PAGE 20 • February 14, 2012 • The Times • Progress
Ag curriculum, programs thriving at BP high school BY LEMAR NELSON Staff Writer Thanks to current agriculture teacher and FFA advisor William Rinkenberger, the agriculture curriculum at Blooming Prairie High School is growing and flourishing. The once dormant curriculum has had a rebirth under Rinkenberger’s tutelage and local residents – especially those still actively farming – are grateful. Approximately 60-75 students are enrolled in the agriculture curriculum, and Rinkenberger holds an average of five classes each day. He sees some of his students multiple times daily, and enthusiasm is one of the watchwords of the program. “I would like to think that my biggest accomplishment is bringing some credibility and stability to a program that had almost disappeared from the curriculum,” Rinkenberger said. Most students would agree. In addition to the regular classes, Rinkenberger is the FFA advisor, a program that now boasts 40 members – up from a low of 15 when he joined the high school faculty. Since then, several judging teams are again competing on a high level
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in region and state contests. For example, this year the general livestock judging team will compete at the state FFA convention, plus two individuals will vie for honors as dairy handlers. The FFA’s dairy foods team entered state competition last year, and Jenna Krell and Emma Pittman have competed statewide in the Creed and Public Speaking contests, respectively. Rinkenberger joined the school staff in 2003, took one year off to be a teaching assistant at the Midwest Dairy Association in North Dakota, and then returned to Blooming Prairie, where he is in his eighth year. A graduate of Fosston High School and the University of Minnesota-Crookston, he worked in the dairy industry before pursuing a teaching career. “One thing I have tried to do is to continue to grow the program and keep some stability in the curriculum. We’ve increased our enrollment in ag-related courses each year, and I am proud of that. Success breeds success, and that continues to be my goal,” he said.