April 21, 2022 – Richland Community College has announced the participants of the inaugural agricultural education pre-service internship program. The initiative was identified as a need by agricultural education organizations in Illinois and the Illinois State Board of Education to address the teacher shortage gap.
Richland Community College is administering the nine-week summer internship program that is designed to recruit and retain agricultural educators. Through work-based learning experiences, the internship program will develop the pre-service teachers’ technical skills which will be critical to their success.
The following selected participants are pursuing a bachelor’s in agricultural education and are committed to becoming a high school agricultural teacher and FFA advisor: Maggie Biffar (Southern Illinois University), Alexis Carroll (Southern Illinois University), Zoey Dye (University of Illinois / Parkland Community College), Emily Friese (University of Illinois), Nik Hanson (Illinois State University), Luke Jesgarz (Western Illinois University), Kennedi Knackmuhs (University of Illinois), and Laurel Keyt (Western Illinois University / Spoon River Community College).
“The Richland Community College agriculture program is eager to kick-off this first year of the agricultural education pre-service internship program,” said Jess Smithers, Director of Agricultural Programs at Richland. “It is a great opportunity for these future teachers to hone their skills through training and real-world work experience.”
If you would like more information about the agricultural programs at Richland Community College, contact Jess Smithers at 217-875-7211, ext. 6223, or Dave Shiley at 217-875-7211, ext.6408.
