On October 29th through November 2nd, the city of Louisville, Kentucky hosted the 86th National FFA Convention and Expo.  FFA students from all of over the United States, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, attended the convention.  Louisville will serve as the host city for the next three years.  Many of the convention events were held at the Kentucky Exposition Center, where students were able to visit different vendors and tents that included many schools with Ag-related career choices for college. 

Also at the Kentucky Exposition Center was an FFA mall.  Here, FFA students could buy FFA as well as other brand name merchandise.  Beyond the FFA-related activities, students and advisors toured the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and the Kentucky Motor Speedway.  At the National FFA Convention, 18 Members of the Oak Hill FFA were able to listen to motivational/inspirational speakers including:  Dan Dunn (Famous Painter), Rick Pitino (Louisville Cardinals Basketball Coach), and Joe Torillo (who was buried alive twice as a result of the World Trade Center attack on 9/11/01), along with national FFA officers' retiring addresses.

Also importantly, the Oak Hill FFA help set the new attendance record at Convention of 62,998 FFA members and guests!  Along with the great leadership sessions/workshops, Oak Hill FFA member Dirk Dempsey received the most prestigious award that the FFA can bestow, The American FFA Degree.  Dirk met all requirements for this impressive award and received this title making this a first for Oak Hill High School.

The 86th National Convention and Expo was an amazing experience for the Oak Hill FFA.  We would like to thank our sponsors for our annual calendar and the Jackson-Vinton Farm Bureau for their help in making the 2013 Convention a memory of a lifetime.

Submitted by Kayla McNeal, Oak Hill FFA Reporter