Planning and communication. These were the two main points discussed at the winter officer retreat on March 2-4, held at Mountain Dale Farm. The purpose of this retreat every year is to discuss events that have happened the first half of the year and how they could be improved, and begin planning for the rest of this year. There is also an emphasis on getting to know one another better, as there were about 25 officers, 2 teachers, and 1 student teacher along. A few of the favorite icebreaker games played included: four on a couch and psychiatrist, which were played Friday night after unpacking. Afterwards, each person wrote down a few of the goals they hoped to accomplish by the end of the weekend.

Saturday was the day to buckle down and get to work. There were three meetings throughout the day focusing on a variety of topics such as the Ag Olympics, National Chapter Rating, how to have better communication within the chapter, and much more. The conversations held during the meetings were very productive, and everyone left with an idea of what they would need to do to finish the 2012 school year off strong. Then in the evening there was free time that was spent playing capture the flag, manhunt, talking to peers, and sitting around a campfire. Sunday finished off the weekend with devotions and reflections, in which there was a consensus that the weekend was successful, with many of the goals being achieved.