Killeen ISD high school FFA chapters hosted district and state officers during an annual student leadership workshop Monday that focused on the value of losing.
Three FFA officers, all Class of 2026 high school graduates from across the state, led the Shoemaker High School and other students in active games and discussion.
Photos are posted at www.killeenisd.org/photos
It’s in the midst of falling short, not meeting one’s goals, that you have the chance to learn and grow and do better.
In one game, a silly version of “rock, paper, scissors,” all but one student experienced losing and being eliminated.
In another game, students divided into two large groups and worked to discover a pattern within a grouping of numbers.
That game required repeated trial and error. As the game proceeded, the teams picked up the pace in an attempt to win.
After the games, students divided into pairs and shared what they learned about perseverance and trying again.
Much of the session consisted of simple question and answer with high school students asking their slightly older peers about their choices moving into post-secondary life and pondering career possibilities.
Taylor McClinton, a Shoemaker senior and FFA chapter student advisor said the workshop was enlightening.
“We all experience failure in life, so it’s important to learn how to utilize it, how to gain from it,” she said.
“The main idea for me was that failing is not always negative,” said McClinton. “It can help us grow in life and help us better ourselves.
“I hate losing so this really helped me understand that rejection is redirection. There’s always something better out there for me.”