Due to the structure of our classes our CTSO is held after school and is voluntary.  It has typically been fairly small with about ten members.  The club decides what activities they want to do each year so activities vary from year to year but the focus on leadership, with the students running the club, is a mainstay.  Some activities are open to non-members, so the number of students fluctuates depending on the activity.  We have had 3 or 4 students who continued to participate for several years even if they were not taking an animal science class concurrently.  The one "alumni" is a student that has graduated from high school and is participating as a college level FFA member. 

The Earth Day lesson joined two diverse groups in a project that both groups found valuable.  Our CTSO joined forces with the Supported Work and Transition (SWAT) program to create a successful fund raiser centered around Earth Day 2010.  The groups designed and sold T-shirts.   Then on Earth Day, FFA members and SWAT made a creative dessert called a "Dirt Cup", and gave it to anyone who wore one of the Earth Day T-shirts.   Andrew Garling, one of the founders of Earth Day, was at the celebration and signed shirts.   The proceeds were donated to the Defenders of Wildlife.  The project exceeded the goals by involving TV Production who made a music video ("We are All in This Together")  to promote the project and the Web Page Design class who designed the T-shirt.  The lesson plan and pictures from the event are attached.

The FFA also helped a troop of Jr. Girls Scouts of America (GSA) earn their Pet Care Badges.  The club was approached by this group and agreed to help.  They researched the criteria for earning badges for GSA and decided  what animal facts they felt would meet the requirements.  They created lesson plans to accomplish the GSA goals.  Each members was assigned a portion of the work. The group then combined the information into a group PowerPoint.  Another member created a culminating hands-on project; creating a personalized  "Pet Diary" which incorporated information they learned in the group PowerPoint and yet was individualized for each junior girl scout .  The scouts and their leaders were invited over for a series of visits where they received a tour and got to meet our animals. Our club members acted as guides.  At the final visit the PowerPoint lesson was given and the diaries were built.  Each scout left with their diary and the leaders assured us that they had earned the badges.  The lesson plan and pictures of the scouts and the FFA members are attached

This club is a voluntary addition to our classes. The teachers advertise the first meeting in each of their classes.  The attached PowerPoint is shown at the first club meeting of the year.  It is designed to show potential members some of the things that past clubs have done, and to stress that this club is a student run club so each year usually has a different focus.  Students can then decide if, when and how they want to recruit new members.  For example, some years it has been exclusive to animal science students and other years an animal science student could sponsor a new club member from outside the program.  Generally, weekly announcements about FFA activities are made in class. Special activities often bring in new members throughout the school year.  Some of the program's partners come to speak to the club and this also brings in non-members to hear the speaker. This allows nonmembers to have a chance to see what the club is all about.

This year, the club has set up a series of visits to Patrick Henry Elementary School (Henry).  They have scheduled three visits for December and January. The club has already been asked to schedule more for February.  These visits support Henry's Extended Day Program and give our students valuable experience teaching these younger students about the animals they bring.  The visits have convinced several non-club members to join during the first two visits that we have had to date. 

The club is a student-run club that focuses on Leadership.  As such, students get to decide what activities they participate in every year.  Every year, the club has chosen to do projects that support community service ideals.  Many of these have already been alluded to under other areas such as helping Jr. Girl Scouts attain pet care badges and visits to Patrick Henry's Extended Day program.  Additional examples are discussed below. 

The club has participated in a leaf raking service project, in a walk benefiting the local animal shelter and a volunteer program to help a regional equine center during foal season.  The attached PowerPoint shows pictures of these projects.  The FFA members were asked and chose to participate in Abingdon Elementary's "Library Night." Every year the school has an event at night that draws attention to books in the library. In 2010, the librarians decided to focus on animal related books and asked our club to present.  Hundreds of community members, of all ages, attended the event and our FFA members presented to the audience as a whole and later that night conducted smaller break-out sessions with the animals we brought.   

The teachers, as advisors, participate in all club meeting and activities. These activities are with professional groups at all levels: local, regional, state and federal.  Examples of activities on various levels include The National Park Service's (national) celebration of Teddy Roosevelt's birthday, the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center's (regional) Foal Watch and the Animal Welfare League of Arlington's (local) fundraising walk.