National honor bestowed on Lind ag program

Lind High School agriculture program received a plaque for being the Region One Outstanding Middle/Secondary School Agricultural Educational Program for 2010-2011 on Monday, Nov. 28, at the high school.

Andy Williams, the agriculture teacher, received the award in St. Louis, Mo., at a National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) conference on Nov. 16. This specific award is sponsored by the National FFA Alumni Association and is only given to six programs nationwide.

In order to apply for this award, the school’s agriculture program had to be nominated and Lind’s program was chosen by the Washington Association of Agricultural Educators to represent the state of Washington.

Williams then had to fill out an extensive application that covered aspects of his program such as his teaching philosophy, experimental learning in the classroom, student organizations, partnerships and professional growth. Williams has been teaching the Lind agriculture program since 2005 and he was nominated as Outstanding Agriculture Teacher for the state this year.

In his application for the award, Williams discussed how the agriculture program at Lind focuses on production agriculture, business management and career preparedness. He covers topics in his courses such as livestock and meat production, crop and soil science and greenhouse management.

But what makes the Lind agriculture program unique is that Williams also teaches topics such as economics, financial analysis, personal and business finance and advanced leadership. These topics are not usually immediately associated with an agriculture program, but all of these skills are necessary to having a successful agricultural operation.

In order to receive the actual award, Williams was provided with an all-expense paid trip to St. Louis to attend the NAAE convention. He was presented with the plaque at a dinner in honor of the award recipients when he arrived and spent the rest of the week attending the convention.

The conference focused on professional development, leadership and educational programs. The Association for Career and Technical Education led a general session and also had an expo at the conference. Williams said that one thing he wanted to apply to his program that he learned at the convention is technology in the classroom.

Williams stressed the importance that the award is not an FFA chapter award, not a teacher award, but it is an agriculture program award. “This doesn’t happen without students, parent support, school administration and everyone else who supports this program,” said Williams.

Over 80 percent of the Lind students are enrolled in at least one agricultural class and over 50 percent of the students are active FFA members. The Lind community itself employs over 80 percent of their residents in agriculture-related jobs, and the success of the agriculture program in Lind shows that students are receiving hands-on experience in agriculture.