From the Editor

One of my favorite Christmas traditions in my family is singing Christmas carols together on Christmas Eve. We go through the old favorites like “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night” and typically end with my favorite, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” 

Somewhere in my teenagedom, I don’t know exactly what year, there came a rude awakening that I had done Christmas wrong.

Upton Sinclair and Temple Grandin are two names mentioned in agriculture classes throughout America. I remember first being introduced to HBO’s biographical film Temple Grandin early in my FFA career and Sinclair’s book The Jungle later on in college.

Watching the California wildfires of 2020 has, for our family, been nearly as disheartening as following and enduring COVID-19 outbreaks.

“Go to the ball. Don’t wait for it to come to you.”

Hearing those words were a common occurrence in my high school basketball days, and my team’s lack of implementation (myself included) could very well be the reason those days never amounted to a state title.

Sending a high school graduate out into the world, and through the ever-widening wake of the coronavirus, you quickly realize traditions must be broken.