Erin Wollett '15: “There are few things that I value and take pride in more than my time spent at Wilmington College”
Erin Wollett models her teaching style on what she learned at Wilmington College and, now only in her fourth year teaching, was selected among the top 10 agriculture educators in Ohio.
PICTURED: Erin Wollett (RIGHT) poses with members of Cardington-Lincoln's FFA chapter at the National FFA Convention.
The 2015 WC graduate in agriculture education is a finalist for the Golden Owl Award in a competition established this year by Nationwide Insurance and its partners, the Ohio Farm Bureau and the Ohio and Iowa Future Farmers of America (FFA). It’s designed to bring attention to the importance of agriculture education.
Wollett was selected from 153 nominees in Ohio. As a finalist, she received a $500 prize and the chance for $3,000 if, in April, she is named the Golden Owl Award recipient as Ohio’s Ag Educator-of-the-Year.
She is an agriculture educator and FFA adviser at Cardington-Lincoln High School in Cardington, Ohio. One of her students nominated her for the award, stating, “She is always there for all of her students and never gives up on any of us.”
The Golden Owl finalist recognition came in December on the heels of Wollett receiving a 2018 Teachers Turn the Key Award. She was a member of a select group of agriculture teachers nationwide who earned a National Association of Agricultural Educators’ professional development scholarship to the organization’s annual convention in San Antonio, Tex., Nov. 27 through Dec. 1.
The scholarship brought together agricultural educators with two to four years of experience and immersed them in three days of professional development that addressed issues specific to the early years of teaching agriculture.
Wollett’s goal is to help “ignite my students’ passion” for agriculture by creating an effective environment for hands-on learning. If that sounds like a familiar mantra from her days at Wilmington College, it’s just that. She was a student who took advantage of not only the experiential learning opportunities inherent in her academic areas of education and agriculture, but she also embraced chances for leadership development with campus organizations and the expansion of knowledge offered through traveling abroad.
“There are few things that I value and take pride in more than my time spent at Wilmington College,” she said.
Wollett hearkened the hands-on learning, personal support and individualized education offered at Wilmington College as “fuelling” her career in agricultural education.
“I believe it is so important that every child feels valued and encouraged so they can accomplish whatever goals or dreams they have for themselves,” she said. “I strive every day to echo that feeling in my classroom.”
Wollett is effusive in her high regard for Cardington-Lincoln as a school with a strong history and reputation for agricultural education. That tradition of success has continued under her leadership as the FFA chapter she advises has earned gold ratings each year, ranked among the state’s top 10 chapters and has been distinguished as a premier chapter in the areas of growing leaders and building communities.
In addition, she has coached FFA teams and individuals to find success in state competitions and has traveled with students to state and national FFA conventions, as well as to Orlando, Chicago and Honduras for “hands-on, cultural learning” experiences.
“The high caliber of expectations has pushed me and challenged me to be the best person and best teacher that I can be,” she said. “I am thankful for that consistent drive — it has helped me grow in my career and grow my own expectations.
“I couldn’t imagine teaching anywhere else (than Cardington-Lincoln). I am so happy to have found this home so early in my career.”