Becoming the first online academy to charter an FFA Chapter for Wisconsin FFA, Destinations Career Academy is making history.
Mindy Smits is the FFA Advisor and Lead Instructor of the agricultural pathway for the Destinations Career Academy. She says, “I did not have a traditional pathway to get into agriculture. I was surrounded by it with family. Making history as the first virtual charter, its actually really interesting and kind of a full circle moment for me.”
This is the first year that the agriculture and Natural Resource pathway has been offered through the Destinations Career Academy and it has already grown leaps and bounds. This academy is a part of the McFarland School District and also associated with three other high schools. There are 600 students currently in the academy and 50 students in the agriculture and natural resource pathway.
“Being a virtual school, I think everyone assumes everything is online.” Smits says.
She also states that students still crave that connection in the community and with peers their age. So, through FFA contests like Career Development Events and Leadership Development Events students can still get that.
“Through conferences and workshops, they are able to get the same experience that you would get in a brick-and-mortar school,” Smits adds.
