South Ripley, Connersville Teachers Finalists for Ag Educator of the Year

Each finalist will receive an individualized plaque and $500 to help fund future educational efforts.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Agriculture teachers around the US play selfless and essential roles in the communities that they serve.

While preparing future generations for successful careers, many also devote countless hours and often their own resources to help make a difference.

To shed light on the contributions of Indiana’s leading agricultural teachers, Nationwide Insurance, is honoring eight exceptional teachers as finalists for its Golden Owl Award.

In partnership with the Indiana FFA and Farm Credit Mid-America, Nationwide has collected more than 230 nominations from fellow teachers, local students, parents, and community members from August to December 2020.

Locally, South Ripley’s Erin Padgett and Connersvillle’s Gabe Nobbe are two of the eight finalists.

Each finalist will receive an individualized plaque and $500 to help fund future educational efforts and will be entered into a final selection stage for the chance to be crowned as Indiana's Ag Educator of the Year. In addition to the Ag Educator of the Year designation, the grand-prize winner will also receive a $3,000 Nationwide-funded check to help bring new educational opportunities to the program and its students and the coveted Golden Owl Award trophy. 

"Similar to Nationwide's mission of delivering extraordinary care, teachers across the country go above and beyond to bring new educational opportunities for their students and help them pursue their passions," said Nationwide's agribusiness president, Brad Liggett. "We created the Golden Owl Award in 2018 to honor the contributions of teachers, highlight the growing need for their services, and supply additional resources to help boost their programs and provide students with optimal learning experiences."

In the award's second year, Nationwide broadened the program from two states to five, recognizing the efforts of 31 agricultural teachers across California, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania with the 2019-2020 Golden Owl Award. As a result of the positive response from the communities that Golden Owl Award nominees make a difference in, Nationwide expanded the 2020-2021 Golden Owl Award even further to include Indiana and New York.

"We're proud to recognize hardworking teachers in seven states for their dedication to preparing future generations for success," said Liggett.

Nationwide is also investing $5,000 in each participating state's FFA organization, including the Indiana FFA, to further support aspiring agriculture professionals.

The Golden Owl Award is the result of partnerships between Nationwide, the California FFA, California Farm Bureau, Illinois FFA, Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers, Farm Credit Illinois, Indiana FFA, Farm Credit Mid-America, the Iowa FFA Foundation, New York FFA, New York Farm Bureau, Ohio FFA, Ohio Farm Bureau, AgCredit, Pennsylvania FFA, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, and Compeer Financial.

To learn more about the Golden Owl Award, visit www.GoldenOwlAward.com.