Badger High School teacher Candice Olson received the Agriscience Teacher of the Year award from the Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators.
Olson received the award June 26 at the Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators professional development conference in Green Bay. The National Agriscience Teacher of the Year award recognizes teachers who have inspired and enlightened their students through engaging and interactive lessons in the science of agriculture.
Olson attended the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and received a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture education with a minor in horticulture. She also has her master’s degree in Natural Resource Management and Environmental Science and a certification in biology. She has been teaching for seven years. In 2009, she was a DuPont Agri Science Ambassador and also presented workshops at the National FFA Convention and at the National Association of Agricultural Educators and Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators conferences on inquiry science in the classroom.
Olson received the Teachers Turn the Key scholarship, was last year’s Region III National Association of Agricultural Educators Outstanding Young Member and was also selected as the Fullbright Scholar and served as a United States delegate to Germany in 2012. She strives to include hands-on, inquiry-based learning, problem-solving skills and to promote higher level thinking skills throughout her coursework. Furthermore, she developed a chapter exchange program with an FFA advisor in Oklahoma. This award is sponsored by the Dairy Farm Families of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
The Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators is the professional association for agricultural educators in Wisconsin. Members include 295 middle school, high school, technical college and university educators. The focus of the association is to provide professional development, legislative support, and educational resources for teachers to enhance their local agriculture education programs.
For more information about local agriculture education programs and to find out how to support agriculture in the community, contact the local agriculture education instructor or call Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators at (262) 224-7553.
