FFA Week: Litterer reflects on time as FFA District Sentinel

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Charles City’s Jada Litterer is reflecting on her time as an officer in the North Central FFA District’s leadership team.

As a senior, Litterer is approaching the end of her one-year term as the district sentinel. In that time, she said,  she has been surprised to discover the wider scope of what the FFA program offers and how many different activities it serves.

“The FFA picture is a lot bigger than I ever imagined it would be,” said Litterer. “It really opened my eyes.”

As part of the district’s leadership team, she is one of the select few FFA students in the state who plan and organize FFA events for the 3,400 members across the north central Iowa area.

As sentinel of the leadership team, Litterer is responsible for maintaining order and keeping things organized during meetings and events, from keeping track of papers to ordering cakes and award plaques.

“Just organizing to make the day run smoother,” she said.

Most recently, Litterer went to Central Springs with the North Central District FFA president to give presentations to FFA students ahead of the district convention.

“We were there from nine to three and we taught two different sessions on leadership and two different sessions on teamwork,” said Litterer.

Now, as her term is nearing its end, Litterer and the rest of the leadership team are making plans for the district convention and selecting a new wave of officers for next year.

Being on the other side of the selection process has shown her how much she has learned and grown over the last year. She said she has enjoyed helping the next wave of candidates calm their nerves as they make their applications.

Working with all the different FFA chapters in her district and meeting with all the district officers is a unique experience that few get to partake in, she said.

With thousands of students across dozens of schools in the district, Litterer is one of only a couple of dozen Charles City students to ever be selected as a district officer. She said she’s happy to leave the office with a stronger sense of organization, leadership, and public speaking skills, along with many new friendships developed along the way.

“It’s been a really good year,” said Litterer. “I’m definitely going to miss all the people.”