Shaping the Future

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Ag teacher exposing students to new possibilities

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  • Putnam County School District Teacher of the Year Alexis Strickland-Tilton holds a goat named Faith at Palatka High’s outdoor agriculture lab.
    Putnam County School District Teacher of the Year Alexis Strickland-Tilton holds a goat named Faith at Palatka High’s outdoor agriculture lab.
  • The 2021 Putnam County School District Teacher of the Year, Alexis Strickland-Tilton, who teaches agriculture, stands in front of her classroom at Palatka High.
    The 2021 Putnam County School District Teacher of the Year, Alexis Strickland-Tilton, who teaches agriculture, stands in front of her classroom at Palatka High.
  • Positively Putnam FL
    Positively Putnam FL
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Palatka High School has Putnam County Teacher of the Year Alexis Strickland-Tilton to thank for a prospering agriculture program with a waitlist under her supervision.

The ag teacher was one of three Putnam County School District workers who took home top honors in their fields during the Jan. 26 Employee of the Year ceremony.

Strickland-Tilton, who is from Citrus County, graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in animal science, married and moved to the area shortly after.

After graduation, she was bombarded with people telling her to apply for an agriculture teaching position at PHS. 

The field is hands-on, and no day looks the same, Strickland-Tilton said.

“It took probably a semester and I realized I love this, I love these kids and I wasn’t leaving anytime soon,” Strickland-Tilton said.

The agriculture program at PHS is broad, featuring plant, environmental and animal sciences. The more advanced courses delve into animal sciences and agriculture leadership.

Students can earn several certifications, which look great for employers, Strickland-Tilton said. She also oversees the school’s Future Farmers of America chapter, which allows students to learn and compete in animal, plant and debate categories.

“You name it and FFA has something for a kid,” Strickland-Tilton said.

Principal J.T. Stout praised Strickland-Tilton for being coachable and always wanting to improve. Stout said half a teacher’s battle is establishing relationships with students, and Strickland-Tilton is one of the best at that.

Now, she is turning out students certified in multiple areas of agriculture and ready to enter the field.

“The fact she won (Teacher of the Year) for the district for Career and Technical Education is important because those subjects are just as important as the core classes,” Stout said. “Students can go straight into their field after high school.”

Strickland-Tilton’s goal is to show students possible career fields.

“There are a multitude of jobs where we need people that understand science and technology. Biotech is a huge and growing industry,” Strickland-Tilton said. “We need people that understand those concepts because that is what is going to be run by our future generations in agriculture.”

Not far from Strickland-Tilton’s classroom is the land lab, where students get hands-on experience with animals and equipment. 

The school also has cows in Francis. Baby goats were born over the winter break, and Strickland-Tilton tended to them on Christmas day.

“All of the agriculture teachers across this county, we are not just here 9 to 5,” Strickland-Tilton said.

The goats will hop on a person’s back if they crouch near it, and there is a picnic table that serves as a jungle gym. Strickland-Tilton joked about charging for goat yoga sessions.

“I tell the kids we would make some serious money,” she said with a laugh.

Besides the technical instruction, Strickland-Tilton will continue to fight against the notion chocolate milk that comes from chocolate cows or meat comes from a grocery store. 

“At the end of the day, my job is to get students excited about our subject, even if sometimes, people may say, ‘I don’t know. I don’t want to deal with agriculture,’” Strickland-Tilton said. “Guess what? If you eat or clothed today, you should care about agriculture.”

 

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