Rock Falls High School ag, FFA program growing strong

ROCK FALLS, Ill. — Dana Merriman, Rock Falls High School’s agriculture teacher and FFA adviser, is building the school’s ag and FFA program from the ground up.

“I always had the goal that one day I would start an ag program, and this is the perfect opportunity,” she said.

Merriman began her duties in August after the school board voted to bring back the program, after an absence of many years.

Rock Falls senior Korah Hosler welcomed the news that Rock Falls was getting an ag program and FFA chapter.

“I have a lot of friends from other towns, and they all have FFA, and I have wanted our school to have ag classes and an FFA chapter since I was a freshman. All of the events and things they do seem like so much fun,” she said.

One of Merriman’s goals is to bring more students to her classroom and into the ag program. She is teaching two sections of Introduction to Agriculture, an ag business class and an ag foods class.

The ag foods class has proven to be the most popular. As part of a “farm to fork” lesson, students recently cut up pumpkins and made pumpkin puree, which they later turned into pumpkin desserts.

“Right now, a lot of students are interested in the ag foods class; that is what is really selling the program. If that’s what gets kids interested in the classes and into the program, then that is what we are going to focus on,” the instructor said.

Building a program from the ground up was a goal for Merriman, and she admits that it also comes with a certain amount of stress that going into an established program may not have.

“At times, it feels like a lot of pressure. I have high expectations for myself, and I have high expectations for this program because I see so much potential in it,” she said.

Helping to ease that stress is a wide support system, from the administration, fellow teachers and staff at Rock Falls High School to members of the community, including a Rock Falls FFA alumni group and the Whiteside County Farm Bureau.

“Everyone here at RFHS has been so supportive, and the community and the ag community has just been outstanding in their support of this program and our students,” the educator said.

Merriman also has a network of fellow ag teachers throughout the state. She is an Amboy High School alumna and did her student teaching at Bureau Valley High School.

“Illinois ag education is like one big family. You know there’s always someone you can call if you have a question about anything in ag education. That’s been very helpful to me,” she said.

One big hurdle for many ag teachers is convincing students that agriculture classes and the agriculture industry have something to offer them.

Merriman said she wants current and future students to know there is a place for them, in her classroom and in the industry it represents.

“I want students to know there is a place for them in agriculture. No matter what their interests are, the ag industry is so broad and includes so much, we can find a spot for any student,” she said.

Current RFHS ag students sharing their own experiences is one way Merriman hopes to bring more students to ag classes.

“It’s definitely not just for farm kids; it’s just a lot of fun in general. Not everything is about farming,” Hosler said.

Illinois Association FFA is an affiliated member of National FFA. That means that every student in Illinois who enrolls in an agriculture class is automatically a member of Illinois Association FFA.

Merriman said she hopes more of her students will take the opportunity to participate in FFA events and contests.

“A big challenge right now is to get students involved in FFA events. It’s very hard to explain to them what to expect; they just have to go and experience it,” she said.

At the end of the month, Merriman and seven students will travel to Indianapolis to participate in the National FFA Convention.

Merriman attended the national convention multiple times when she was an FFA member.

“I think after that we are going to get a lot more students who hear from their classmates about their experiences at national convention, and word-of-mouth will draw students in,” she said.

Students get real-life career training and experiences through Career Development Events, or CDEs.

Students recently participated in a job interview CDE, where they chose a current job posting, wrote a cover letter and made a resume, then completed an application, a Zoom interview and participated in a mock person-to-person interview with FFA judges.

Hosler and classmate Kylee Ullrich participated in the job interview CDE.

“I feel like you get a lot of life skills out of it that set you up for your future, whether you plan to go into a job in agriculture or not,” Ullrich said.