The Casper Journal :: Casper's Community Newspaper

The Casper College Agriculture Department is one of six programs nationwide to receive the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Outstanding Postsecondary/Adult Program Award.

The Casper College Agriculture Department, headed by Heath Hornecker, received the recognition in Las Vegas during the NAAE Annual Conference.

Emphasizing the worth of the individual student and focusing on areas of career education and academic performance for transfer students, the CC program strives to enable and encourage students to excel and fulfill their potential while growing in their knowledge and skills essential in the changing agricultural world, according to Hornecker.

“‘Learning by doing’ is an important teaching strategy that I and instructors Tom Parker, Marty Finch and Kolby Burch employ with students. Much of that ‘learning by doing’ is employed in the field, working with global positioning systems (GPS), livestock presentations, range ecologies labs and soil science activities,” Hornecker said.

In addition, some of the most influential learning for students comes in the form of on-the-job training.

“We pride ourselves in the cooperative effort we have with several employers in the community to assist in the development of students and graduates.

“Students frequently seek employment following graduation with businesses they have made contact with during their education,” Hornecker says.

“In the Casper College Agricultural Department, we believe that the most successful students are not only those that excel in the classroom, but also are the ones that actively participate in activities that are offered on campus,” Hornecker noted.

“The staff and students of the agriculture program at Casper College are an extremely driven and talented group of individuals who give freely of their time and talents for the betterment of all students,” says Mike Wallace, former president of the Washington Association of Agriculture Educators.

The Casper College Agricultural Department, along with the five other regional winners, received a plaque, cash award, expense-paid trip to attend the NAAE Annual Conference in Las Vegas and a new Toyota Tundra.

Toyota sponsors the Outstanding Postsecondary/Adult Program Award as a special project of the FFA Foundation. NAAE is the professional association for agricultural educators.

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