (Historian), and Leisha Martinez (Historian).
During the meeting, officers did activities to get to know each other and to learn to communicate better with one another. The officers also chose shirt designs for the upcoming year. The team is really excited to serve their community and their chapter this coming year as well as become better leaders.
By: Katelyn Capacia, Chapter Reporter
Officer of the Month
McKenna Dockter is an 11th grader at Sleepy Eye Public School and has been in FFA for five years. She joined FFA because she wanted to be involved in the community and be able to meet many new people. Mckenna is the new Chapter 1st Vice President and she likes it because at events she gets to talk a lot and have many responsibilities. She is on the Floriculture CDE team and likes it because she loves to work with flowers. Mckenna’s SAE involves her work at the Railway Bar and Grill. Her favorite FFA activity is FFA Week. Something she would like to try in FFA is to be top seller for the fruit sale because she loves to sell fruit. By being in FFA, Mckenna has learned how to become a better leader and become more responsible with her work. She is most proud of being Star Greenhand, her Sophomore Achievement Award Winner, and being the Top Junior Blue and Gold Award Winner.
Officer of the Month
Edwin Flores is a 12th grader at Sleepy Eye Public School and has been in FFA for 6 years. He joined FFA for the great and amazing opportunities that came with being an FFA member. Edwin is the Chapter Historian and he liked it because he enjoyed making all of the picture posters for the Ag Room so everyone could see how fun the events were and he liked being able to look at all the good times everyone has had being involved in the FFA events. His favorite FFA activity is the Region VI Volleyball Tournament and Fun Night because he loves doing fun activities and playing volleyball. By being in FFA, Edwin learned that FFA is for everyone and it is very fun. He has also learned so much about agriculture due to the amazing teachers/advisors that have taught me to grow out of my comfort zone. He is most proud of earning his Phoenix Award and being a Ten Star Leader.
Member of the Month
Alex Joramo is a 9th grader for 2019-20. He has been in FFA for 2 years. He joined FFA because he wanted to be on the FFA trapshooting team and joining FFA was the only way to do that, so he joined and never looked back. For an SAE, Alex raises rabbits and sells their offspring. His favorite FFA activity is the Ag. Sales Competition. Alex enjoys working together with his team as well as talking to and selling products to people. In FFA, he has learned better ways to study, and how to manage and maintain a project. In Ag. Classes, Alex has learned about various aspects of agriculture. Alex is looking forward to being a Chapter Officer for 2020-21. This past year he was on the Junior Officer Team, but is excited to do even more as a Chapter Officer. Alex is most proud of his Greenhand Degree, Freshmen Leadership Award, and Summer All-star Award.
Member of the Month
Asha Schmid is in the 12th Grade. She has been in FFA for 6 years. She joined FFA to get to know other students and to participate in the events and activities. For her SAE, Asha works at Divine Providence as a dietary aide where she sets up the tables for the residents for supper; supper looks a little different now as residents are currently served in their rooms. She also charts what people eat to help Divine ensure residents have a healthy diet, collects trays when people are done eating, and washes dishes. Asha’s favorite activity in FFA is FFA Fun Nights because she liked the games and how different kids would get together to have fun. In food science class, Asha learned how to measure ingredients and how to cook different foods; making things like hamburgers, mini pies, cookies, and so much more. The awards that she is most proud of are being a Six Star Leader and a Summer FFA All-Star. Asha would encourage any student to join FFA. It really is a great way to meet people and explore different things!
Alexa Steffl
Parent(s) Name(s): Leon and Ann Steffl
Siblings: Adam
Activities: Hockey, Volleyball. Student Council, NHS, FFA, Yearbook, Change to Chill, YES Team
Future Plans: Attend college and pursue in Physical Therapy.
If you got to relive a moment in high school what would it be? Prom and Homecoming
Advice for underclassmen: Live in the moment.
Favorite quote: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
Millicent Sorenson
Parent(s) Name(s): Eric and Charlotte Sorenson
Siblings: Madison, Wyatt
Activities: FFA
Future Plans: Become an RN at a nursing home.
Advice for underclassmen: Get your stuff done and it will be over before you know it.
Favorite quote: “ Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.”-Dr. Seuss
The Sleepy Eye YES! team has been awarded the 2020 Southern Regional First Place Award in the amount of $400. The local team is now moving on to the state competition.
The judges were impressed by Sleepy Eye’s ability to maintain continuity of projects and robust team participation over multiple years. They recognized how they’ve not only cultivated a network of support among local businesses and organizations but also contributed to community development in Sleepy Eye. The judges appreciated how the local team connects people across generations to learn about and take action on environmental issues. One even mentioned that the team could serve as consultants for other organizations that want to build community relationships, engage citizens, and continuously improve their programs.
Due to COVID-19 the Southern Minnesota Region representatives are not able to present awards at the MN Twins game. Instead, they are excited to host a virtual awards presentation on June 2 at noon via Zoom.
