Frazee Student Helps Find Source of Avian Influenza

Frazee Student Helps Find Source of Avian Influenza

By Guest Blogger, Katherine Gathje of the Eden Valley-Watkins FFA Chapter

While some high-school students might spend their summers hanging out with friends at the pool. FFA members and farm kids everywhere are out seeking opportunities to make themselves more successful. They are practicing for national competitions, attending camps, and most importantly racking up the hours for their Supervised Agricultural Experience.

This summer was no different for senior and Frazee FFA President, Melissa Schilling.

Schilling had the opportunity to work as a Youth Conservation Corps member at Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge.

Outside of FFA, Schilling is a member of the National Honor Society and MN Senior Envirothon. She grew up on a 300 acre, 170 head- family beef farm and is the daughter of Charles and Regina Schilling.

Melissa completed a proficiency application for her work. She will be recognized as the winner of her proficiency area, Wildlife Management, at this year's Minnesota State Convention.

“My role has been mainly to assist in the process of banding Canada Geese. I helped in the setup of capture and I handled the geese to be tested by animal health interns. I also assisted in sexing, banding, and recording individual geese,” said Schilling of her duties with the project. Schilling was chosen to assist in this work through the DNR because she is part of the crew at the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge near Detroit Lakes, MN. This project lasted about a week in June when the geese were in the process of molting. Melissa worked for eight weeks this summer at the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge.

After they had banded the geese they were sent to a health station on site. There they had blood, feces, and saliva tests for Avian Influenza and other diseases. “The samples were then sent to a lab in I believe the Cites,” said Melissa.

“My involvement in FFA has helped me discover my passion for wildlife and natural resources. It also gave me the prior knowledge needed to successfully work at a Wildlife Refuge and on its projects,” said Schilling. FFA has been inspiring people like Melissa to work towards their goals because they will help them succeed and see the importance of being involved at a young age.

Melissa started her FFA participation as a member of the Forestry CDE and her team won state and received seventh at nationals her freshman year. Since then she has competed in Fish and Wildlife Management.

As for her future, Schilling plans to attend the University of Minnesota, Crookston this fall to pursue a Park and Wildlife Management Bachelor's Degree. “I have always been interested in working with wildlife and plan to pursue this field for a career,” said Melissa. blood, feces, and saliva tests for Avian Influenza and other diseases. ” “The samples were then sent to a lab in I believe the Cites,” said Melissa.

“My involvement in FFA has helped me discover my passion for wildlife and natural resources. It also gave me the prior knowledge needed to successfully work at a Wildlife Refuge and on its projects,” said Schilling. FFA has been inspiring people like Melissa to work towards their goals because they will help them succeed and see the importance of being involved at a young age.

Melissa started her FFA participation as a member of the Forestry CDE and her team won state and received seventh at nationals her freshman year. Since then she has competed in Fish and Wildlife Management.

As for her future, Schilling plans to attend the University of Minnesota, Crookston this fall to pursue a Park and Wildlife Management Bachelor's Degree.

“I have always been interested in working with wildlife and plan to pursue this field for a career,” said Melissa.

Exit Better.

 

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You get to choose. What will you do today to exit better?

“Exit Better.” Two simple words. I first saw these two words formed as a phrase between my junior and senior years of high school. At the Washington Leadership Conference, we had small “Community Groups” with around 25 other students and one group leader. My Community Group leader, Shannon, taught us so much that week, more than I am sure she realizes. One of my favorite take-aways, however, was from a simple sign she placed above the door. This sign contained two simple words, “Exit Better.” Shannon challenged us that week to ALWAYS exit the room better than we came in.

It took me until after WLC was over and I was back to real life to truly appreciate this concept. “Exit Better.” While Shannon encouraged us to exit the room better, because of her actions, compassion and investment in us, she showed me how to exit each conversation, day, year, experience and life better than when it began.

We are given 365 days in one year. What are you going to do to exit each day better? Give that teammate who is having an off-day encouragement.  When it is you having an off-day, make yourself create a list of 10 reasons why today is good. You probably won’t want to do it at the time, but it works… trust me. When your test grade isn’t what you were hoping for, use it as motivation to study harder for your next one. If your advisor is running around trying to finish last-minute details for convention, ask them how you can help. 

We don’t always have the best of days. Some days down right stink. But even when you got a stain on your favorite shirt, that one friend said something that upset you, or that one driver cut you off, you get the choice of changing your attitude or letting it roll into the next day. We have the ability to turn an obstacle into an opportunity. 

