 During the month of February, we join the nation in celebrating the achievements and contributions that career and technical education (CTE) programs provide in preparing students for high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand careers.
As agricultural education teachers, you have the perfect opportunity this month to share the love for CTE and involve your students in the fun as well.
- Share facts about CTE in your school and community
- Invite visitors to see your CTE program in action with student tour guides
- Highlight your students involvement outside of the classroom
- Have students create a CTE promotional videos to share in social media
- Partner with your local businesses and industry to promote CTE
You can also use photos, links to press releases, or share your CTE story on social media. Be sure to include hashtags #CTEmonth, #CareersinConstruction, #STEM, #WorkforceDevelopment and #CareerTechEd to help spread the importance of CTE throughout the month of February. For more ideas on how you can celebrate CTE Month and show support of your program, check out these five best ways you and your students can join in.
Sources: Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Accessed on 2/12/24 and iCEV, Accessed on 2/12/24.
Source: The Chronicle, Accessed on 2/12/24
Tenino High School agriculture teacher Geraldine Maxfield has been named Teacher of the Year by Washington State Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
Maxfield has spent her entire teaching career in the Tenino School District, spanning three decades, according to the Tenino School District. She has built an award-winning National FFA program, including the construction of multiple greenhouses, an FFA Community Garden, and an annual plant sale that brings in visitors from around the Northwest.
“Geraldine has positively impacted countless students throughout her career and is proud to call Tenino her home,” the Tenino School District stated in a news release.
Maxfield and her students have also hosted the annual Veterans Day brunch and assembly for years to honor local veterans.
When asked about the brunch and assembly, Maxfield said, "Our veterans have done so much for all of us. It is the least we can do to show our appreciation and support. Putting our veterans and our high school students together sitting around a table sharing a meal is so powerful. Stories shared by our veterans provide opportunities for our students to get a much-needed perspective of our history. The whole idea behind this event is to preserve memories and establish bonds that will have an impact on both the veterans and the students."
Maxfield will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the VFW National Convention in Washington, D.C., this summer.
For more information about the Washington State VFW, visit vfwwa.org.
For Jennie Wagner, a retired FFA advisor, the most important thing was teaching her students to understand and advocate for agriculture. "They're all going to vote, eventually, and they're going to shape this country," Wagner said. "So I want them to understand where their food comes from and the people that produce it."
For her years of service to the agriculture industry Jennie recently received the Excellence in Agriculture Award during last week's Spokane Ag Show. She grew up in Reardan, Washington, and has lived on a wheat, barley, cattle, and hog farm for the last 32 years.
She became a high school teacher at Medical Lake High School in Medical Lake, Washington later in life and taught special education and science. The last 12 years of her career were spent as an FFA advisor and agriculture teacher helping young adults develop the skills necessary to be successful in the agriculture industry.
She appreciated the industry support she received over the years, noting that her students got to make presentations in front of "some pretty powerful people." Jennie retired last June and is enjoying spending more time with her children and grandchildren supporting their interests in agriculture. She also substitute teaches in Reardan, helps with financial aid at Medical Lake, and supervises student teachers for WSU. Thank you Jennie for your years of service and congratulations on this well deserved award!
Source: The Capital Press, Accessed on 2/12/24
The Washington Association of Agricultural Educators (WAAE) Member Experience Committee came up with the brilliant idea at summer conference of offering a monthly Owl Hour to provide opportunities to learn and grow as Ag teachers. Each month, an Ag teacher will host an hour–long professional development event on different topics for teachers.
WAAE President, Lori Sanderson, hosted the first Owl Hour back in December on resources and benefits of NAAE/WAAE membership as well as a round table on what we should offer our members. If you missed any edition of Owl Hour, a recording is available on the WAAE website. To assist teachers as they continue to move through the year, WAAE has some important dates to remind everyone about as well.
February 21 – National Chapter Award Application with Randi and Josh Krieg
March 8 – WAAE Spring Exec Meeting at Ellensburg High School
March 12 – WAAE/ACTE Award Application Process with Sammi Jo Sims
April 1 – WAAE Award Applications Due to Chris Carlson
As another tool to stay connected to WAAE, we encourage you to start following them on Instagram @wa–ageducators. The WAAE website also includes resources for new teachers, information on how to join WAAE, district calendar to plan events, professional development opportunities, and provides details on all our WAAE traditions that help build a sense of community. We encourage you to check out the WAAE website to spark your interest and definitely bookmark the website in your favorites to access future WAAE conference information.
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We are excited to offer another graduate assistantship opportunity!
The Washington State University Agricultural Education program is seeking a qualified candidate for a graduate assistantship beginning Fall 2024. The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr. Anna Warner, and their primary responsibility will be to help implement the Soil to Society Research Internship Program and facilitate teacher professional development. Additional responsibilities include assisting with courses focused on teacher preparation, teaching methods, and managing career and technical student organizations (CTSOs). This candidate will also gain experience in research as they complete an agricultural education focused thesis project. This assistantship offers tuition waivers, health insurance, and a 9-month stipend with potential for summer compensation.
