INDIANAPOLIS – Tri-County High School agriculture teacher Travis Scherer has given his heart and soul to his students the past 19 years. And his dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Last month, Scherer was presented with Nationwide’s Golden Owl Award as the top ag educator in Indiana for 2021. Scherer was honored at the Indiana FFA State Convention in Indianapolis.

Nationwide established the Golden Owl Award in 2018 to honor teachers and support them with additional resources to assist their continued educational efforts in preparing the next generation for successful agricultural careers. This marks the first time the award was given in Indiana.

“It marks the first time that Indiana conducted the Golden Owl Award and it’s just awesome that myself and Haley Verhaeghe were among the top eight,” Scherer said. “That just says something about our great FFA program here at our school. When it was announced that I had made the top eight I was extremely overwhelmed and very honored.”

From Sept. 1-Dec. 31, 2020, students, parents, fellow teachers, community leaders or other supporters nominated their favorite agriculture teacher for the recognition. An established selection committee evaluated each nomination and makes its selection in April.

In March, there were 51 candidates for the honor and by June the number was reduced to just eight. Scherer and Verhaeghe were among the elite eight.

“My teachers in high school were my motivators,” Scherer said. “Just seeing their work in and outside the classroom made an impression on me.”

Scherer studied ag education at Purdue University and earned his Master’s degree in youth development in ag education. “At Purdue, I was a teacher’s assistant for the biology department and that re-affirmed my thought of becoming an ag teacher,” Scherer said.

Scherer has been teaching 20 years, 19 of those ag-related. There were 150 students at Tri-County High engaged in ag classroom studies this past school year.

“I am as enthused about teaching agriculture today as I was when I started 19 years ago,” Scherer said. “The National Association of Agriculture Educators (NAAE) has a creed statement that claims we’re an ag teacher by choice and not by chance. I think I choose everyday to be an ag teacher.”

Other Hoosier ag educators in the top eight were Amy Beer (Northwood High School, Nappanee), Dale Griffin (Rossville High School, Rossville), Mike A. Jones (Adams Central High School, Monroe), Tori McCreary (Mooresville High School, Mooresville), Gave Nobbe (Connersville High School, Connersville) and Erin Padgett (South Ripley High School, Versailles).

Each of the eight nominees received $500 and an engraved plaque. Grand prize winners like Scherer receive the coveted Golden Owl trophy and $3,000 is awarded to the school’s FFA ag program.

In coordination with partners in Ohio, Indiana, California, Illinois, Iowa, New York and Pennsylvania, Nationwide collected nearly 1,700 nominations from students, parents, community leaders and fellow teachers to identify educators who go above-and-beyond in helping their students pursue their passions.

“Our agriculture teachers are innovating every day to help students build important leadership and life skills for their future,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana secretary of education. “It’s critical that we continue to support these important career-centered programs, their educators and their students.”