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

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

PAAE Outsanding Early Career Educator: Janae McMichael @kjmcmichael

The Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators (PAAE) just wrapped up their summer conference for this year. PAAE spotlights Agriculture Educators and the work they do in and outside of classrooms. The passion Pennsylvania Agriculture teachers express through the work they do in their classrooms show in their students and communities across the state. Many awards and spotlights take place along with training for educators to further develop and engage themselves as teachers.

Among the great success of teachers, the Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize the great success of Janae McMichael, the recipient of the PAAE Outstanding Early Career Educator. Janae is part of a two-teacher Agriculture program (@GardenSpotFFA) at Lampeter-Strasburg High School in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The program offers many courses from Agriscience to Power, Structural and Technical Systems. Janae mentions "Like many programs across the country, our program is challenged by the consistently changing community. We work hard to be reflective practitioners as teachers, modeling that for our students. In doing this, we have the ability to listen to community and program supporters to reinforce the demands of the industry, making our agricultural program stay relevant in the community and, more importantly, relevant to our students." This is reflected by student potential to earn up to seven industry-recognized certifications in the program. Along with active Supervised Agricultural Expereiences (SAE) and interview experiences.

Students in Mrs. McMichael's program have unique opportunities to succeed including experiences through SAE's that help them to become marketable employees. Janae shares "Through experiential, work-based learning opportunities such as Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE), students have been given opportunities to gain the experience that employers desire to see in their future employees. Of our 192 active SAE’s, 65% of students are involved in a Placement or Employment-related project. 19% of students keep records on an Entrepreneurship project and 32% of students are exploring foundational agricultural concepts. The remaining 2% of students are conducting a research project based on the scientific method."

Community involvement is an important portion of the Agriculture program at Lampeter-Strasburg High School. The program is nearing its 90 year anniversary and with that there are a number of chapter alumni who are active supporters of curriculum development, CDE team resources, and SAE project assistance. They have been able to connect with various community members and alumni members to conduct mock interviews and helping students develop 21st-century skills. In addition, the Local Occupational Advisory Committee has been built with quality individuals from a wide range of industries and backgrounds. They volunteer their time and expertise for the betterment of the program.

Janae McMichael's advice to new Ag Teachers is to "Seize the moment. Your plate will likely always be full, but take advantages of the opportunities put in front of your to better yourself. Attend the workshop. Listen to the podcast. Join the webinar. Read the article. Ask the hard questions. Ask yourself frequently, what did I today, this week or this month to make myself better for the sake of my students? "

We are proud to see this Penn State Alumni's success and we know she will continue to build, engage, and share her passion as a Agricultural Educator. Your PAAE Outstanding Early Career Educator, Janae McMichael!

Agricultural & Extension Education

CPPD Student Worker

Penn State Class of 2023

Elizabethtown High School Teacher Named Ag Educator of The Year: Mark Anderson

Mark Anderson, a High School Agriculture Educator, at Elizabethtown High School in Lancaster County was named Pennsylvania’s Ag Educator of the Year as part of the 2019-2020 Golden Owl Awards. “Nationwide created the Golden Owl Award in 2018 to bring attention to the growing need for agricultural teachers in this country,” said Nationwide’s president of agribusiness, Brad Liggett.

Mr. Mark Anderson stood among four outstanding Agriculture Educator finalist from across the state in 4 different regions. In Pennsylvania, there were 98 nominations for 66 Agriculture teachers. There was a special surprise presentation for each of the 4 finalist as they were named a Golden Owl Award recipient in January. He was then selected to earn the Ag Educator of the Year Award for his profound impact on students, the community, and education that is recognized by many community members, colleagues, and supporters. In addition to this recognition, Mr. Anderson has recently been awarded from the Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators (PAAE) the Teacher Mentor Award Recipient for 2020. 

He has been recognized for this achievement by the Pennsylvania FFA Association, Nationwide Insurance, and The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. The award was given to Mr. Anderson and includes $3,000 to expand new educational opportunities to his program and students at Elizabethtown High School. Nationwide has also proudly invested $5,000 in each participating state’s FFA organization to further support aspiring agriculture professionals. Please help us in congratulating Mr. Mark Anderson on his achievement of receiving the 2020 Pennsylvania Ag Teacher of the Year Award!

Morgan Bear

CPPD Student Worker 

Agricultural & Extension Education

Class of 2023

Congratulations Brandon Witmer #psuaged20 Member Hired!

The Center for Professional Personnel Development congratulates Mr. Brandon Witmer for his most recent professional achievements. Brandon has been formally hired at Otto-Eldred Jr./Sr. High School as an Agricultural Educator. To learn more about this achievement and school, we asked Brandon a few questions.

Brandon grew up in State College, Pennsylvania, but will be making the move to McKean County in Northern Pennsylvania to begin his new position. Brandon began his time as a Penn State student at Penn State DuBois where he participated in the Wildlife Society and earned a background in Wildlife and Forestry. During Brandon's time as an Agricultural and Extension Education major at Penn State University Park, he was an active member of LEAD Society and an ambitious student. As a senior in the program, he interned with Ms. Laura Metrick at Conneaut Area Senior High School where he taught Ag Mechanics, Ag 1-4, and Ag Science. More specifically, Brandon was able to teach units that focused on Soil Science, Woodshop, Public Speaking, ARC Welding, Pesticides, Food Science, Small Gas Engines, Greenhouse Management, Wildlife, and Forestry. While his time at CASH was made more challenging during the national pandemic, Brandon sees the experience as a unique opportunity to learn and grow as an educator.

