As the smell of pancakes bubbling and sausage sizzling filled the air, members of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) joked around while preparing breakfast for the Texas High faculty.

On Oct. 13, 2025, FFA members gathered together at 4:30 a.m. to cook breakfast in the bus pickup area for teachers and staff. Although students got Monday and Tuesday off from school, teachers still showed up for professional development and instructional planning. 

“I think it was just to be able to feed the teachers when they’re having to be up here and we don’t have to,” junior Noah Veal said. “I guess giving our [club’s] name to the teachers [lets] them know that we are here to help them.” 

This early morning cookout created many memorable moments, including a beautiful sunrise experience and newfound bonding for the club. 

“Being able to hang out with the other officers and do sort of a team bonding,” Veal said. “Just being able to make jokes and laugh while we’re cooking.”

Hosting this cookout also provided an opportunity for the faculty at Texas High to sit and visit for a little while before going off in their own directions, like a routine. 

“It’s the camaraderie,” FFA advisor James Skelton said. “It’s bringing everybody together, all the faculty, and giving them an opportunity to fellowship and visit with each other.”

Over the past few years, Texas High’s FFA hasn’t participated in a lot of the events around campus. So, they began to prioritize every opportunity to help out and plan on continuing to use the coming years to further spread their name, legacy and importance to the school.

“Anything that we can do to help is something to be appreciated and utilized to really help our program try to grow,” Skelton said. “For so many years, we spent so much time with our program, not putting its face out there, and now we’re able to do that.”