The value of a school in a community is seen in the numbers. With a quality school, we see a higher employment rate, more robust community engagement, and the ability to develop skills in our workforce. One of the programs that I am particularly proud of at Kadoka High School is the Agriculture and CTE Program. Mr. Knutson, Mrs. Hermann, and Mr. Ohrtman do a fantastic job developing working with students for career-ready skills.
In preparation for this column, I asked Mr. Knutson, the Agriculture teacher at KAHS, about his program. He provided the following information to share with you: “We spend a lot of time talking about careers, wages, and job requirements. We talk about what skills employers are looking for and where the students can go – such as vo-techs or universities – to get those skills.
I tell the students that I think the Kadoka area is a great place to live. Still, you will probably have to leave and go somewhere else to get the skills or the degree to have a competitive-paying job. Go ahead and gain those skills or a degree – and then come back … Students must find some area of interest they may want to pursue. Still, it is also essential to figure out what they don’t like. Welding is fascinating to learn how to do, but some students find out they really wouldn’t want to do it day after day.
What I like about teaching Ag, Food, and Natural Resources is that you have a world of variety in the topics you cover. In a given year, the list is nearly endless. We still offer “hands on” woodworking, metal fabrication, and electricity in addition to coursework which ties in more with Career Development Events like Horse Judging and Natural Resources.
The FFA component adds a great deal to the classes. It allows the students to academically compete locally, statewide, and even nationally. Over the last two decades, students from the Kadoka FFA have won more than 30 state competitions in a variety of events which allowed them to participate in national competitions. There have even been some team placings and individual national championships in Farm Business Management, Range Judging, Homesite, and Land Judging.
We compete against all 100 other chapters in South Dakota.,there is no break because we are from a smaller school. It means just that much more when the students perform well on the state level.”
Since I started at Kadoka, I have had the opportunity to visit with various connections throughout the agricultural industry. I had mentioned in conversations some of the skills that our kids learn: welding, range plant identification, business management, etc. As I list off the skills, the reaction is always similar. The businesses of the agricultural industry would love to mentor and work with our students.
A weekly activity of mine is to tune it to AgWeek TV on the local cable stations. My sister, Katie Pinke, is an editor for the Forum News Service that produces the program. With 25 years of agricultural experience in my background, I like to find ways to stay connected to an industry that falls close to my heart. Featured the weekend before Thanksgiving was the start of a new ag program in a public school. This was a story point to feature for midwestern television states; programs like Mr. Knutson’s are becoming rarer and rarer.
This emphasizes why Kadoka Area’s staff effort to have missing work turned in is so noble. Not only are they giving up their time. Still, they are making an effort to improve outcomes for everyone in the community.
In Kadoka Public, we are fortunate to have an Agricultural program and CTE classes to supply to our community. It is rewarding to walk throughout the community and see our graduates working at our local business. It is a great asset to have our CTE and agricultural programs support our businesses. It is great to see the incredible outcomes for all.
In support of the Kougars,
Robert Lukens
MS/HS Principal
Kadoka Area High School