Monday, August 24, 2020

Kayla Stauffer is Tagged to Teach Ag! at Mount Union Area High School

Recent Penn State Agricultural & Extension Education graduate Kayla Stauffer has been hired at Mount Union Area High School in Mount Union, PA. Kayla is originally from Lancaster, PA and she graduated from Lampeter-Strasburg High School where she was actively involved in the Garden Spot FFA Chapter. She did not have her career goal set out to be an Agriculture Educator. Kayla says "I always thought that I was going to be a veterinarian, I love animals and love taking care of them. I enrolled in the Veterinary Science course at my high school and fell in love with not only veterinary medicine but the National FFA organization and all aspects of agriculture. I continued to take agriculture courses all four years of high school." Through being a part of the Agriculture Education program at Lampeter-Strasburg is where Kayla was able to learn more about her passion for agriculture and try new activities. The National Teach Ag! Essay Contest was brought to her attention and she decided to try her hand at teaching an agriculture class. She states "After teaching one period of Veterinary Science in 11th grade, I knew that I wanted to teach and knew that I specifically wanted to Teach Ag!"

After graduating high school Kayla attended the Pennsylvania State University Altoona Campus. Here she got involved in the Penn State Altoona Ag Club and Altoona Cheer-leading. At the University Park Campus Kayla became involved in the Club Cheer-leading Squad and served as a Penn State Teach Ag! Avenger. During her student teaching period she branched out and decided to travel to Boonsboro, Maryland where Kayla taught under Mrs. Quinn Cashell-Martin. She gained experience teaching Introduction to Agriculture, Power Mechanics 1 & 2, Greenhouse Management, Floral Design, and a Forestry and Soils course. 

Kayla is now eager to start her journey at Mount Union Area High School. She will be a part of a new three-teacher program. Her class schedule consists of courses including Introduction to Wood Products and Technology, Advanced Wood shop/Cabinetry, Small Gas Engines, and Agriculture Mechanics. When asking Kayla about some of her classroom goals she said "I have numerous goals that I would like to achieve throughout the next several years, but the main goal that I want to achieve is creating an incredible relationship with the special education department and finding ways to include those students in the FFA program and our agriculture courses." In addition, Kayla is excited to be teaching Agriculture Mechanics courses because she did not take any shop classes throughout her high school career, but overtime gaining more experience in the shop she has fallen in love with the content through the courses at Penn State and her student teaching experience. Kayla expresses one thing she is excited for which is to challenge herself with learning more wood working content and coming up with innovative ways to work with the other teachers by combining all of the course content and assisting each another. When asked one piece of advice she had for Ag Ed majors Kayla said "Be yourself. Don’t worry about what the rest of your cohort or the graduates before you have done or are doing, bring your own personality into the classroom and into the educator that you want to become."

The Center for Professional Personnel Development is excited to see what great learning experiences Kayla will offer to her students. Congratulations again on being hired at Mount Union Area High School, you will positively impact the Agriculture Education Program and its students. Best of luck Kayla!








Morgan Bear
CPPD Student Worker
Agricultural & Extension Education
Class of 2023

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Thomas Gabel Awarded Student Leader Scholarship Through the Dairy Excellence Foundation

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize Thomas Gabel for recently being selected to receive the Dairy Excellence Foundation Student Leader Scholarship. Each year the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Dairymen's Association offer ten $3,000 scholarships to undergraduate students annually to directly support students education.


These scholarships provide recognition, encouragement, and financial assistance to outstanding students enrolled in academic programs that support the dairy industry. Students must show a commitment to the dairy industry and the to the future of dairy producers. Brittany Snyder the dairy education program manager at the Dairy Excellence Foundation states, "The process of awarding this year’s Student Leader Scholarships was very competitive, with so many students making an impact on the future of dairy. These 10 recipients represent true leadership and excellence. They excel academically, are forward-thinking in and out of the classroom, and are dedicated to using their education to advance the dairy industry." 


We are so proud of Thomas for his hard work and dedication to the dairy industry throughout his life. Growing up on a dairy farm Thomas gained experiences where he learned how to make breeding and management decisions along with facing challenges that he helped his family to overcome with the industry. Thomas aspires to impact the next generation of students and be a life-long advocate for the dairy industry as a teacher. He believes education is key to correcting consumer misconceptions. His goal is to create opportunities for students of all backgrounds to make a connection to the dairy industry through an immersive learning environment. 

Thomas quotes "To me, this scholarship is a reminder of the dairy industry that has developed me into who I am today and serves as a motivator to continue cultivating dairy excellence in my role as a future educator.”

We know Thomas will become a great Agriculture Educator as he plans to graduate in 2022 with a degree in Agricultural & Extension Education and a minor in International Agriculture. His future is bright and he will continue to impact students in the classroom as he achieves his goals. Congratulations, Thomas on being selected to receive the 2020 Student Leader Scholarship. Find out more about Thomas by following his Twitter @gabel_thomas.




Morgan Bear
CPPD Student Worker
Agricultural & Extension Education
Class of 2023