BATH, SD – Agricultural educators serve a critical role in their communities, devoting countless hours to prepare students for successful careers and help them pursue their passions. To honor their contributions and support them with additional resources, Nationwide and the SD FFA Foundation are accepting nominations for South Dakota’s leading agricultural teachers for a chance to be named as the 2022-2023 Ag Educator of the Year.
The Golden Owl Award was first presented in 2018 by recognizing the contributions of Iowa and Ohio agricultural teachers. As a result of the positive response from the communities in which Golden Owl Award nominees make a difference, the Golden Owl Award has since expanded to recognize outstanding educators across seven states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Now in 2022-2023, the award is expanding again to include Nebraska and South Dakota.
Nominate any South Dakota agriculture educator for the 2022-2023 Golden Owl Award October 1st through Dec 31 at https://bit.ly/SDGoldenOwl.
“The Golden Owl Award seeks to thank agricultural teachers for the extraordinary care they bring to their work as they go above and beyond in educating America’s youth and future leaders,” said Brad Liggett, Nationwide’s president of Agribusiness. “We encourage students, parents, fellow teachers and others to nominate their favorite agricultural teachers to acknowledge their hard work.”
Following the nomination period, closing December 31, a selection committee will evaluate nominations and select seven finalists in South Dakota who will receive an individualized plaque and $500. One finalist will then be chosen as the grand prize winner, earning the 2022-2023 Ag Educator of the Year title for South Dakota and receiving the coveted Golden Owl Award trophy and $3,000 to help fund future educational efforts.
In conjunction with the Golden Owl Award, Nationwide is donating $5,000 to each participating state’s FFA organization, including South Dakota, to further support the personal and professional growth of students, teachers and advisors alike.
To nominate a teacher or learn more about the Golden Owl Award, visit GoldenOwlAward.com.
The Golden Owl Award is the result of partnerships between Nationwide, the South Dakota FFA Foundation, California FFA, California Farm Bureau, Illinois FFA, Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers, Farm Credit Illinois, Indiana FFA, Farm Credit Mid-America, the Iowa FFA Foundation, New York FFA, New York Farm Bureau, Ohio FFA, Ohio Farm Bureau, AgCredit, Pennsylvania FFA, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Compeer Financial, Nebraska FFA Foundation and Nebraska Agricultural Educators Association.