Minnesota FFA, my teammates and I have been on the journey of a lifetime. We encountered days with challenges, stress and weariness, but even on those days, there were so many reasons to exit better. The members I met have shown me how many incredible people there are in our world, and there are so many of those people still to meet. I have gained friends that will last a lifetime. I have been shown love and care by people I had not known 24 hours before. I have met the amazing supporters of FFA, including business owners, parents, legislators and more. I have learned that small acts of kindness make a world of difference.

This has been a year of service to Minnesota FFA, but through the experiences I have had, you have taught me more, shown me more compassion and given me more reasons to be thankful than you will ever know. Minnesota FFA, thank you for filling my heart with joy this past year. It is because of you, that when the final session of convention comes, and a brand new Minnesota FFA State Officer team is installed, I get to exit better. Thank you.

For the final time...

Stationed by the ear of corn,

 

One Day.

We all have a lot of days in our lives. In fact, I've had 6,849 days in my life so far. But when I think of great days, you know those best of the best days, 6,849 days don't come to mind. What does come to mind is one day: April 28th, 2015.

For so long in my life, I had waited for this particular day. The day where all my hard work and challenges would finally pay off. My life was forever changed when my name was called and I ran on stage as the 2015-2016 Minnesota FFA State Vice President.  This was a great day. 

Rewind three more weeks from this day: April 6, 2015.  My dad and I were in Arizona and decided to spontaneously take a day trip to the beautiful town of Sedona.  We hiked through the mountains, shared laughs in the car, and watched the sunset over one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.  As we went on our adventure, I told my dad how I was wishing I could fast-forward in life.  Fast-forward to state convention, high school graduation, college...all of those big events.  I was such a forward thinker that I forgot to think about the now.  My dad thought for a little bit and then said, “Cherish the little moments.  Those big days will come but for now make today great.”

Since being elected to state office, I've had 352 days.  Most all of those days have been filled with laughter, joy, and happiness. Although some days have been filled with work or stress, as I reflect on my year of service, one thing continues to come to my mind: the idea of "one day."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOksW_NabEk

Recently I came across a video called “The Time You Have in Jellybeans.”   A single jellybean represents one day.  Thousands of jellybeans are displayed on the floor.  Throughout the video, it shows how much of our lives we spend driving, eating, bathing, and doing other life necessities.  After all of those jellybeans are taken away, we are left with only a small portion of undecided jellybeans.  Days that are completely up to you.  Days where anything is possible.  

If you only had a handful of days left, what would you do?  So often in life we wait for that “one day.”  The day where everything will line up and things will be great.  We wait for a birthday, a CDE, a sports game or a big event to happen and those are the days we think of when we think of great days.  However, these days often come few and far between.   The truth is, we don’t have to wait for a special day to come around to make today great.  Why spend time wishing away days when you could be making today a day to remember?  Don’t think about what can happen in a month.  Don’t think about what can happen in a year.  Just focus on the 24 hours in front of you and do what you can to make the most of it.  

 Today is a good day to have a great day. Make today your "one day."

For the final time…

Stationed by the plow,

All Great Movies Come to an End

“Oh look, I’ve been impaled.” “Yoo-hoo, big summer blowout.” “Some people are worth melting for.”

These are all quotes from the Disney movie, Frozen. Frozen tells the tale of two sisters, Anna and Elsa. There’s a crazy adventure that involves Elsa accidentally setting an eternal winter on their kingdom. Along the way, they meet a man and his best friend reindeer and get help from a talking snowman who likes hugs. I won’t ruin it in case you haven’t seen it, in which case, you need to go watch it!

Anyways, a bunch of crazy stuff happens, and they rescue the kingdom, and then they lively happily ever after, and then…well then it’s over. The movie is all done, and there isn’t anything else to watch. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how just like movies, we have a lot of ends in our lives. Whether it’s high school, clubs, FFA, a job, or something else along those lines. We start off getting acquainted with it, just like the beginning part of a movie where we get a feel for what the movie is about. Then we get into the middle, we may face conflict, we get really into whatever we’re doing. And then eventually, that experience ends, just like every movie.

It’s easy to feel sad when a chapter of our life is coming to a close. Maybe we only have 2 months before graduating high school, maybe this is our last season in a certain sport, maybe we’re going to move from the junior high to the high school, maybe it’s our last year in FFA, or maybe we’re going to be getting a different job. These are all examples of times when a chapter in our life may come to a close, and that can be exciting, scary, sad, or a combination of the three, but we should not get down. Here are a few things to do when a chapter in our life seems to be coming to an end.

1. Appreciate the movie

Just like a great movie, it is totally acceptable, and actually important, to reflect back on the experience. It’s fun to relive moments, remember back, and joke about memories. It’s important to think back to the exciting moments, the sad moments, and everything in between. Once you look back at these moments, you can see and appreciate how each and every step led you to where you are right now. Take time to journal and record all the great times, so down the road you can rewind the film and relive them again.

