Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Krysteena Lawrence of Ohio has been named one of ten finalists for a prestigious Golden Owl Award. Photo credit: Elmwood Public Schools

Today, the importance of vocational education programs is promoted by both professional educators and laypersons. So it is wonderful when teachers of voc ed classes earn accolades for their work. One of these is Krysteena Lawrence, an agriculture teacher from northwest Ohio. She has been recognized as one of ten finalists for a prestigious Golden Owl Award.

Krysteena teaches agriculture courses at Elmwood High School in Bloomdale, Ohio. She also serves as the school’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) advisor. She has taught at the school for the past seven years.

The honored educator has volunteered many hours outside of her classroom to manage FFA projects, including a fruit sale. But she declares that relationships are the most important aspect of her work. “I enjoy developing a good rapport with my students and making them feel welcomed in my classroom at all times,” she says. “And that is before school, after school, during lunch, even if they just want to come and talk about stuff that is going on in their personal life,” she continues. “I just want to be that person that’s there for them no matter what,” she concludes.

Krysteena is one of ten finalists for the honors of 2022-2023 Ag Educator of the Year and the Golden Owl Award. She is one 521 nominations that were received for 126 different teachers. As one of the ten finalists, she was presented with a plaque and a $500 donation to her school’s agriculture program to support future educational efforts. This year, the program honors outstanding agriculture educators in nine states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Dakota. To learn more about the program, click on this link to the Golden Owl Award.