PAAE Outstanding Teacher Award Recipient Ms. Holly Oberholtzer

"Outstanding agricultural educators are innovators and catalysts for student success in agricultural education" which is why, each year, the Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators chooses an individual who embodies these qualities to receive an award for their contributions to Agricultural Education in Pennsylvania. This year, the 2020 Outstanding Teacher Award Recipient is Ms. Holly Oberholtzer. 

Ms. Oberholtzer began at Penn State Berks as a History Education major, but her strong roots in the agriculture industry led to switch her major to Agricultural and Extension Education, though she still incorporates her interests in history and political science in her classroom today by entwining current issues and trends in the news into different agricultural topics. Ms. Oberholtzer decided to become an Agricultural Educator because she has wanted to be a teacher since elementary school. "Having a parent and older siblings participate in the FFA and Agricultural Education at Ephrata High School, it seemed only natural that I follow the same road", says Ms. Oberholtzer. While in high school, she thoroughly enjoyed her classes and experiences in FFA. These fond memories even serve as examples for her as to how she can guide and improve her own program, today. In 2007, Ms. Oberholtzer began teaching at Lampeter-Strasburg High School as a student teacher and was hired soon after she graduated college as a full-time Agricultural Educator. Lampeter-Strasburg is a two-teacher program which teaches Agricultural Education courses as electives under the school's Practical Arts Department and serves approximately 150 students. Additionally, this program teaches ten different courses and is home to the Gardenspot FFA chapter along with a junior FFA program. In this program, the high school FFA members are responsible for conducting lessons for the middle school students.

Lampeter-Strasburg is home to Gardenspot FFA where each of Ms. Oberholtzer's students have the opportunity to engage in Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's). Many of her students have unique interests with working with youth, so Ms. Oberholtzer helped them connect with different elementary teachers from across the school district. In their placements, these students work to plan mini-lessons based in agriculture and teach them to the elementary school students they work with. In addition to these unique SAE's, Ms. Oberholtzer takes the time to attend Inquiry-Based Learning Conferences and Lancaster's STEM Alliance's Externship at Eurofins Lancaster Labs where she has learned valuable skills that she is able to apply in the classroom.

To remain involved in the community, the Gardenspot FFA chapter helps to set up and clean up the local fair each year. They also are involved in the Strasburg Shade Tree Program. Here the students help community members plant container and balled-burlapped trees along the streets of the community. Additionally, the members organized a Local Farmer and Supporter Breakfast for those who work each day to support Ms. Oberholtzer's program. Gardenspot FFA has also helped to organize a Community Blood Drive and Pot Pie Meal MiniThon Fundraiser this past February in honor of a member who has bone cancer.

One of the biggest challenges Ms. Oberholtzer has faced in her career has been miscommunication with the parents of her students. On the other hand, one of the biggest triumphs in her career has been hearing about the success and careers of former students."I love fair week when I see so many of them blooming with families and success, employment and careers". A few words of wisdom that Ms. Oberholtzer has to share with new Agricultural Educators is, "Allow yourself to fail, adjust, achieve, fail, adjust... it is important to be flexible and to continue to grow as an educator. Use information from other teachers, but don't compare results. Each program, teacher, students, community, etc. is different". 

Congratulations again to Ms. Holly Oberholtzer for being awarded the 2020 PAAE Outstanding Teacher Award and wish her luck as she applies for a regional award with the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE).

Taylor Halbleib

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2022