Chloe Vedder holds two ducklings as students from Centralia elementary schools gather around to pet them outside the FFA barn Thursday morning at Centralia High School.
Tim Sheets passes a rooster around as students from Centralia elementary schools feel its feathers Thursday morning at Centralia High School.
Kaliaunna Little, a first-grader, pets a rabbit outside the FFA barn Thursday morning at Centralia High School.
First grade classes from Jefferson-Lincoln, Fords Prairie and Edison elementary schools all toured the Centralia High School FFA program this week.
Sadie Kassel, a senior at Centralia High School, has been part of FFA since her freshman year. She was there last year when Centralia High School brought in the elementary students for the first time to see the barn.
“It went well last year,” Kassel said. “A lot of kids don’t get that farm experience. It’s fun having all the little kids get excited.”
First grade student Aaliyah Segura said this was her first time in a barn.
“My favorite thing of being in a barn is I really love animals,” Aaliyah explained. Her favorite animal was the goat, “because it’s really soft and cute.”
When the first graders walked in the barn, one of the first sights was a cow munching on some hay.
“Now that’s a cow!” one student shouted.
Annabelle Thompson, first grade, said this was her second time in a barn and she would definitely like to come back.
“You get to learn,” Annabelle said. “I learned about the animals.”
Kaliaunna Little, also in first grade, explained she is practically a farm veteran at this point.
“My pappy has a farm and the chickens come out,” Kaliaunna said.
Her favorite animal was the cow, “because they’re just so cute and they have babies.”
Tim Sheets, another high school student teaching the first graders about farm animals, has been part of FFA for three years.
“I’m hoping they can take away just learning more about animals and getting a chance to see them and interact with them — not just seeing them on TV or something,” Sheets said. “A lot of these kids come from apartments where they can’t have a yard with chickens or cows or sheep and it’s just an opportunity for them to be with these animals up close, one on one, and just really see the textbook version of them in real life.”
