BY: R YA N H E S S T E X A S F FA S TAT E V I C E P R E S I D E N T
WITH
VICTORY FFA
CHARTERING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX
ta Gertrudis cattle and participating in the many opportunities FFA has to offer. Stewart, a Tarleton State University graduate, landed her current position through frequent conversations about forming an agricultural science program while attending Victory Church. In 2019, she had finally built the confidence to take on this position as the sole teacher in the program.
F
or many students across the state of Texas, the opportunity to become an FFA member is as simple as choosing the right class schedule for the following year. However, for one group of North Texas students, this process was completed through many hours of commitment, determination, and hard work. Victory Christian Academy (VCA) is a private school located in Decatur, Texas that strives to cultivate the growth of young leaders. Although VCA can be found in an agricultural community, knowledge of the industry was not common at the school until Brooke Stewart began her position in 2019. Stewart is the agricultural science teacher at VCA, where she kickstarted implementing an agricultural science program and chartering an FFA chapter. She is originally from Decatur, where she grew up showing San8
As Stewart began her first year, she understood there would be copious amounts of groundwork spent generating buy-in with students. She mentioned that staying “organized, structured, and determined” was key to finding growth with the students and chapter. Additionally, a teacher can plan weeks of content, but at the end of the day, “what [makes] students want to join a new program is being empathetic, getting on their level and meeting them halfway.” By the end of their first year,
