Agriculture educators play a vital role within their communities by investing countless hours to prepare and empower students for successful careers in the industry. To honor their contributions and support them with additional resources, the California FFA Foundation, in partnership with Nationwide and the California Farm Bureau, are accepting nominations for California’s leading agricultural teachers for a chance to be named as the 2023-2024 Ag Educator of the Year.
Nationwide and its state partners recently recognized 64 exceptional agricultural teachers as 2022-2023 Golden Owl Award® finalists and then honored nine grand prize winners as their state’s Ag Educator of the Year. Every finalist received $500 in funding to help advance their programs and the grand prize winners received an additional $3,000 to boost their efforts and the coveted Golden Owl Award trophy.
Nominate any California agriculture educator for the 2023-2024 Golden Owl Award from September 1 through January 16.
“The Golden Owl Award seeks to thank agricultural teachers for the extraordinary care they bring to their work as they go above and beyond in educating America’s youth and future leaders,” said Brad Liggett, president of Agribusiness at Nationwide. “We encourage students, parents, fellow teachers and others to nominate their agricultural teachers to acknowledge their hard work.”
Following the nomination period closing on January 16, a selection committee will evaluate nominations and select six finalists in California, who will be recognized in front of their peers and students and awarded with a personalized plaque and $500. One finalist will then be chosen as the grand prize winner, earning the 2023-2024 Ag Educator of the Year title for California and receiving the coveted Golden Owl Award trophy and an additional $3,000 to help fund future educational efforts.
“Ag teachers are the heartbeat of FFA programs, nurturing the seeds of knowledge, cultivating leadership, and sowing the future of agriculture with passion and dedication,” explains Katie Otto, Executive Director of Development for the California FFA Foundation. “We are proud to support an awards program that recognizes the immeasurable value of agricultural teachers in shaping students, schools, and communities.”
Nationwide supports the future of the ag community through meaningful sponsorships of national and local organizations. In conjunction with the Golden Owl Award, Nationwide is donating $5,000 to each participating state’s FFA, including the California FFA, to further support the personal and professional growth of students, teachers and advisors alike.
To nominate a teacher or learn more about the Golden Owl Award, visit GoldenOwlAward.com.
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