FFA FAQ

The school barn is a hands-on educational facility designed to enrich students' learning experiences by providing practical agriculture, animal husbandry, and environmental stewardship lessons. It offers students unique opportunities to engage directly with farm animals, understand animal care responsibilities, and learn about the agricultural sciences in a real-world setting.

The barn currently has two miniature horses, nine sheep, and four goats. The miniature horses are part of the Animal Science program and are used as “hands-on lab animals” for the students to learn from.

Additionally, the second-year Advanced Animal Science students are working to desensitize them to work as therapy animals. The sheep and goats are student Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects being raised for the Northwest Junior Livestock Show at the Puyallup Spring Fair. 

There are cameras inside and outside of the barn with signage along the street fence.  Staff and students enter the barn using a security badge—all students and families with animals in the barn sign contracts for the care of all animals.

Students monitor stall conditions daily and pens are cleaned accordingly. The barn is swept daily and trash is removed weekly. Animals are turned outside whenever possible.

Our livestock compost is stored in covered containers and removed weekly to be locally composted. We are looking to incorporate an onsite composting system that will allow us to compost our animal waste in an odor-reduced environment.

You may see students in the barn from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.  Students should feed their animals within those hours.  No animals are in the barn during the summer months when school is out (June-August).

Interested community members can contact FFA Advisor Amy Graham

Through the SAE project, students learn skills in the classroom and apply them to their project and, ultimately, a profession. Students are responsible for everything about their animal while housed at the barn. This includes but is not limited to nutrition, bedding, training, and exercise. Through their SAE, students can apply for state awards and proficiencies through the FFA.

Our Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor is well versed in animal husbandry. Additionally, we have access to local veterinarians should any need arise. The animals are fed twice per day, and there is 24-hour access via a closed-circuit camera. 

If you have any questions, concerns or would like to schedule a tour of the Mount Si High School Barn, please feel free to contact FFA Advisor Amy Graham.