The Fair Grove High School FTA students took their annual college visit field trip this year right here in Springfield at Evangel University. FTA, which stands for Future Teachers of America, is a club held at Fair Grove High School welcoming any students who have the desire to go into teaching as they reach graduation. Beth Mauldin and Nicki Kisling, two of Fair Grove’s own High School math teachers sponsor the club and hope to persuade their members that teaching is a fun and needed occupation.

The students in FTA got to take the day out of school on February 22nd arriving at Evangel at about 8:30 am and returning around 2 that afternoon. When first entering the university the students were welcomed with donuts, hot chocolate, and some confetti balloons. “They showed us an intro video, and then college students came out of nowhere and popped some big balloons and showered us with shiny confetti. It was super cool and they were so welcoming,” said Fair Grove student Sarah Beals (10).

The students where also served lunch at the cafeteria in Evangel to make the visit feel more regular and homelike if someone where to consider going there. Mauldin stated, “We toured the entire campus, including dorms, dining facilities, and various departments, and then we went to the education department to attend a college class. The kids got to pretend like they were elementary school students while a college student pretended to be their teacher. They played a variety of games to model some teaching best-practices.”

Mauldin and Kisling both like that the college visits give the students a feel for what college is actually like, and it allows them to see if the students actually visualize themselves in this type of atmosphere in a few years. Mauldin said, “The visit was successful because I think many of the students are thinking more and more about going to college. They got to interact with actual college students through panel discussions and classroom activities, and I believe that now they have concrete visualization, and a goal for which to strive.”

The FTA team and members will continue on with their annual  college visit next year hoping to keep inspiring kids to go into college and education!