CENTER POINT, Iowa (KCRG) – Students at Center Point-Urbana High School started this school year with a long-awaited new program.

Staff say about 100 students will take a new agriculture education class, opening the door for them to take part in the new FFA chapter at CPU. FFA is an organization that works to promote agricultural education for young people.

One of those students is Avery Sweeny, a junior at Center Point-Urbana High School. After growing up in a family of farmers and being involved in 4-H, FFA was a natural fit for Sweeny. “I know we’ve been trying to get it for a long time, so just, we fought for it and here we are,” said Sweeny. “I’m excited because I really want to expand my knowledge in agriculture.”

Cassie Hosek will be leading the new agriculture and FFA programs at CPU. She says she’s excited to pass along the knowledge and experiences she gained growing up in Crestwood and taking part in 4-H and FFA programs there. “They take on lifelong skills throughout all their experiences in FFA. It teaches them how to prepare for stuff, how to be a leader,” says Hosek.

Center Point Urbana is one of many schools across the country to recently add an FFA chapter. The National FFA Organization gained 168 chapters in the last year. Membership jumped 11%, hitting an all-time high, with nearly 946 thousand students.