Onalaska ISD Agriculture Science teachers and FFA advisors Adam Graham, Jessica Graham, Jessica Mayhew and Jancie Ivey recently attended the 64th annual Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas (ATAT) Professional Development Conference in Corpus Christi.
The ATAT conference ensures an engaging and productive week of learning, development, networking, fellowship and collaboration with Texas Team Ag Ed, including 2,700 ag teachers, the ATAT and TxFFA Association and Foundation, Texas Education Agency and hundreds of sponsors and supporters from across the state and nation.
Teachers participate in numerous hands-on workshops, listen to motivational speakers and attend professional sessions to learn diverse skills and gain content knowledge to implement within their classrooms, as well as obtain fresh ideas by collaborating with peers on ways to promote another year of growth and success in their respective FFA chapters, schools and communities and even within their personal homes and families.
Graham, Graham, Mayhew and Ivey utilized numerous opportunities throughout the week to gain important insights for the year ahead and shared their passion for their respective programs of study and classroom cultures with others, all while learning countless new skills and collecting dynamic resources to bring back home to Onalaska students. They attended various district, area and state-level meetings, engaged and collaborated with other educators and industry representatives in content-specific curriculum-related workshops and demonstrations, learned tips and tricks regarding contest teams and awards and applications processes, and received crucial updates from several of the industry’s integral partners, including TEA’s State CTE Coordinator, major livestock show representatives, iCEV, and Texas Team AgEd representatives.
The annual ATAT conference always brings a sense of enhanced camaraderie and FFA family spirit and leaves ag teachers with valuable tools, inspiration and renewed excitement needed to be able to walk into another year of service to their students and communities.
OISD’s ag teachers said they appreciate the time, effort and commitment given by ATAT and Texas Team Ag Ed, including each respective executive director, the boards of directors and staff to provide and ensure a meaningful and successful conference experience, as they are now ready and eager to welcome students and begin the 2025-2026 school year.
They said they are excited to incorporate fresh ideas learned from the conference into their classrooms, continue to build and strengthen the ag department and FFA program at Onalaska and serve the students, teachers and stakeholders to promote growth and success for all involved. They are committed to OISD’s 2025-2026 theme of “At the O, we grow!”
