Serena Middle School

Starting this school year, students at Serena Middle School in LaSalle County are getting earlier exposure to FFA and agricultural education.


The school launched its own FFA program, commemorating its founding with an official charter signing ceremony Sept. 11 during the Sandwich Fair. All eight Serena Middle School FFA Chapter officers participated in the celebration, along with officers from the high school chapter and three Illinois FFA Major State Officers.


“We wanted to bring FFA into our middle school to provide a lot more opportunities for our students,” Ben Temple, Serena Middle School FFA adviser, said of the decision to establish the new chapter.


Temple told Farm Week involving students in FFA at a younger age provides earlier exposure to the organization and can “set them up for success” in high school.

The Serena High School FFA Chapter, which includes about 90 members, “has been around forever,” Temple said. He hopes the two chapters will remain closely connected. He also hopes participation in the middle school program, which has more than 50 members, will encourage students to join the high school chapter in the future.


“It’s a dream come true to get to grow this program,” said Temple, who is in his fourth year of teaching in Serena and grew up in the community. “When I got the chance to come back and teach here, that was cool enough. But now that I get to have this role of expanding the program and hopefully leaving a lasting impression, that is, in my mind, even more amazing.”


Serena is one of four schools chartering middle school FFA chapters this year. Carthage, Salt Fork and St. Mary’s in Pontiac also launched new programs.


Jenny Wold, District 2 program adviser for Facilitating Coordination in Agricultural Education (FCAE), said Illinois now has 34 stand-alone middle school FFA chapters, and about 134 schools in the state offered ag classes for fifth through eighth grade students as of the 2025-26 school year.


“What we’re seeing is that once a middle school program starts, the other districts around that program start to see those kids are being engaged and participating in school leadership and teamwork activities and science-based activities, and they want more,” Wold said of the continued growth of middle school ag programs.


Interest is also expanding among those wanting to teach at the middle school level. Wold said serving as a middle school FFA adviser can offer better work-life balance because it typically involves fewer conferences and contests, leaving more time for family.

Wold noted one concern that has been a part of the middle school conversation is whether early participation could lead to burnout by the time students enter high school. To prevent this, she said the Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers’ middle school committee has been working to modify FFA events to make them more “bite sized” for younger members.


“We shouldn’t be expecting middle school students to compete in the exact same contest that a high school student is competing in,” Wold said.


Events such as a middle school mixer at the Illinois FFA State Convention and Middle School Mania, which features abbreviated versions of FFA contests, give students a chance to explore leadership and career development opportunities while maintaining enthusiasm for FFA in high school, she said.


Illinois FFA also hosts multiple middle school conferences for seventh and eighth grade students at community colleges across the state each year.


“I think there’s a double benefit in these middle school conferences,” Wold said. “Kids get to go to this conference, have early exposure to FFA, early exposure to college options, early exposure to college students and the whole experience.

"StEPs" Meeting

All 5th/6th cheer parents, parent meeting will follow first cheer practice on September 29th at 5pm.

Practice 3:15-5pm.

Physical must be up to date and all school fees paid.
Cheerleading fee $30.

Also, coaches have sent home a flyer today regarding Homecoming and 5th/6th Cheerleader participation in events.

Boy baseball season came to an end on Saturday in the second round of regional play against MVK. Thank you to the families and coaches for everything you've done to support our team.

5th/6th Girls Basketball is starting their season on the road this week! Good luck girls and remember everything your coaches have worked with you on in practice.

7th/8th Girls Basketball has one more week of practice before their season opener next week.

Soccer is bringing it all home this week. Tomorrow A & B games vs Mendota Northbrook, Tuesday 8th Grade Night vs Lisbon, and Thursday vs Earlville. All games start at 4:30 pm.

Remember to show school spirit with Homecoming Week dress up days! Check previous Facebook post and find it posted in the students google classroom.