One Year After Devastating Fire, Winter Haven FFA Rebuilds and Grows Stronger
by James Coulter
Photos provided by Sara Garcia
One year after a fire devastated the school’s agricultural department, the Winter Haven Future Farmer’s of America (FFA) chapter has not only recovered, but flourished with double the number of animals they had last year.
Last year, for the first time in 15 years, Winter Haven High School (WHHS) was able to keep animals on campus for the Winter Haven FFA chapter. The campus kept 10 hogs and six goats. This year, the number of animals has nearly doubled with 24 hogs, 12 goats, five rabbits, and several chickens.
This flourishing of life proves especially miraculous one year after a fire devastated the campus and burnt down some of its facilities. The fire, which was allegedly caused by an electric issue, started in the welding area, burned down the entire workshop, and destroyed the electrical system in the agricultural building.
Due to the sheer damage, the agricultural department had to move their classes to a portable building, and all of their equipment, tools, and other materials were destroyed and needed to be replaced. Currently, a new building has been planned to be constructed at the school.
“We are excited about it,” said Sara Garcia, Ag. Teacher at WHHS. “We were told that the building is finally insured. We are anxiously waiting for contractors to start working on that…[Until then] we are looking for a home base while the county is rebuilding our building.”
Garcia has been teaching for 27 years. This year is her third teaching at WHHS and her second year serving as its ag. teacher. Previously, she had worked as a science teacher in elementary school.
Upon starting her new position, Garcia has helped revamp the Winter Haven FFA program. Previously, the school had a strong equestrian program. The school has since shifted focus toward raising farm animals, lab animals, and other animals that can be kept on the property.
“Not everyone can keep a hog in the backyard,” Garcia said. “So, this [the campus] has given many kids from many backgrounds to be able to do this [animal raising] project and give exposure to these experiences.”
Currently, 169 students have been registered for the Winter Haven FA chapter. Of these students, 35 have been registered to show hogs at the upcoming Polk County Youth Fair. Also being showcased from their chapter are 7 steers, 3 heifers, 14 goats, and numerous other animals.
This year, their chapter is applying for the national chapter awards, which require students to perform several community projects. One such project is a charity drive to collect cat litter, food, and other supplies for the Humane Society.
“We are so excited,” Garcia said. “In years past, we have not been able to represent our community as much in the program and now this year we are already 35 students registering. We are excited about that, about the numbers that are growing.”
As for their campus, many more repairs and renovations are required. Their greenhouse has since been repaired, but they are currently remodeling the inside with new tables, garden beds, sinks, and other items. Also, new structures to keep chickens and rabbits are planned to be built.
“Some raccoons were getting into our chickens and they attacked our chickens over the course of a few weeks,” Garcia said. “So we only have one chicken that survives that lives in the greenhouse. We have to build the structure before incubating and having more chickens and redoing our processes.”
The Winter Haven FFA is always open to accepting donations from the community. Garcia recommends providing them gift cards for local hardware and farm supply stores like Lowes to allow her class to buy new materials.
“We appreciate the community so much,” Garcia said. “It is a big help and support for us so we appreciate everything the community has done for us, and we are thankful for them.”
