WIU’s agricultural education program awarded by NAAE – Western Illinois University news

WIU’s agricultural education program awarded by NAAE

August 6, 2021

MACOMB, IL – Western Illinois University’s agricultural education program recently received the Region 4 Outstanding Post Secondary Agriculture Program award from the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE).

Additionally, WIU alumnus Trent Taber ’15 was honored for completing the “Outstanding Middle / High School Agriculture Program” at Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Illinois. Riley Hintzsche ’14 was shortlisted for the “Outstanding Early Career Teacher” award for her work at Streator High School, but was not shortlisted. He was the winner of the State of Illinois, which made him eligible for the Region 4 award.

“We were thrilled and honored that a triple threat from the WIU represents the State of Illinois in the NAAE Region 4 competition,” said Andy Baker, principal of the WIU School of Ag.

NAAE Region 4 includes six states, including Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. Baker said the first step in the process is to be selected by the Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers (IAVAT) to represent the state of Illinois. The recipient must then put together an application file to take the regional competition.

Entries from the six states in Region 4 are then evaluated and a winner is selected. NAAE announces the regional winners as their national selections. Regional winners will be recognized at the NAAE conference in New Orleans during the first week of December.

Taber and Hintzsche are both graduates of the WIU agricultural education program and Baker said both have worked very hard to be recognized by both IAVAT and the NAAE organizations.

“The award for the outstanding post-secondary agriculture program accurately reflects the type of students this program attracts,” he said. “They are humble and hardworking people who genuinely care about the success of their students. This is an award that all graduates of WIU Agricultural Education can be proud of and share. Teaching is a challenging profession and rewarding, so if you work hard you will be recognized for your efforts. “

For more information on the WIU School of Agriculture, visit wiu.edu/ag.

Posted by: WIU News ([email protected])
University Relations Office