Streator ag program chosen to represent region in national conference

The Streator agriculture program was named the regional winner of the Outstanding Secondary Agricultural Program for Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan and will represent the region at the 2023 National Association of Agricultural Educators Conference in Phoenix, Arizona this fall.

Each year, ag programs across the nation can be nominated to apply for several awards from the National Association of Agricultural Educators. Each state ag teacher association selects one program in the state to advance to the regional level, which is then judged among the other states. Illinois resides in Region IV, which consists of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. There are 354 ag programs in Illinois alone.

In June, the Streator ag program was named the the state winner of the Outstanding Secondary Agricultural Program. Earlier this month, judging took place to choose the best program from Region IV.

The main concepts of the application include the following: Teacher Professional Growth, Marketing of the Ag Program, Partnerships within the Community, Student Leadership, Experiential Learning Among Students, Program Mission and Community and Program Overview.

The last line of Streator’s application said the following: “A common phrase that is shared in the Streator Ag Department is ‘It Takes a Village.’ After almost 90 years, we know it is our ‘village’ of Streator that has kept the ag program alive and thriving. Although times have changed drastically, we know those traditional values still impact the program today. As we continue to invest in the agricultural education program, we know that it will not only take the advisors and the students, but also our ‘village’ to lead Streator Agricultural Education into the next generation.”