Tag: Teacher of the Year

Stanko Named National Excellence in Teacher About Ag Award Winner

McLean County teacher, Amanda Stanko, has earned accolades as a 2024 National Excellence in Teacher About Agriculture Award Winner.

Stanko teachers Science, Technology, Engineering and Math at Corpus Christi Catholic School in Bloomington to more than 275 Kindergarten – 6th grade students.

She makes use of project-based lessons on a wide range of topics including plant lifecycles, soil, composting and more.

Her passion for teaching about agriculture has led her to enroll in a Master of Agricultural
Education program with the hope of establishing an FFA chapter at her school in the future.

Stanko will be recognized at the 2024 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was also honored as the Illinois Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year at the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in December 2023.

Video from IL ATIC Teacher of the Year Announcement

Bane, Stanko Earn IL Ag in the Classroom Honors

A McLean County teacher and a McLean County farmer earned statewide recognition for their Ag in the Classroom efforts.

Pat Bane, a McLean County hog farmer from Arrowsmith, was named an Illinois Ag in the Classroom Volunteer of the Year for decades of work helping others learn about agriculture.

Bane helped establish the McLean County Fair Food & Farm Fun Zone educational exhibit and continues to serve on the committee to help plan and facilitate activities each year.

Bane has been featured in the Illinois Ag in the Classroom Pork Ag Mag. He has also hosted farm tours for state legislators and community leaders. He received national recognition
and served as a spokesperson for pork farmers at events across the country as the 2018 America’s Pig Farmer of the Year.

Bane currently serves on the National Pork Board and previously served as board member for McLean County Farm Bureau and McLean County Fair.

Amanda Stanko, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Educator at Corpus Christi Catholic School in Bloomington, received recognition as the 2024 Illinois Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year.

Stanko teaches more than 275 Kindergarten – 6th grade students project-based lessons on a wide range of topics including plant lifecycles, soil, composting and more.

Her passion for teaching about agriculture has led her to enroll in a Master of Agricultural
Education program with the hope of establishing an FFA chapter at her school in the future.

Stanko will receive a trip to the 2024 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. She will also be the Illinois nominee for the USDA National Excellence in Teaching Agriculture Award.

Bane and Stanko were honored Dec. 3 at the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Chicago.

2024 IL Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year

LeRoy Educator Earns Teacher of the Year Title

Katie Buckley, secondary special education teacher and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Educator across the district at LeRoy CUSD #2, has been named 2020 Illinois Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year for her outstanding efforts in incorporating agriculture into her classroom.

“I am so honored to be recognized for this award,” Buckley says. “My goal for my students is to give them an insight into agriculture that goes beyond farming. I try to find ways to incorporate agriculture into high interest topics such as drones, automated agriculture, and GPS. The job market for agriculture is going to continue to grow and students need to be aware of those careers.”

Buckley’s students have twice won the Purple Plow Challenge, a nationwide ag-related STEM competition. As a result, the classroom gained two 3D printers and $200 in giftcards.

Using a variety of grant funds, Buckley has also purchased drones, robotic components, tablets and more to enable students to explore the uses of technology in agriculture.

“I’m so excited to see Katie recognized as the Illinois Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year,” says Bridget Caldwell, McLean County Ag in the Classroom coordinator. “I’m amazed at her creativity plus all of the technology she uses and how she connects it to agriculture.”

Buckley is also an alum of the American Farm Bureau STEM on the Farm program, a professional development opportunity that offers educators the chance to learn firsthand about the science and technology of beef production.

Buckley will be recognized at the 2019 Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Chicago and will receive a trip to the 2020 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. She will also be the Illinois nominee for the USDA National Excellence in Teaching Agriculture Award. You can follow Buckley and her students on Twitter (@LeRoySTEM).