On July 26th at 8:45 A.M., Wes Davis and Zach Tennant embarked from Bridgeport, WV on a journey eastward to the nation’s capital for the 2011 State Presidents Conference. After roughly 4 and a half hours of car-riding and some Chik-fil-a, they arrived at the West Falls Church Metro Station in Virginia. Metro cards were purchased, and a nice ride led them to their destination of the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in downtown. After checking into the hotel, they had the opportunity to be involved in a small photo shoot with the National Officers, who gave them the Conference theme: Untitled. The rest of the day’s activities included a Kick-Off Session, Dinner, a Delegate Session, Reflections, and an ice cream social! Wes had the privilege of rooming with 3 other boys from the states of Nebraska, South Carolina, and Arkansas, while Zach roomed with 2 other boys from the states of Oregon and Connecticut.
Wednesday’s activities were not a letdown, as Wes and Zach got the chance to go through a Congressional Visit Workshop, which prepared them for visits with some of the leaders of our great nation! Their plan was to visit Congressman Nick Jo Rahall, Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, and Senator Joe Manchin. The first visit did not go as planned, because Congressman Rahall was taking part in an important vote. But, a representative from his office was able to chat with the boys about Agriculture Education! The second visit was slightly delayed, as Congresswoman Capito was a part of that same vote. It was delayed until 2:30 that afternoon. The third visit seemed to go their way, as Senator Manchin took time out of his busy schedule of meetings to meet with the boys! After a 45 minute wait, Senator Manchin came out and had a brief conversation with them about the importance of Agriculture Education! Seeing as how they were going to be late to the next meeting with Congresswoman Capito, Senator Manchin appointed one of his assistants to take Wes and Zach on the Subway only for the Nation’s leaders!! They got to do that, walk through the Capitol Building, and made it there on time. Congresswoman Capito’s visit did not disappoint either as she was more than happy to talk with the boys about Agriculture Education. The rest of Wednesday’s activities included 2 Delegate Sessions, Dinner, and Reflections.
On Thursday, the young men were able to travel to the USDA after a Farm Bill Workshop with their fellow members to listen to a speech from the U.S Secretary of Agriculture himself, Tom Vilsack! After the speech they were divided into different groups and talked about the different concerns the Secretary had both at the USDA and the Hotel. Following those discussions came a workshop and the Alumni Dinner! The boys were proud to see 3 fellow West Virginians representing the state at the Dinner. A big shout out goes to: SHANNON BOSWELL, Agriculture Teacher at Doddridge County High School, JOHN LOCKHART, former State President and 2011-2012 WV FFA Foundation Rep, and ROBBY CURREY, former State Secretary and 2011-2012 National Officer Candidate! Thursday’s activities concluded with Reflections.
The last day came very quickly, and was assured to be just as great! Friday turned out to be the “Delegate day”, where the boys established themselves as leaders among the members in their respective groups. Wes is the Co-Vice Chair in the committee dealing with Alternative Delivery Models for Leadership Development. Zach is a small group discussion leader in the committee dealing with the Floriculture CDE being in Category 4 status. If you have any questions about those committees, please don’t hesitate to ask them! Friday was also designated as a day full of touring the nation’s capital! The boys got a chance to know other state leaders, but really connected with some of the kids they toured with. It would be very hard to try to name all of the great relationships they developed with other members! Some of the touring around the city included: The Holocaust Museum, The Museum of American History, The National Archives, The Jefferson Memorial, The World War Two Memorial, The FDR Memorial, The Korean War Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial, The Vietnam War Memorial, and the Iwo Jima Memorial! The boys really did enjoy seeing some of the great things that shaped the nation into what it is today. Friday concluded with Reflections, and heart-felt goodbyes at the Hotel.
Saturday morning came, and Wes and Zach could officially say they were tired. They took the Metro back to West Falls Church around 10 A.M., where Zach’s parents met them, and they started the trip back home to WV.
All in all, SPC was a great experience for the boys. Knowledge was gained, Relationships were built, and leaders truly emerged. If there are any questions that you have about the trip, Wes and Zach would be more than happy to answer. 
