Tag Archives: Vocational Education Teachers

Ag teacher Stacey Rickard of Illinois garners Golden Owl Award

Posted on by
Reply

Agriculture teacher Stacey Rickard of Illinois has garnered the state’s Golden Owl Award—not once, but twice! Photo Credit: Illinois State Board of Education

s Golden Owl Award—not once, but twice!

Typically, educators who teach agriculture courses escape notice, but Stacey Rickard has earned accolades for her work. She has garnered the state’s Golden Owl Award—not once, but twice!—in both  2023 and 2024.

Stacey leads agriculture courses at Salt Fork High School in Salt Fork, a rural community located in the Central Corn Belt Plains of Illinois. Her teaching methods include hands-on labs, real-world applications, and a commitment to engaging students.

“The dynamic nature of teaching agriculture is what truly captivates my passion for agriculture and teaching,” declares Stacey. “One moment, I might use M&M’s to illustrate lessons on Grain Futures Market trading. The next hour could find me overseeing welding activities, only to conclude my day with a group of 20 students immersed in a soil pit outdoors, digging down four feet deep,” she says.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Stacey serves as the advisor for the FFA (Future Farmers of America) Chapter on her campus. Under her tutelage, club has grown from 22 students to 135, more than half the population of the school, in just the past four years.

Stacey also serves her school as an Assistant Volleyball Coach, the Class of 2025 sponsor, and a member of the campus Curriculum Committee. She also dedicates her time to the state IAVAT Board as the District 4 representative and serves as the Section 18 IAVAT treasurer. And as if all that were not enough, she mentors new agriculture teachers from all over the state.

But her proudest accomplishment, Stacey says, is establishing AgVenture, a program that takes students beyond the corn and bean fields of Illinois to visit the nation’s largest feedlot in Kansas. The program also gave the students the opportunity to lean how to brand cattle in South Dakota. The students collaborated with a local farmer to create an ongoing nitrogen study, using math to take measurements, science skills to craft lab reports, English skills to write speeches, and their knowledge of history to engage policymakers.

In addition to her two Golden Owls, Stacey has earned a Golden Ruler in 2022, and she was named the Teacher of the Week by the News Gazette. Her career as an educator spans 13 years.

Florida agriculture teacher Jennie Goffe earns top state honors

Posted on by
Reply

Jennie Coffe, a high school agriculture educator in Florida, has been named one of five finalists for her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Florida Teacher Lead Network

It is always exciting when an outstanding educator earns honors for their work with young people. Jennie Goffe, a high school teacher in Florida, is one of these educators. She has been named one of five finalists for her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Jennie teaches agriculture at Clewiston High School in Hendry County. She has worked at the school for the past ten years. Through her agriculture program, her students manage a farm of 480 acres, take care of over 60 animals, maintain a greenhouse, grow sugar cane, harvest crops, and care for pastures. Through this program, Jennie supports the school’s Career and Technical Education. This program provides students with skills that prepare them for the work force. In fact, her students earn an average of 150 workforce certificates annually. “My favorite thing about being a teacher is just the relationships I get to build with students and the experiences I get to offer them,” declares Jennie.

After Hurricane Ian hit Fort Myers, Florida, in 2022, Jennie inaugurated a cooperative effort for Clewiston High School students to work with community members to assist those in need. The effort included cleaning up the hardest-hit areas.

Jennie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education and Communications from the University of Florida.

The Florida Teacher of the Year Program celebrates teachers who are dedicated to the profession. Each year, Florida’s school districts have the opportunity to recognize and celebrate 74 teachers as District Teachers of the Year. These exemplary educators are selected for many reasons, including extraordinary student gains, community involvement, teacher leadership, and instructional practices. Five District Teachers of the Year are named Teacher of the Year Finalists and, from those, one statewide winner is selected as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education.

 

NC agriculture educator Ryan Berglund earns recognition

Posted on by

Agriculture teacher and vocational education mentor Ryan Bergen has been named the 2024 Teacher of the Year by the Wake County Public School System. Photo Credit: Wake County Public School System

Congratulations to Ran Bergland, a teacher and vocational mentor from Wake County, North Carolina. He was named the 2024 Teacher of the Year by the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS).

Ryan earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Education from the University of Mount Olive, a private institution located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. Today, he teaches agriculture courses at Milbrook Magnet High School. He has taught at the campus since 2019.

At Milbrook High, Ryan has helped implement the school’s Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) program, which allows over 350 students to gain work-based learning experiences each year. Students in the program have started businesses, worked with local agriculture enterprises, and created their own service programs.

