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Zimmerman honored as top agriculture teacher in Ohio
 
By Doug Graves
Ohio Correspondent

CLYDE, Ohio – Barrett Zimmerman, a vo-ag instructor and FFA advisor at Clyde High School in Sandusky County, was named the Ohio Ag Educator of the Year at the 94th Ohio FFA Convention held at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Zimmerman is the fourth Golden Owl Award winner since the honor began during the 2018-19 school year.
Zimmerman received the traditional Golden Owl Plaque and $3,000. He chose to use that money to pay toward any of his students going to FFA Camp this summer.
“Although I’m excited and extremely thankful, it’s not great for me,” Zimmerman said. “It’s great for our school and it’s great for our community. There are a lot of good teachers out there.”
Zimmerman was quick to credit former students, community leaders, Clyde High School and the Vanguard-Sentinel Career & Technology Centers. All, he said, have helped make his achievements in the classroom possible.
Clyde High School Principal Joe Webb was not surprised at Zimmerman’s achievement.
“Barrett Zimmerman is one of the top agricultural educators in the state and we’re lucky to have him serving our students,” Webb said. “Barrett is special for many reasons. He goes above and beyond in devoting time for his students. He spends an incredible amount of time after school and on weekends providing programs for his students in FFA.
“I love the way Barrett centers his instruction on real world applications. He uses a hands-on approach to teaching students agricultural science. He forms strong relationships with his students, which in some cases has made the difference in a student’s overall success.”
Zimmerman has served the Green Springs Schools the past 26 years.
“The reason I became an agricultural educator is 100 percent because of my father as he was an agricultural educator,” Zimmerman said. “Since I was in seventh grade, I knew it was what I wanted to do and it’s all I’ve ever done and it’s all I ever hoped to do.”
According to Webb, Zimmerman’s passion for education and impacting young people is inspiring and exactly what one hopes to see in those who influence the next generation of leaders.
“There’s a whole pile of students out there that we touch every day who really need it,” Zimmerman said. “You may not see them on a stage, you may never see them on a state winning team, but I see them. I see them working at a job in my community or stopping in to tell me they just got married. I see the impact that blue (FFA) jacket made and it’s a little different than what you might think, but that’s still a huge impact and that’s what the blue jacket means to me.”
Zimmerman says past students have called, emailed or even stopped by to thank him for successes they have had. But Zimmerman is quick to point out that he’s just as passionate about helping the struggling students who walk into his classroom with little direction in life.
“That kid can come in here and see it’s a place where he’ll be respected and where he can learn,” Zimmerman said. “We’re here to help everyone. I take that part of my job very seriously.”
Zimmerman said his teaching method reflects the FFA motto: Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, living to serve.
“Learning to do, that’s our job,” he said. “Teaching students to do something. Doing to learn, give them an opportunity to have hands-on experience and truly attain the skill at hand. Earning to live, have them look at how they can use that skill to earn a living. Finally, always give them opportunities where they can give back to their community.”
In March, Zimmerman was one of 10 Ohio Ag instructors nominated for the Golden Owl Award.
During a surprise ceremony at Clyde High School that month, he was presented with a plaque and received $500 for the school’s ag department, money he used to fund supplies for a highway cleanup project.
“Our vice principal came down to my room and started asking me about grass seed,” Zimmerman said. “I wondered why he was asking me about grass seed, but he was just running interference. When I walked into the gym, the whole north side was filled with students, teachers, family and members of the community.”
In April, Zimmerman and his chapter used some of that $500 to help clean Green Creek Township.
The other nine honorees for this year’s award were Abby Campbell (Fort Frye), Eric Heeg (Blanchester Great Oaks), Sarah Heilers (Anna), Tim Kilpatrick (Coshocton County CC), Lowell Moodt (Grand Valley), Laura Ringler (Plymouth), Tricia Schoen (Genoa-Penta), Aaron Thompson (Upper Scioto Valley-OHP) and Jeff Tilley (Amanda-Clearcreek).
The Golden Owl Award is presented through a partnership between Nationwide Insurance, Ohio FFA, Ohio Farm Bureau, Farm Credit Mid-America and AgCredit, ACA.
7/19/2022