Two individuals from the area were among four new Illinois agriculture education teachers recently recognized by the IAA Foundation as recipients of an Illinois Agricultural Education Teacher Grant.
Winchester High School’s Alexis Carroll and Pittsfield High School’s Emily Friese were presented the grant during a surprise announcement at each school.
The Illinois Farm Bureau, through its charitable arm, the IAA Foundation, created the Illinois Agricultural Education Teacher Grant Program in recognition of the need and value that supporting a first-year agriculture teacher has. Teachers were selected based on short- and long-term personal and agriculture program goals as well as their agriculture program accomplishments.
By invitation, Illinois agricultural education teachers completing their first year in the classroom applied for this grant. The amount of the grant payment will increase over the course of the teacher’s first five years in the classroom, up to $10,000 total in personal income, if they remain active as an agricultural education teacher in the state of Illinois. All told, the program will fund 32 teachers over a 12-year timeframe.
More program information can be found online at www.iaafoundation.org.