Carson High School agriculture teacher, Charlie Mann, selected for professional development scholarship

NEW ORLEANS — Charlie Mann, agricultural educator at Carson High School is one of a select group of agriculture teachers nationwide who received the 2015 Teachers Turn the Key professional development scholarship. As a scholarship recipient, Mann attended the National Association of Agricultural Educators annual convention in New Orleans, Nov. 17-21.

The Teachers Turn the Key scholarship brings together agricultural educators with four or fewer years of experience and immerses them in three days of professional development that addresses issues specific to the early years of teaching agriculture. Participants also have the opportunity to become involved in NAAE leadership and network with other NAAE convention attendees. TTTK awardees come away from the experience with a long-lasting peer cohort and tools that will help them have successful careers as agricultural educators.

Mann has been the agriculture instructor and Capitol FFA advisor at Carson High School for two years. Along with learning diverse agricultural content, his students are able to connect their classroom material to current and applicable topics through discussions and classroom projects. This encourages students to advocate for agriculture in their community and represent the industry with pride. The caliber and number of student work experiences at Capitol FFA has grown since Mann moved into the program. Students are currently involved in livestock production projects supervised by Mann, work experiences at The Greenhouse Project through AmeriCorps, and joint projects between school organizations including the welding, floral, computer graphics, and culinary departments. Through these partnerships, Mann has been able to promote agriculture and diverse career opportunities within the industry, encouraging leadership and teamwork along the way.

“Mr. Mann’s desire for ensuring that his students reach their fullest potential is evidenced by the achievements of his students – both in school and out of school. He encourages, councils, and cares for all students and takes an active role in their success not only in the agriculture program but in their academics as well,” said Michele Lewis, Director of Career and Technical Education Programs at Carson City School District.

In addition to attending professional development, each of the TTTK scholarship recipients was also recognized at a general session during the NAAE convention. RAM Trucks sponsors the TTTK program as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

NAAE is the professional organization in the United States for agricultural educators. It provides its’ nearly 8,000 members with professional networking and development opportunities, professional liability coverage, and extensive awards and recognition programs. The mission of NAAE is “professionals providing agricultural education for the global community through visionary leadership, advocacy and service.”

The NAAE headquarters are in Lexington, Ky.