Grundy Area FFA celebrates FFA Week at Coal City High School

The Grundy Area FFA chapter through the Grundy Area Vocational Center celebrated FFA Week at Coal City High School Thursday morning, where students got to compete in events like the bale toss and business teacher Alicia Matusiak got to kiss a horse.

Matusiak said her business students raised $145 in a single class period to get her the lead in a donation competition that raised $212.36 total.

She wasn’t too bothered by it: She said the horse was cute, and she knew the owner.

“I take it as an honor,” Matusiak said. “It was my 3-A Introduction to Business class that donated over $145 in one class period. They really wanted me to kiss that animal.”

FFA President Margaret Dockery said the the donations raised will go to Grundy County Animal Control and Just Animals in Mazon, an animal shelter.

Students participated in other activities as well, like a bottle flip, hay bale toss, and a three legged race. There was also a pie eating contest and a trivia contest. The loser of that trivia contest, Resource Officer Josh Nugent, took a pie to the face from Dockery as punishment.

Minooka junior Ava Perkins said a lot of planning went into the week, with dress up days and school events for the organization to get ready for. There was also Agriculture Experience Tracker, or AET, for the students to participate in. Coal City junior Jessie Henke said she’s been working a lot on the records involved.

Grace Emmerich said she won her category, which is ag education, and Dockery won her small animals category, while Henke finished second in beef entrepreneurship.

“FFA week has been going really well,” Emmerich said. “I love being able to see the excitement on the kids faces during the assembly, and we also got the younger kids involved with a coloring contest.”

Minooka senior Ev Gonzalez said she’s hoping the event Thursday inspires more kids to join ag courses and take an interest.

“If you think you might not like it, you’d be wrong,” Gonzalez said. “You would actually like it. It’s a very hands on class for everyone, and it’s well-suited for people of all learning types. You can learn through reading, and you can build a lot of good friendships you wouldn’t have without it.”

Gonazlez said there’s something for everyone, whether it’s horticulture, animal or vet science, meats, forestry and soil.

“Joining FFA has changed my life,” Emmerich said. “It’s made me way more confident in who I am and given me an incredible set of leadership abilities. It also connects you with people all over the country, because we’re not only doing FFA Week here. I know people in California to Washington to New York who are all putting together the same activities.”