Ashley Vanden Bush, a third-grade teacher at St. John Bosco School in Sturgeon Bay, is this year’s recipient of Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program’s Outstanding Teacher Award.
Each year the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Foundation recognizes a teacher for his or her efforts in educating students on the importance of agriculture. Teachers of all grade levels and subject areas, with the exclusion of certified agriculture education instructors, are eligible to apply.
“Ashley has done a fantastic job of seeking out agriculture resources to use in her teaching,” said Darlene Arneson, Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom Coordinator. “She has attended numerous volunteer and teacher trainings, has presented a workshop at our national conference and has used Ag in the Classroom resources in a variety of settings.”
Vanden Bush earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Carroll University. She has taught at St. John Bosco since 2016. She was a substitute teacher in the greater Green Bay area and an educator with the Brown County Dairy Promotions Ambassador program since 2012. She still assists Brown County Dairy with events.
“Ashley has been active in Farm Bureau, Green Bay FFA Alumni, Young Farmers Association and has been a strong advocate for agriculture,” Arneson added. “Because of her high-level of dedication of including agriculture in her curriculum, she earned a White-Reinhardt Educator Scholarship from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture to attend the National Ag in the Classroom Conference.”
Vanden Bush will be Wisconsin’s nominee for the National Excellence in Teaching Agriculture Award and will receive $500 to attend the 2019 National Ag in the Classroom Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Cindy Barber, a fifth-grade teacher at Random Lake Middle School, and Lori Bongert, a fourth-grade teacher at Rio Elementary School, were named runners up for their efforts in sharing agricultural literacy with their students.
For more information about Ag in the Classroom or the Outstanding Teacher Award, contact Darlene Arneson at 608.828.5644.
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