See attached flyer and posting for additional information and contact Anna Warner at anna.warner@wsu.edu if you have questions.
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We are thrilled to offer our second year of the Soil to Society Summer Research Program.
The Soil to Society Summer Research Program is an internship opportunity for motivated high school students to experience hands-on laboratory experience with a research team. Students will work in the agricultural and human health fields with leaders in research.
Students can expect to learn about scientific thinking and communication, research skills and best practices, and ethics in research. In addition, students will work on a research team where they will gain experience in discipline-specific, cutting-edge research. Students will finish the program by submitting a two-page research abstract and participating in a poster symposium.
Applications are open now and due February 29, 2024. For more information and to apply go to: https://www.soiltosociety.org/summer-research-opportunity
WSU staff are eager to host three CASE Institutes this summer on the WSU Pullman campus. For specific information about how you can take part in this professional development opportunity please check out the flyers. You can also contact Anna Warner anna.warner@wsu.edu and JD Baser jbaser@wsu.edu if you have any questions.
- Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (AFNR)
- July 8-12 in person, July 15-16 virtual
- Register by 2/29 to save $200
- Registration deadline: April 15
- Register at : www.case4learning.org
- Environmental Science Issues (ESI)
- July 8-12 in person
- Register by 2/29 to save $200
- Registration deadline: April 15
- Register at : www.case4learning.org
- Small Gas Engines (SGE) BriefCASE
- July 15-17, 2024
- Registration opening soon
- Register By May 1
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Each year, Washington state has openings for agricultural education teaching positions at various locations across the state. As openings for agricultural education teachers are made available this school year, please contact J.D. Baser, Associate Professor at Washington State University at jbaser@wsu.edu, to provide details on the posting. All openings submitted will be made available for anyone to access using the provided link. |
As FFA advisors you often need to add FFA members to your roster that you have recruited from your Ag Ed classes each spring. Please make sure to submit any FFA members that should be on your official roster by March 1 so that Washington FFA state staff can issue an invoice for your spring roster submission. This should include any FFA members planning to show animals at fairs this spring/summer as well. At any time you can also check to see that your FFA Chapter is in Good Standing by visiting the Washington FFA Association website. If you have any questions or need assistance in submitting a spring roster please contact Andy Zahl at andy@washingtonffa.org. Good luck to all your FFA members this spring as they participate in FFA events that help prepare them for life after high school!
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The 2024 FFA Award Application Review will take place at Ellensburg high school on Saturday, March 9 starting at 8:30 am. If you are interested in helping review Proficiency Awards, American Degrees and State Stars please fill out this survey so you can be added to the list. Make sure to indicate your experience level in reviewing applications.
Applications that are Due by March 1 include the following: State FFA Degrees, Proficiency Award Applications, State Star Applications, American FFA Degrees, State Officer Candidate, and National Officer Candidate. To assist you as FFA advisors Washington FFA state staff have updated many resources on the Washington FFA Association website
Following your final review please pick one person from your FFA district that will be responsible for submitting the results to Tamara Whitcomb at tamara.whitcomb@k12.wa.us by March 1. The applications that should be reviewed at the district level include State FFA Degrees, Proficiency Award Applications, and State Star Applications. Please utilize the New State FFA Degree Checklist to review your state degree applications at your district review. The district results should be submitted using the excel spreadsheet sent out. Make sure your students select "Complete/Save Your App" one final time to make sure all changes are made to their electronic version. A final review of all State and American FFA degrees will be completed by the State FFA Advisor before a list of recipients is published.
All applications should be submitted electronically to the state level using FFA.org or AET. If you have any American FFA Degree candidates, please send an email to Tamara Whitcomb at tamara.whitcomb@k12.wa.us and include a list of candidates so that we can ensure those applications are printed and reviewed at the March 9 application review. Please use the American Degree Checklist to assist your students in filling out the application.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please let us know.
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Thanks to the support of the Washington FFA Foundation, we are able to offer a second Member Leadership Series opportunity at WSU Vancouver on March 15-16. Registration is now open for that location. To register please access this link: https://form.jotform.com/240436845094157
Registration for the first MLS offering at the Red Lion Hotel in Ellensburg is now closed. Start time is 4:30pm on Friday and expected to end at 2:00pm on Saturday.
Each chapter is limited to bringing 8 students to allow room for more chapters to participate. Price per student is $35 which includes the conference and meals. Hotel rooms will be booked by the chapters. We have a room block and will share those details once attendees are confirmed.
The information required for our registration is student name, grade, and conference choice (based on grade level). Details for the conference material can be found at this link: https://washingtonffa.org/leadershipevents
Thank you for promoting leadership opportunities to your FFA members!
