Students Excel at VICE
Seven FFA State Officers and 43 high school students took part in this year’s Virginia Institute on Cooperative Education. View this year’s photo album courtesy of Jim Robertson, Northern Neck Electric Cooperative.
Forty-three high school students from across the commonwealth attended this year’s Virginia Institute of Cooperative Education (VICE), held March 20-22 at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria, Va.
“Each participant profiled a local cooperative as part of their application,” explains Mary Howell, VCC executive secretary. In addition to experienced adult leaders, six of this year’s state FFA officers, who also were past VICE participants, helped as team leaders for the store simulation teams. She adds, “I’m especially grateful to Cathy Statz, a co-op educator from Wisconsin, who returned to share her worldwide experience of cooperatives with attendees and help with breakout sessions.”
Sarah Jo Jones led the True Colors exercise to help students better understand their personalities and those of others. Fellow educators, including Jacob Lewis and Brandon Strosnider, from Augusta County, David Maitland, from Culpeper County, and Heidi Davis, from Spotsylvania County, also lent their expertise to assist Adam Shiflett and Marty Harris, both of Farm Credit of the Virginias, with the “Who’s Minding the Store?” business simulation.
After taking a test on the “Welcome to Cooperatives” manual, students worked in eight teams over five “turns” for consecutive business quarters. Each team member played a role making financial, staffing and other decisions based on their chosen roles of CEO, purchasing manager, warehouse managers and more. Team leaders helped them interpret each quarter’s results as they sought to increase their store’s net worth. After a long day inside, the teens enjoyed a hayride through the apple orchards, with VCC board member Lucky Graves sharing his family’s history back to 1608.
Following three days of learning, teamwork, fun activities and great food, scholarship winners were announced. Sylvana Cavinder of Troutville, who profiled Rockingham Cooperative, was top scorer and earned $2,000. Haylee Hoffman of Verona, who profiled Farm Credit of the Virginias, earned $1,500 and Janie Davis of Mount Sidney, who also profiled Farm Credit of the Virginias, earned $1,000. These three are among the top 10 students who are invited on an expense-paid trip to the Georgia Cooperative Leadership Conference in July at Covington, Ga.
Many thanks to our generous members who donated more than $14,500 in scholarships to help make this event available at no cost to students.