The following is this week’s I AM, YOU ARE, WE ARE Honoree by Jodie Ingram
It is an honor to announce this week’s I am, You are, We are recipient and the 2024 East Central Region Teacher of the Year, Stacey Rickard.
Stacey Rickard is an Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at Salt Fork High School. Stacey grew up on a large grain farm in Catlin. She never intended on pursuing a career in agriculture until she joined the FFA. Joining the FFA, an organization dedicated to empowering youth through agricultural education, she discovered various paths of agriculture that she never knew existed. As a teacher, it is her goal to pay it forward to inspire, to educate, and empower the next generation of agricultural leaders. Through her guidance and mentorship, she hopes to ignite the same spark of curiosity and passion in her students, showing them that there is a place for each and every one of them. She never wants a student to leave her classroom wishing they knew more. She strives to push students out of their comfort zone and help them grow with hands on experiences.
Speaking of hands-on experiences, Stacey and her FFA students were recently involved in an amazing sustainability project. The students came up with both the idea and action plan for the project. The project required the repurposing of old tires. The students sent their plan out to the community and requested a donation of old/used tires. The community responded and they quickly found themselves with over 500 tires! The students took these tires and turned them into dog beds for local animal shelters and raised ABC Gardens for the schools. Another great example of providing fun and educational experiences for the students is the upcoming summer FFA trip to Ireland!
Stacey loves what she does, and she loves her students. It has been a dream come true to come back and teach where she grew up. She attests that she has the best students in the county! She couldn’t see herself teaching or living anywhere else! Stacey currently lives in her family farmhouse from the 1850’s. She finds it interesting that she is stepping on the same ground that her ancestors once did. She often wonders what their views from the window looked like and how much has changed over time.
As the winds of change blow and the sun sets on another day, the legacy of Stacey Rickard’s impact continues to bloom, a testament of a dedicated teacher to change lives and inspire greatness. Thank you, Stacey Rickard, for your passion, dedication, and belief in the potential of every student. Thank you for planting the seeds for the next generation of agricultural leaders!
If you have someone you would like to share,
visit https://forms.gle/deCPiQ1cxn1pDLhZ9
or contact Ashton Greer, City of Danville agreer@cityofdanville.org
or Jodie Ingram, Vermilion Advantage jingram@VermilionAdvantage.com
