HOWARD, Ohio – Tom Holton, the agricultural educator at East Knox High School, was named this year’s Ohio Golden Owl Award winner at the 97th Ohio FFA Convention. The award is among the most prestigious accolades in Ohio for agricultural education. Holton was awarded the Golden Owl trophy and the top prize of $5,000 to help further his school’s agricultural efforts.

Last winter, the Golden Owl Award received 631 nominations for 123 different Ohio teachers. In February, 10 teachers were chosen as finalists. And from that list, Holton was chosen the overall winner.

Holton, a graduate of Ohio State University with a dual major in agriculture education and agronomy, has been an agriculture teacher and FFA adviser for 43 years, 42 of which have been with the East Knox Local School District.

Tenure may be a big thing for some ag educators, but Holton said the real reward is seeing the look of success in the faces of his many students.

“I like seeing kids get it. I don’t care what it is, it’s neat to see them light up,” Holton said. “I want to give them opportunities to do things.”

Throughout his career, Holton has helped 199 Career and Leadership Development Events (CDE) teams reach the top 10 in the state. Forty-two of those teams moved on to national competition as did 29 soil judging teams. Under Holton’s leadership, 10 students were State Speakers, 111 earned State Degrees, 54 earned American Degrees, four were state offices and one became State FFA President. 

Last year alone, East Knox FFA competed in 34 different CDE’s, but Holton doesn’t force students to participate in FFA programs.

“We’re on the move a lot, and we have been fortunate to have many successes,” Holton said.

Holton was named an Honorary American FFA Degree Teacher in 2011 and Honorary State FFA Degree Teacher in 1998. He received an Honorary Chapter Degree East Knox FFA in 1992 and Honorary Chapter Degree Licking County JVS FFA in 1994.

In addition to teaching agriculture, Holton coached varsity football at East Knox for 27 years, coached freshman basketball for two seasons and was Knox County Fair sheep superintendent for 14 years. He is a member of Rocky Fort Church of Christ and the Ohio Farm Bureau.

Holton credits his wife of 29 years, Kay Holton, with having “the biggest impact in my life.”

“She understands the importance of the FFA program,” Holton said.

Holton also credits Ron Thompson, past Utica High School Agriculture Education teacher, as the reason he went into teaching.

“I wish everyone understood the importance of agriculture,” he said. “We need young people going into these areas.”

The other finalists for the Golden Owl Award were Alexis Howell (Evergreen High School) Jaime Chenevey (West Holmes High School), Nejla Shaheen (Bio-Med Science Academy High School), Donna Hohman (Carey High School), Alison Derringer (Twin Valley South High School), Kris Guthrie (Ridgedale High School), Laura Kackley (Meadowbrook High School), Jamie Loudon (Georgetown High School) and Haley Davis (New Lexington High School). Each received a $500 prize toward their respective FFA program.

The Golden Owl Award is an agricultural education award that recognizes outstanding teachers and their contributions to the future of agriculture. It’s presented by Nationwide in partnership with state FFA organizations and other agricultural partners.

Nominations are judged based on the teacher’s dedication to agriculture education, commitment to the students, the impact made on those students and the teacher’s impact on the school and the community. Nominations were collected for the state’s top agricultural teachers from local students, parents, fellow teachers and community members across Ohio.

The Golden Owl Award is presented in California, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Dakota. The Golden Owl Award was initially launched in 2018 in Ohio and Iowa.

The nomination period for the Golden Owl Award begins Nov. 1 and ends Dec. 31 each year. Nominators write an essay (1,000 characters or less) describing how the teacher’s dedication to agriculture education, commitment and impact on today’s youth make the teacher a candidate for the Golden Owl Award.

“Ag educators are at the center of equipping the next generation with the skills and knowledge to innovate and drive the future of the agriculture industry,” said Devin Fuhrman, Nationwide chief agriculture and sponsor relations officer. “We see the Golden Owl Award as the perfect way to raise awareness of the contributions that ag educators make every single day in and outside of the classroom. It’s recognizing what all ag educators do to ready this generation of leaders to take agriculture to the next level.”