After having gained experience through his student teaching internship, Brandon is excited to begin his journey at Otto-Eldred Jr./Sr. High School. Since this is a brand new program, Brandon will be the sole Agricultural Educator with the help of a second teacher who will be teaching two General Agricultural Science courses. The creation of an agricultural program at Otto-Eldred stemmed from student and community interest in agriculture after the retirement of an Industrial Arts Educator. Otto-Eldred has a shop where Brandon sees potential for Welding, Woodshop, and Small Gas Engines instruction. Brandon will be teaching a total of six classes which include seventh and eighth grade Introduction to Agriculture/STEM, Wildlife/Forestry/Natural Resources, Ag Mechanics, Ag Engineering/Technologies, and a course Brandon believes will focus on Horticulture and Landscape Design. Being that Otto-Eldred is a new program brought about by community interest and support, Brandon is excited to see it grow to be strong and centered around the community. Additionally, due to the location of the program in McKean County, he believes the program will be strong in Natural Resources, surrounded by plenty of outdoor learning opportunities such as the Allegheny National Forest. "I know for a fact that we are all going to do amazing things and I cannot wait to be a part of it". 

When asked about any advice he might have for future and current Agricultural and Extension Education majors, Brandon is sure to emphasize that choosing Ag Ed was the best decision he has ever made. "There are a lot of fears going into any major but with Ag Ed, there are fears of student teaching, lesson planning, just teaching in general, and so much more. I promise if you do it right, you will be successful. What’s the right way? Don’t go through this alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Lean on your cohort members, teachers, faculty, and even alumni. We’ve all been there, done that. There is no reason for you to go through this journey alone. The more help you ask for and the more support you have, the greater of an impact you will have on your future students. We are all here to help and support you! Just ask!" 

Congratulations to Mr. Brandon Witmer on his new position at Otto-Eldred. We look forward to seeing your impact on this program, your students, and the agriculture industry.

Taylor Halbleib

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2022

PAAE Teacher Turn the Key Award Recipient Ms. Allyson Balmer

As the national shortage for Agricultural Educators continues to grow, now more than ever it is important to encourage those young educators who are working hard to support growing programs. In order to do so, each year the Pennsylvania Association for Agricultural Educators (PAAE) names one individual to be recognized with the Teacher Turn the Key Award for their dedication to their programs and professional development. The 2020 PAAE Teacher Turn the Key Award recipient is Ms. Allyson Balmer.

Ms. Balmer's decision to become an Agricultural Educator was threefold, "First, my love and learning of education. Second, my fierce passion for the agricultural industry. Third, my gratitude to the National FFA Organization". Throughout her academic career, Ms. Balmer had countless educators that inspired her daily, leading to her wanting to become an educator herself. She also has a love of learning as it opens endless opportunities for curiosity, self discovery, and career exploration. Ms. Balmer believes in the value of the agricultural industry, recognizing that society relies on it everyday, at least three times a day, and because of their dependency on the industry, it is imperative that students understand it to become informed consumers and advocates for agriculture. Finally, Ms. Balmer would not be who she is today without her high school agriculture program and FFA chapter. While these opportunities allowed her to travel, experience new cultures, and be a part of something bigger than herself, belonging to her own FFA Family was the most rewarding part of her high school experience.

"It is my goal, as FFA Advisor, to make the Tulpehocken FFA an inclusive organization where students can feel purpose and belonging". Tulpehocken's agricultural program strives to use inquiry-based, experiential learning opportunities to help students become familiar with the agricultural industry. By working to incorporate more Curriculum for Agriculture Science Education (CASE) into her classroom, Ms. Balmer's students are encouraged to use curiosity, discovery, and higher-order thinking skills to learn. Students that are a part of the Tulpehocken agriculture program are also able to engage in internships, career exploration, and skill attainment through their own Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's). The program also utilizes greenhouses, metal and wood shops, and the laboratory for research, projects, and hands-on learning to enhance the student's real world skills and material retention.

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Balmer's program is, "Blessed to have incredible community support from businesses, parents, school board, and administration". In order to give back to their community, the Tulpehocken Agricultural Education Program supervises a variety of events. During National FFA Week, they host a community appreciation breakfast for business representatives, parents, administration, and faculty of the community. They also hold a food drive to benefit the Bethel-Tulpehocken Food Pantry around the same time. Another event the program hosts is the Elementary Agriculture Adventure Day where they take all of the third graders in the district to a local robotic dairy farm to learn about how the business cares for the animals, environment, and land in addition to hearing from some guest speakers from NRCS, Master Gardeners, Berks County Extension Office, Center for Dairy Excellence, and Agricultural Veterinary Associates.

Ms. Balmer's advice to other new Agricultural Educators would be, "As a new agricultural teacher, you have so many different responsibilities and wear so many 'hats' each day. Never forget that it is okay to ask for help! There are dozens of Agricultural Educators across the state who are ready to help you, but you have to ask. Also, always know that if you are doing your best, that is enough. You do not have to be perfect or have a flawless teaching practice. If you are passionate and care about your profession and kiddos, you are already a rockstar!"

Congratulations again to Ms. Balmer on being awarded the 2020 PAAE Teacher Turn the Key Award. Thank you for serving as an inspiration to your students and other budding Agricultural Educators.

Taylor Halbleib

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2022

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