COLUMBUS — The 10 finalists for Ohio’s Golden Owl Award were recently announced. Nominations for the state’s best agricultural teachers were collected from Sept. 1-Dec. 31, 2023 from local students, parents, fellow teachers and community members across Ohio.
The finalists are: Jessie Schulze, Delta FFA; Tod Fox, Ashland FFA; Tom Mazzaro, Pymatuning Valley FFA; Julie Stawowy, Old Fort FFA; Dena Wuebker, Versailles FFA; Tom Jolliff, North Union FFA; Caleb Hickman, Utica FFA; Tyler Lones, Sheridan FFA; Chyann Kendel, Talawanda-Butler Tech FFA; and Rob Brokaw, New Lexington FFA.
Each finalist was presented with a plaque in front of fellow teachers and students and received a $1,500 donation to their school’s agricultural program to support future educational efforts. Next, they’ll be entered into a final selection stage for the chance to be crowned as Ohio’s Ag Educator of the Year, earning an additional $5,000 contribution to their school’s agriculture program and the coveted Golden Owl Award trophy.
Nationwide established the Golden Owl Award to honor the contributions of teachers and support their programs with additional resources to assist their continued educational efforts. This year, the award program honors outstanding ag educators in 11 states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.
In conjunction with the Golden Owl Award, Nationwide is also donating $5,000 to the Ohio FFA to further support the personal and professional growth of students, teachers and advisors alike.
