Illinois Farm Bureau

09/23/2024 | Press release | Archived content

Agricultural Education Teachers Named to Beginning Teacher Grant ProgramPress Releasenews releaseIAA foundation

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION TEACHERS NAMED TO
BEGINNING TEACHER GRANT PROGRAM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 26, 2022

CONTACT:
Jennifer Smith
Development Manager, IAA Foundation
309-557-2232
[email protected]

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - As Illinois continues to face an agricultural education teacher shortage, the IAA Foundation is recognizing a group of beginning ag teachers for their efforts in the field.

This month, four Illinois ag teachers were selected as recipients of the Agricultural Education Teacher Grant Program: Mason Fesser, Nokomis High School, Nokomis; Lexi Hilliker, Pecatonica High School, Pecatonica; Kylie Miller, Prairie Central High School, Fairbury; and Tyson Stork, Prairie Central High School, Fairbury.

Teachers were selected based on excellent efforts in the classroom, as well as strong short- and long-term personal and agriculture program goals.

Each school helped orchestrate surprise announcements for their recipient. "Recognizing these new ag teachers in front of their students, family and administration highlights the outstanding effort they put into their classrooms," said Jennifer Smith, Development Manager, IAA Foundation. "It's just one way to reinforce how the ag community supports educators."

Recognizing the need and value in supporting first-year agriculture teachers, Illinois Farm Bureau, through its charitable arm, the IAA Foundation, created the Illinois Agricultural Education Teacher Grant Program. All told, the program will fund 32 teachers over a 12-year timeframe.

Illinois agricultural education teachers completing their first year in the classroom are eligible to apply for this grant. The amount of the grant payment will increase over the course of the teacher's first five years in the classroom, up to $10,000 total in personal income, if they remain active as an agricultural education teacher in the state of Illinois.

More program information can be found online at www.iaafoundation.org under "Our Mission at Work."

###

Illinois Agricultural Education Teacher Grant Recipients: Top row left to right: Kylie Miller Prairie Central High School, Fairbury; Right: Mason Fesser, Nokomis High School, Nokomis; Bottom row: Lexi Hilliker, Pecatonica High School, Pecatonica; Tyson Stork, Prairie Central High School, Fairbury.