News out of Lone Pine
Members of the Agriculture Leadership Class helped serve at the FFA fundraiser.
By Charles James
Blue and Gold fundraiser
On the evening of Friday, March 8, the Lone Pine High School Future Farmers of America held its Blue & Gold Fundraiser at the Film History Museum. If the large number of supporters which arrived were any indication, many Owens Valley residents feel that the Lone Pine FFA is a cause well worth supporting.
There is possibly no better description of what the FFA is about than the quote by Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka who said “The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”
The FFA was started in 1994 by high school biology teacher Irene Kritz.
Fourteen years and several teachers later, Brenda Lacey of Independence began working as the FFA advisor for the program in 2008. At the time, the FFA had only 20 students, but under Lacey’s leadership that number is now 95 students – and that is out of a total student population of 110! Three instructors provide the program to the students– Lacey teaches Introduction to Agriculture, Agriculture Business, and Animal Science. Chuck Carson teaches 5 periods of Agriculture Mechanics and Joel Whitney teaches Agriculture Construction.
The FFA program includes classroom instruction, leadership, and a Supervised Agriculture Experience Project such as raising a market animal and employment in agriculture. The students enjoy hands-on learning. “Even if they are not going into the field of agriculture,” says Lacey, “It is important for them to realize where their food comes from, and how the farmers and ranchers in America, especially in California, feed the world.”
Agriculture is the number one industry in the nation and in the state.
The FFA Blue & Gold Fundraiser brought in over $18,000 to support the program. Lacey wanted to offer special thanks to Indian Wells Brewery, Mammoth Brewery, Hearst Ranch Winery, Cowboy Flavor, Lacey Livestock, Bob Stockman and Best Western Frontier Motel. These businesses and individuals provided the food, drink, entertainment and special guest lodgings to make this event possible.
Lone Pine Wallpapered
The call went out on March 14 to Healthy Communities of Southern Inyo County to assist a music video production company with finding young adults for crowd shots for the music group, Wallpaper, a popular pop band signed with major label Epic Records. Every high school from Bishop to Lone Pine was contacted and there was a good response. Over 40 local students arrived, ready for free pizza and drinks, and to watch how a music video is made.
The band Wallpaper is best known for its single, “#STUPiDFACEDD”, featured on MTV and its music video has been viewed by more than 3 million views on YouTube. The band, especially its leader, Oakland’s Ricky Reed, enjoy a very good reputation with music critics who like its originality. The music is percussion-rich, driving, and exciting. It is often referred to as crunk pop. Whatever its label, the youthful crowd in the video had no problems dancing to the music or showing its enthusiasm.
Reed was backed by singer-keytarist Novena Carmel, the daughter of Sly Stone, who is a very talented musician in her own right. Rattling the rafters behind Reed and Carmel were three very talented percussionists. The band appears to be on a roll. Last year it performed on the Jimmy Kimmel Show in March and also performed at the 2012 Coachella Music Festival.
At the end of the shooting, there were some exhausted but very contented Inyo County youth. As one of them noted, “This was the most fun I’ve had since I born here!”
