Shine
you take medicine, live in a house or write with a pencil, you
need agriculture.”
Every single school in America should teach agricultural
education. Even now, our own Tommie Williams from
Lyons, Georgia, is in Rome, Italy, representing the United
States at the United Nations agencies, Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and World Food Program (WFP). As
Minister Counselor of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations
on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tommie
meets with world leaders to discuss global agricultural issues
like how to feed the world in the midst of war, famine and
population explosion. Before Tommie was a State Senator,
he was a farmer. And after he was a State Senator, he went
back to farming. This time, he planted olive trees and
harvested the olives for olive oil. I’m of the opinion that the
qualification for his position (and every other position in
government if anyone’s asking), ought to
be that you’ve put a seed in
the dirt and ate what it
grew.
According to www.ffa.org, Agricultural Education
involves three important components: Classroom/Laboratory
instruction (contextual learning); Supervised Agricultural
Experience programs (work-based learning); and Student
leadership organizations (National FFA Organization,
National Young Farmer Educational Association and National
Post-secondary Agricultural Student Organization).
“Through our FFA program, we take the skills we teach
in class and use them to compete in regional, state, and
national competitions. If they’re learning floral design in
class or welding, or whatever, they get to go to competitions
where they have to apply those skills. Over the years, I’ve
had students advance to State and Nationals, but mostly I’m
proud of the many students who have excelled locally as good
citizens in our community,” said Mark.
This past October, twenty-five students from TCHS
traveled to Indianapolis for a four-day FFA convention. “We
have three students this year receiving their American FFA
degree, which is the highest honor an FFA member can be
bestowed: Chasity Denmark, Stormy Knight, and Jackie
Swaringim.” These trips are not limited to those who are
going to compete. Any member of FFA is invited.
The benefits of Ag education are not just for those who
can or want to work in agriculture. “It doesn’t matter if
they are working at Hardees or cutting grass, we're teaching
communication skills, life skills, and finances. We try to
teach them a lot of things through FFA that will help them
throughout life.”
As the student population and Agriculture program
expanded at TCHS, more Ag teachers were needed. Joey
Montford is now the Forestry teacher and Young Farmer
Advisor, Tommell Wilcox teaches Agricultural Mechanics, and
Mrs. Beth Galloway is the middle school Agriculture teacher.
“Our department has grown quite a bit over the years,” said
Hometown Living At Its Best 95
“...we're teaching
communication skills,
life skills, and finances.
We try to teach them
a lot of things through
FFA that will help them
throughout life,”
said Mark.
/www.ffa.org