Summer Institute Provides
Cooperative Experience To FFA
(continued from Page A 1)
selling sodas, gum sales, jail
bails, picnic games such as a
water balloon toss, and even
taping a leader to the wall raised
money for their four coopera
tives. Students must also keep
records of the money transacted,
said Stoltzfus.
Additionally skits, discus
sions, role-plays, and an off
campus tour of a local
agribusiness offered a chance for
students to experience the inner
workings of a cooperative. They
also went through a fictional in
terviewing process after discuss
ing what makes an applicant
desirable to an employer.
The institute gave scholars
the opportunity to write, speak
and participate in discussion as
they reviewed bylaws, elected of
ficers, and mapped out ideas to
generate cash.
Hal Doran, Boalsburg, was in
volved full-time as institute di
rector for 26 years and spent
most of his life in cooperatives.
Doran was also instrumental in
designing the state-level pro
gram.
“I think the fact that this pro
gram has lasted 40 years con
firms that a lot of people over
many years have put together
something helpful and valu
able,” said Doran.
“The staff is mainly volun
teers who have special interests
and resources to plan and work
the event,” said Doran, who es
timates that six to eight different
areas of expertise are needed to
give the studerits a well-rounded
education.
‘'The resource people bring
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different talent to different parts
of the program,” said Doran. “It
works nicely because usually the
resource people have been stu
dents once or twice in the past
and have an interest in young
people and in farming enter
prises. It’s a nice combination
that all works together to max
imize the experience.”
Goals of the experience, ac
cording to Doran, include both
academic and character growth.
In the academic category, stu
dents gain knowledge and ap
preciation of business enterprise
systems not taught in depth in
school, said Doran, as they learn
the value of cooperatives for
both the producer and the con
sumer.
Besides academics, however,
said Doran, leadership skills and
character building are also im
portant products of time spent
in the institute.
Stoltzfus said that “the insti
tute allows us to teach leader
ship by involvement. Instead of
sitting and taking notes, it puts
the students in the situation
where they have to lead.”
Students are from areas all
over Pennsylvania, giving “a
different community mix that
builds on 4-H and FFA experi
ence,” he said. “It’s interesting
to see the group in the matter of
hours become one group.”
Several hundred people are
involved in the regional pro
gram which raises money
locally, from councils across the
state, to sponsor the students.
Team-building activities, a
square dance, a DJ dance, vari
ety show, and picnic also gave
LAWN CARE
NICE scholarship winners and alternates are, from left, front row: Emily Grove, Ship
pensburg; Amy Kaucher, Mechanicsburg; Kristina Eshbach, Lancaster; Gabbriel Frigm,
York; Cristin Neil, North East; Bernadette Nace, Newvilie; and Courtney Miller, New Hol
land. Back row, from left, is Jessica Erickson, Harbor Creek; Jared Zimmerman, Leba
non; Daniel Harnish, Willow Street; Andy Alwine, East Berlin; Craig Schoenberg,
Shippensburg; Mark Fulton, Shippensburg; BJ Atkins, Lebanon; Heather Sisto, York
Springs; and Jennifer Stover, Mechanicsburg.
the students a time to enjoy
building friendships with their
peers.
Many students were already
selected from students in their
area, since smaller, local confer
ences are conducted across
Pennsylvania.
The institute closed with an
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awards banquet where many
scholars gave short presenta
tions on highlights of the semi
nar. Also awards for the theme
poster, variety show, game
show, and various leadership
and achievement awards were
given out. In addition scholar
ship winners were announced.
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 7,2001-A23
The scholarship winners were
selected to go to the National In
stitute for Cooperative Educa
tion (NICE) meeting conducted
later this summer in Atlanta,
Ga., which includes 400-500 stu
dents from all over the United
States.