Each year the FFA Foundation sponsors monetary awards to FFA proficiency award winners and district and state star winners. Please encourage your students to take advantage of this opportunity by filling out award applications each year. If you or your student has any questions about how they receive their monetary award please contact Jesse Taylor our FFA Foundation Executive Director at jesse@washingtonffa.org
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American FFA Degree Cover Information
Please strongly encourage American FFA Degree candidates to check the contact information (email and phone number) on the cover page of their degree applications. Email addresses need to be accessible to them through October 2024. An active email address is vital for them to receive communications, instructions and information regarding approval of their degree applications; details on participating in the American FFA Degree Ceremony at national convention; and more. Encourage them to hit “refresh” on the advisor information section of the cover page to ensure it is as up-to-date as possible.
Career and Leadership Development Events
The 2023 exams and practicums have been posted to the relevant events “Past Tests and Practicums.” These are easily accessible from the CDE/LDE webpage. Note: An outside source provides the agronomy exam and answers, which are not available. A key to the food science exam is available to state staff only for use in state events. A reference key is provided for use in the classroom.
National FFA Agriscience Fair
Explore the National FFA Agriscience Fair manuscript example. This resource was developed to help middle and high school members create their agriscience fair manuscripts and features examples from previous projects, including high, middle, and low-scoring sections. Use this resource with the Agriscience Fair Award Program Handbook, Prequalifying Rubric and Scorecard, and the required written report template.
Last Chance to Apply for the New Century Farmer Conference
FFA Alumni ages 18-24 interested in production agriculture are invited to apply for the New Century Farmer Conference, which will be July 21-25, in Des Moines, Iowa. We’re also looking for conference facilitators. Apply to attend or facilitate by Thursday, Feb. 15. The New Century Farmer Student Engagement Grant is also available to help offset travel expenses.
Agricultural Proficiency Award 2024 Updates
The 2024 version of the Agricultural Proficiency Award Handbook is available on the Agricultural Proficiency Award program page of FFA.org. The new version includes all the updates made to the application and was released in detail in August. Please find a copy of that detailed release here.
The 2024 Scoring Rubrics for the 2024 Agricultural Proficiency Award application have also been posted to the Agricultural Proficiency Award program page of FFA.org. Click here to be linked directly to the folder.
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NAAE maintains an extensive awards program to recognize the accomplishments of our many talented and dedicated members. We have awards for agricultural educators in every stage of their careers, from scholarships to lifetime achievement. We also manage grant programs for organizations who want to help support agricultural education and agricultural educators.
To find out more about the awards and professional development opportunities available through NAAE check out the 2024 award application list and visit the website for more information.
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The Zoetis Industry Support Program is the long-standing local FFA chapter support program offered by Zoetis (formerly Pfizer) that sends grant money to chapters across the US based on sales of Zoetis products by local veterinarians, animal health product distributors, and dealers.
The program is open for enrollment now at: https://programdetails.zoetisus.com/FFA/asp/FFA_ContributionForm.asp. Local ag teachers and FFA members should connect with their local veterinarian(s), animal health product distributors, and dealers and share program information with them before asking them to sign up. Veterinarians need a chapter’s FFA ID number to complete sign up.
The program does not cost the local veterinarian, animal health product distributor, or dealer anything. All they have to do is sign up and their normal sales of Zoetis products are tracked and Zoetis at the corporate level writes a check to the FFA chapter(s) the enrollee identified to support. One veterinarian, animal health product distributor, or dealer can support up to five chapters.
We’d love to program participation numbers grow in your state. Advisors are encouraged to take pictures of their students interacting with their local veterinarian and/or animal health product dealer and share these pictures with Zoetis at: uslivestockcommunications@zoetis.com.
Sign up is open now through May 3, 2024.
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The second annual Washington Climate Education Summit, sponsored by ClimeTime, seeks to develop a network of interdisciplinary educators ready to integrate climate solutions and understanding across all content areas and levels of education. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about climate science and integrating climate learning into their classrooms and have time to collaborate across and within grade levels and content areas.
This event will be held at ESD 101 in Spokane on April 19–20, 2024. We are inviting K–12 educators and educator leaders from across the state to apply to attend with a short application. We hope to have voices from all across the state in all grade levels and content areas attend the Summit.
To apply to attend the Summit, please fill out the application. The priority deadline for this application is January 31, 2024. All applications are due by March 1, 2024. The conference is grant supported so there is no registration fee and the clock hours will also be free of charge. Travel, lodging, and substitute costs cannot be covered. Please see this support document to reference when discussing attendance with your district.
For more information on this event please contact:
Lori Henrickson, Climate Science Curriculum Integration Consultant, OSPI lori.henrickson@k12.wa.us
Johanna Brown, Associate Director; Secondary Science, OSPI johanna.brown@k12.wa.us
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