Over the course of his career, Ryan has learned a thing or two about working with young people. “Our students are able to build some amazing projects that show their true understanding of the objectives in the course,” he declares. “I always tell my students, ‘I will not be there in the real world to tell you how to build it, you will have to figure it out.’ This takes their understanding to a new level,” he continues.

Before becoming a teacher, Ryan was a professional welder and equipment fabricator. In fact, he is an AWS-certified welding inspector. That prior experience benefits his students greatly. He helps them achieve their welding certification, which industry professionals say is equal to passing the bar exam and becoming a lawyer. The school district reports that 64 students have become certified welders under Ryan’s mentorship.

As Teacher of the Year, Ryan will have the opportunity to participate in the Go Global NC international study program in the Netherlands during the summer of 2025. The trip is sponsored by the Dan Royster Memorial Teacher Award, in honor of a former WCPSS science teacher. In addition, Ryan will receive an engraved award, a $100 gift card to Angus Barn, a $1,000 check from sponsors, a weekend stay at the Umstead Hotel and Spa, a $100 Amazon gift card, and autographed hockey gear donated by the Carolina Hurricanes. He will also have the use of a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe, compliments of Capital Chevrolet, for the next year.

Trent Van Leuven named Idaho’s 2024 State Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Trent Van Leuven, a Career and Technical Education teacher from Idaho, has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Idaho Dept. of Education

It is always a pleasure to share the story of an exceptional educator who has earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Trent Van Leuven, a secondary level Career and Technical Education teacher from Idaho. He has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Trent teaches agriculture education to students in grades eight through twelve at Mackay Junior/Senior High School in Mackay, Idaho. In his classroom, he places focus on providing experiential learning opportunities in the nine courses he instructs. “Students work on community projects, and every student serves on a committee,” explains Trent. “One such project is the annual Christmas bazaar that boasts 54 vendors. Students painted the fire hydrants in town last year, and this year they have made markers to help emergency services find hydrants in the deep snow,” he continues. Trent constructs curriculum that utilizes a fish lab, three greenhouses, and a welding lab. He also invites speakers and experts to contribute to content instruction.

In addition to classroom instruction, Trent organizes annual trips and agriculture tours with students. To date, he has traveled more than 40,000 miles through 35 states with students. And, as a special bonus, he arranges for the students enrolled in his courses to earn college credits through a dual credit program.

As if all this were not enough, Trent serves as the advisor of his school’s chapter of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), eighth grade class adviser, and the local union president on his campus. He frequently steps up to drive a bus route or trip when resources are stretched thin. 
 
Trent earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Education from the University of Idaho in 2009. In a career that spans 14 years, he has spent the last nine at Mackay.

To read an article about Trent and the importance of Career and Technical Education published by the Idaho State Department of Education, click on this link.

 

Jackie Freitas named Hawaii’s 2024 State Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Jackie Freitas named 2024 State Teacher of the Year Photo Credit: CCSSO

There are many excellent educators deserving of recognition who work in public schools in the state of Hawaii. One of these is his school agriculture teacher Jackie Freitas. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Jackie teaches at Leilehua High School in Wahiawa, Hawaii. In a career that spans 13 years, she has worked nearly all of them at Leilehua. There she instructs courses in natural resources and serves as the advisor for her school’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) Club.

Jackie teaches her students to grow produce through coding and STEM research. She has introduced her students to lessons on hydroponics, bee apiaries, and more. She has also pioneered a new initiative at the high school which allows students to sell and donate produce to local families. She created a curriculum for animal husbandry in order to give students hands-on experience, and designed lessons in organic farming to train them to become certified organic inspectors for the state. She has also formed partnerships with the State Department of Education for certification in food handling and with the State Department of Land and Natural Resources for hunter education certification.

In addition to working with young people, Jackie also serves as a facilitator for providing professional development and hands-on training to teachers across the state. 

Her advice to colleagues? “Take the time to build a community within your classroom, get to know your students and what they can offer within your classroom, as well as allow students the opportunity to learn beyond your four walls of the classroom,” she says. “There are many ways to incorporate instruction other than just lecturing and worksheets, but rather come up with ways to incorporate labs, hands-on instruction, or different types of technology,” she continues.

Jackie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education at the University of Hawaii at West Oahu in 2011. She also earned certification to teach Career and Technical Education in natural resources from Leeward Community College. She is currently pursuing her National Board Certification in natural resources.