The Stillman Valley High School Agriculture Department was highlighted as the feature story in the Fall 2025 Volume 2, Issue 1 of Prairie Career Advocate.

The Prairie Career Advocate is a publication by The Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools, which focuses on career development for students in rural and small school districts. It highlights exemplary programs, shares success stories, and offers information to help schools improve their career and technical education offerings and align them with the needs of students and the local community.

The publication highlights both Lauren Waugh and Jay Williams’ backgrounds along with their struggles and accomplishments in the agricultural education space.

“To the FFA Advisors who came before me, thank you for the opportunity to return to my hometown and continue the longstanding tradition of Stillman Valley Agriculture and FFA,” Williams said. “Thank you to all of our agriculture community for your continued support and making this one of the best places for students to learn and grow in agriculture and FFA.”

“I feel very thankful that we had the opportunity to meet with John and his team. They did a fantastic job highlighting what our students are able to do, as well as some of the struggles that many small rural programs face,” Waugh said.

View the story here: airssedu.org/post/fall-2025-pca/.