2 Learn from the film

Some of my favorite movies are the ones that make me think. Whether I just watched Rocky demonstrate what it means to put in hard work, or I just saw Mulan demonstrate how regardless of being a man or woman, we can all make a difference, I love watching movies that I can reflect on and get a message out of. The same goes for our real-life experiences. We can find lessons in almost any life event, and we can use those lessons to better ourselves and help prepare us for future experiences as well. Stop and think what we have learned or can learn from our experiences.

3 Figure out what to do next

After any movie gets down at my house, I am always faced with the question: what do I do next? Do I watch another or go to bed? Do I go outside, or should I go find something to eat? At the closing of any chapter of our life, we need to decide where we’re heading next. What do we want to get involved in? Where do we want to commit our time to? Where do we want to go now? These are all questions to ask ourselves and reflect on as we look forward.

At the end of this month, my state officer team and I will be coming to the end of a chapter in our lives. We will be retiring from our respective offices and will be moving on to the next step in our lives. Although it is scary and sad, it is also extremely exciting. I am confident that each of us has a great path ahead of us, and we are all excited to see where that path leads.

Throughout the past year, we’ve had a chance to meet some incredible students and members, while learning from passionate teachers and industry leaders. I have gained numerous experiences, skills, and friends along the way and cannot wait to bring all of these along with me to wherever life may lead. The number of people I need to thank is too long for any one blog post, but I certainly appreciate everyone who has been a part of this journey. I know that there are almost 11,000 members in Minnesota who have their own exciting journeys ahead of them, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds in store for Minnesota FFA.

And always remember, sometimes it’s not the end, sometimes it’s just To Be Continued…

For the last time,

Stationed by the Rising Sun,

Thank You

Flashback with me to my freshman year in high school. It was a warm, sunny Tuesday morning when the bell rang during the first day of school. It was mid-day and I took my first step into the ag room as a student in Mrs. James’ exploring ag class. Mrs. James and I had met before because both of my older siblings were in FFA, but this was the first time we actually had the chance to get to know each other. The class period went on as a normal first day until Mrs. James came over to me at the end of class and said, “There is an FFA Meeting next week; you should come and check it out!” I always knew I wanted to join FFA because my entire family had been involved, but this just helped the cause.

The FFA meeting quickly approached the next week and you could find this shy, timid freshman kid in the back corner of the ag room waiting for the meeting to start. The meeting carried on as normal with reading reports, talking about new and old business and was followed by an activity. As the meeting and activity ended, Mrs. James, came over to me again and said, “Sam, you are going to do creed speaking.” I must of had the most terrified look on my face because she quickly followed that with, “It’ll be okay, I will help you!” This provided me comfort and as scared as I was, I agreed to compete in the creed speaking competition. This was just the start of the many events in FFA that have developed me into the person I am today.

After Mrs. James got me involved in the creed speaking competition. I soon joined the parliamentary procedure team, became a chapter officer, joined the general livestock team and continued to get involved in the FFA any way I could. These events have led me to where I am today, and that is all because Mrs. James saw something in me and knew I had something special to offer. She knew I was capable of something much greater than myself and invested her time into me in order for me to succeed. Without the help and drive of my ag teacher, I am not sure where I would be today.

Each of us have had our lives impacted my someone. For me, it was my ag teacher, Mrs. James, who impacted my life. Like Mrs. James, there is someone out there who instilled faith in you and found that you had something special to offer. They realized you have potential to do great things in life, and they wanted to push you to succeed. There is someone who has made a difference in your life and pushed you to become to the best person you can be! Do me a favor and tell that person thank you, because they are the reason why you are who you are today, and that is something to be proud of.

As my year of service come to a close, there are a lot of people who continue to make an impact. I want to thank the 10,500 Minnesota FFA members for all you have done. Thank you for impacting my life this past year. I am blessed to have had this opportunity and I am grateful for all of you who have, and will continue to, make an impact on my life for years to come.

For the final time...

Stationed by the Door,

In Closing...

Here I am, writing my last blog post as the 2015-2016 Minnesota FFA State Reporter.  I am so humbled and filled with joy to have spent the past 11 months in this amazing organization working with the most amazing FFA members ever.  Over the past year, I have done quite a bit of correspondence, written several essays, and completed various written projects for FFA, college classes, and other events.  Quite often at the bottom of my writing, my last paragraph starts with these two words:   “In closing…”  Using the words “In closing” usually refers to one’s last thoughts or parting comments on a subject.  So, my dear FFA family, in closing, I’ve decided to share with you a few of my favorite quotes and thoughts I’ve gathered over this past year.  These are a short compilation of the pick-me-ups, inspiration, reflections, and a little bit of humor that always tend be exactly what I need to read, just when I need it most.  I hope you will read these quotes and thoughts, and keep them as a resource for the times when you may need something similar in your journey, and they may be exactly what you need, just when you need it most.

