Seabreeze FFA hosts welcome back dinner

The Seabreeze FFA chapter raised close to $5,000 at its annual kickoff dinner held on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

  • By Michele Meyers
  • | 6:00 p.m. September 25, 2024
  • Ormond Beach Observer
  • Neighbors
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A full house of students, their families and community members attended the Seabreeze Future Farmers of America chapter welcome back dinner and live cake auction on Wednesday, Sept. 18, in the school’s cafeteria. 

FFA students served a barbecue dinner, and sold T-shirts and tickets for a 50-50 raffle. Farm animal themed cakes and “bouquets” of cupcakes were auctioned off by professional auctioneer Tommy Wilkins.

Seabreeze agriculture teacher Craig Lungren said the dinner kickoffs the year and gives an opportunity for new agriculture students, FFA members and their families to learn more about the program. He said students can also network with local community members for potential internships and possibly glean some business acumen.

In 2022, Lungren started teaching the class and approximately 80 people attended the dinner. Three years later, 262 people went to the kickoff — over triple the initial attendance. The event raised close to $5,000, which goes to the Seabreeze FFA Alumni, who in turn, pay for students to attend conferences and conventions, purchase FFA official dress, help with projects throughout the year and fund senior scholarships.

“Right now we are 100 miles per hour,” Lungren said. “We are into contests, shows, certification exams and events. You name it, we are going with it.”

Seabreeze FFA Chapter President Ariel Burd officially launched the meeting followed by words from FFA Officers State Vice President Afrifa Amoah-Mensah and District President Lacy Box. District 4 Volusia County School Board member Carl Persis and Seabreeze Principal Tucker Harris also addressed the crowd.

There was not a chance I thought I’d be teaching at high school but I absolutely love it here. I love the kids. I love the program. I love teaching. Principal Harris is amazing. Overall, it’s just an amazing school and program to be a part of." — KYNDALL CAPPS, Seabreeze agriculture teacher and FFA advisor

Harris said that, if not for Lungren’s vision and tenacity, the program would have been shut down. There were six agriculture classes with 15 students per class the first year Lungren started. Currently, 12 classes are offered in animal science, agricultural technology and foundation, with the class size averaging 30 to 35 students. The increased workload made it necessary for Harris to hire an additional agriculture teacher. He hired Kyndall Capps, who graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in animal sciences in January.

Initially, Capps taught half of her classes in environmental science and half in agriculture. The demand was so great that she is now a full-time agriculture teacher and FFA advisor with Lungren.

“There was not a chance I thought I’d be teaching at high school but I absolutely love it here,” she said. “I love the kids. I love the program. I love teaching. Principal Harris is amazing. Overall, it’s just an amazing school and program to be a part of.”

Capps said her goal is to get back to some of the traditional FFA contests that Seabreeze has not been a part of in the past couple years. Their focus has been on an urban community and not as much on a rural one like some of the other FFA chapters.

“I want to bring livestock judging — meat judging — to the program,” she said. “I want to get back to some of our basic FFA things that Seabreeze hasn’t had in the past. I’m just really excited for this school year. I can’t wait to see what our kids accomplish at national convention, at state convention and all of our contests. I think they’re going to to do amazing this year.”

Sophomore Ethan Ellis and freshman Trevor Lewis were selling FFA shirts at the event. It was their first year in the program. Ellis was on the waiting list his freshman year. He recalled visiting his aunt’s farm every week in the past, where she had goats, pigs and peacocks.

“It was always fun to go over there,” Ellis said. “My favorite part of FFA is livestock. I have always loved animals. I want to start showing goats or pigs.”

Lewis wanted to join FFA to learn. He said his interest started in eighth grade when some of his friends were involved in the program.

“I wanted to join FFA because I felt like it would be a good learning experience,” Lewis said. “There’s public speaking and you can learn how to agribusiness. You can also learn how to show animals and contain livestock.”

The agriculture lab houses a plethora of new animals this year, including sheep, goats, chicken and rabbits. Swine and livestock are located offsite, with the goal to build a larger land lab to house them closer to the school. Students will get hands-on experience with the project since Agriculture Operations is now part of construction class, where they learn welding and woodworking. Lungren took over the class after construction teacher Ray Grimard retired. 

Also new this year will be the addition of aquaponic units, which Lungren said should be up and running by the end of October or the beginning of November. Students will learn how to raise fish and crustaceans. They will showcase how the fish will be used to fertilize plants through the new system.

Lungren said the class now has 12 raised planters, but he also continues to teach his students vertical gardening with trellises and arches. He is focused on partnering with the culinary academy and the cafeteria to share the produce grown in the lab. 

“That’s one of our goals this year: We are going to grow things to promote healthy lifestyles,” he said. “We are going to work with the athletes at the school to promote what would be good types of meats, vegetables and fruit that will help with protein, energy and keeping their electrolytes up. The agricultural (program) showcases what we do in agriculture and how it benefits Allied Health, how it benefits the culinary academy and how it benefits the cafeteria. The main goal is to put all of us into one unit — a self-run unit.”

 

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