7th Annual Teach Ag! Essay Contest – Finalist Announcement!

The time has come to announce the 4 finalists of the 7^th Annual Teach Ag! Essay Contest! This year we had 52 participants from 22 different schools from across the state!

The Penn State Teach Ag! Essay Contest is an awesome opportunity for Ag students from across Pennsylvania to experience what it is like being an Ag teacher for a day. Students must pick an agriculture topic, develop a lesson plan and teach their class, and then write an essay answering the questions, “Why teach Ag?” and “What I learned as an Ag teacher for a day!” Students also have the option to create and submit a YouTube video about “why they would want to teach Ag” or “why they love their agriculture teacher.”

This event was created to promote an awareness of the national shortage of agricultural educators, and it has the ability to spark the interest of secondary agriculture students to become Ag Teachers. In addition to allowing students to explore the career of agricultural education, there are also some neat prizes for participating!

Each contestant receives a limited edition PSU Teach Ag! T-shirt and is invited to attend an ice cream social in their honor after the opening session of the State FFA Convention. In addition, the top four each receive a gift card for National FFA, and the first place winner also receives a free registration for a 2016 FFA Event of their choosing! 

And now, in no particular order, it is our pleasure to announce the top four finalists of the Teach Ag! Essay Contest:

Alaina Davis – Octorara Area High School

Agriscience Teacher: Ms. Jenna Moser

Thomas Gabel – Newport High School

Agriscience Teacher: Ms. Natalie Barkley

KamiLee Woodring – Bald Eagle Area High School

Agriscience Teacher: Mr. Todd Biddle

Bethany Comp – Greenwood

Agriscience Teacher: Mr. Michael Clark

Congratulations to the top four and all participants! We will announce the winner of the contest during the opening session of the Pennsylvania FFA State Convention at Penn State! Congratulations once again!

Rosalind Cowan

2018 Agricultural Education Student Teacher

Twitter Handle: @cowan_rosalind