 

1.)  BE THE KIND OF LEADER THAT YOU WOULD FOLLOW

Take this to heart.  Make a positive difference in the lives of those students and adults you meet, lead with your actions, as actions speak much louder than words. 

2.)  SHE BELIEVED SHE COULD, SO SHE DID

Believe you can do it.  It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you believe you can do it.  Don’t just dream about what seems logical and possible, allow yourself to follow your dreams, even the ones that seem impossible.  Believe you can do anything. 

3.)  ALWAYS BE YOURSELF, UNLESS YOU CAN BE BATMAN THEN ALWAYS BE BATMAN

You know what they say, laughter is the best medicine! This quote reminds me to take time to laugh and just relax once in a while.  No matter where you are in life, or what your current role is, be the best you that you can be and always be yourself.  (Unless you can be Batman).

4.)  YOUR GREATNESS IS NOT WHAT YOU HAVE, IT’S WHAT YOU GIVE

Open your heart, open your mind, be a listener.  One act of kindness, willingness, or sharing might be all it takes to be the light in someone’s day, a forward step in their journey.  Share your light with another, be the spark that lights someone’s fire, help them ignite their passion and fuel their fire!  Give of yourself freely, you have a lot to offer!

5.)  WHEN MY HEART IS OVERWHELMED, LEAD ME TO THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I.  –PSALM 61:2

Goodness knows that when we are working so hard at being good leaders, believing that we can do anything, and being the best versions of ourselves, there are days where we may get weary and overwhelmed.  Friends, when you heart is heavy and your worries are gaining ground, remember there is always One who has your back, take a minute to give thanks for your blessings and open you heart to Him -   Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds – Philippians 4:6-7 

In closing, I want to say with sincere gratitude, thank you for allowing me to serve as State Reporter this past year.  It’s what you all have given me that has made me who I am today.  I will carry your stories and friendships with me forever, and I will never forget this year.   I thank you for your leadership, your laughter, for believing in yourself and for sharing your greatness with me. 

Signing off for the final time-

Stationed by the Flag,

Madison Taylor

2015-2016 Minnesota FFA State Reporter

Finish Lines

As track season is beginning in my hometown of Lanesboro, MN, I look back on the hours that I put in during my track seasons to get better and to do the best that I could. There is nothing quite like the feeling of walking up to that starting line, waiting for the commands, stepping up to the line, body tensing as you take those last few breaths before the gun, and that moment the gun goes off, you begin on that race.

Almost every race starts the same way as the one before it, but that doesn’t mean that every race is the same as the one before it. The way you finish each race is what makes it different than the one before. The finish line looks the same to everyone and the race is the same distance for everyone, but each person will have a unique experience running that race and crossing that line.

How will you feel when you cross that finish line? Many times when I would cross that line, I instantly knew that I had more that I could have put into it. I knew that I could have done a little bit more here or pushed a little harder there. Other times, I knew that I had given it my all during the race, but I still wasn’t fully satisfied because I knew that I could have done a better job preparing for that race in the weeks leading up to it. But then there are the amazing times that you cross the finish line- when you know the moment you finish that you gave it your all; you know that you have put in long hours for this and you did the very best that you could have possibly done.  I had this moment when I was running the 3200 at the sub section meet my junior year.  This was going to be the capstone on the year as it would be my last race if I didn’t move on from there.  The gun went off, I pushed myself all the way, I called upon those hours of practice, and I crossed that finish line. 

Without knowing exactly how I had done, I knew that, no matter what, I would be happy with that race because when I crossed that line, I knew that I had done everything that I could. I ended up getting third, advancing to sections, getting a personal record, and setting our school record by less than one second.

We line up at that starting line in many different situations in life. That line could be the start of a 2 mile race, a new school year, a new sports season, the first CDE practice, or even the election to an officer position. It is always important when we are in any of these situations to make sure that we put in the needed effort so that when we cross that finish line we can be happy with the journey, no matter what the result. And when you cross that finish line, remember it is not over.  It's time to find a new starting line.

The finish line for my race as a State FFA Officer is quickly approaching. It continues to be a great race and I look forward to the starting lines that come after this finish line. No matter what point you are in your race, join me in making it a good one.

Signing Off,