Jacksonville Middle School eighth-grader Marley Schlieker signs a charter establishing the school’s FFA chapter.
Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree/Journal-Courier
With the signatures of roughly 20 students, an adviser and two Illinois FFA representatives, Jacksonville Middle School formed one of just 30 middle school FFA chapters in the state.
The middle school hosted a charter signing ceremony Tuesday, during which members of the organization, established this year, signed to become inaugural members.
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“It’s great,” eighth-grader Makenzee Stice said. “It’s a good opportunity for us students to learn responsibility and communication.”
The chapter was started in conjunction with a new agriculture elective at the middle school, FFA adviser Meghan Hadden said.
“We have a brand new ag class for the middle school as an elective,” Hadden said. “Because of that, we are able to charter an FFA chapter. A lot of our students were wanting an ag class and heard about them at the high school level.”
The agriculture class has been well received, with about 100 students enrolled each quarter. The first FFA membership has about 25 active members.
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Having earlier access to agriculture courses and FFA provides more time for the students to learn and grow, Hadden said.
“These kids have already grown with their confidence,” Hadden said.
Jacksonville Middle School’s chapter is one of 10 chapters chartered in Illinois this school year.
Jacksonville Middle School FFA members and representatives of Illinois FFA celebrate the middle school’s establishment of an FFA chapter.
Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree/Journal-Courier
Eighth-grader Jentry Meggison said she grew up hearing about FFA and is happy to be able to participate while in middle school.
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“I’m finally getting to do something I grew up around,” Jentry said. “I didn’t have many opportunities to be around ag outside of showing” livestock.
According to the Illinois FFA, there were just 11 chartered middle school FFA chapters prior to the 2023-24 school year. Six were chartered during the 2023-24 school year, three during the 2024-25 school year and 10 — including Jacksonville Middle School — this school year.
Middle school chapters haven’t been very common, but seem to be growing in popularity, said Kyle Bradshaw, state FFA secretary.
“They are not that common in Illinois yet,” Bradshaw said, adding that many schools have unofficial organizations that work on similar things as FFA, but are not official FFA chapters.
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He hopes students benefit from the organization, he said.
“You don’t have to come from an ag background to participate in FFA,” Bradshaw said. “There are many ways to grow yourself as a person for different roles in the future.”
Even though the group is new, its members have grown very close, seventh-grader Eva Lansaw said.
“There are a lot of different things we can get into and we’ve become like a big family,” Eva said.
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FFA is not just about learning agriculture but expanding leadership, public speaking, self-confidence and other skills that benefit them as they grow, Hadden said.
The middle school chapter will work with the Jacksonville High School chapter on various projects and will participate in conferences and contests similar to the high school chapter.
Hadden is thankful the younger students will get to work with the high school chapter, she said.
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“Having the high school student talking to the younger students helps them show what they have to look forward to,” Hadden said. “There are a few differences. The high school goes to more contests and conferences, while we have only a few. They get to learn about all that.”