Ashley Holloman has been selected as the JCPS 2024 Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year. She has served as an agriculture education teacher and Future Farmers of America (FFA) advisor at Corinth Holders High School (CHHS) for nine years, and has been an educator with JCPS for 10 years.
Early on, Holloman thought that she may want to pursue a career in education. She loved playing teacher in her room, a common story of educators. Additionally, she enjoyed going to school, and was excited to learn each day. One day in high school, Holloman had a teacher who said she could see her becoming an elementary school teacher. Holloman had a different vision for herself.
As a suburban girl growing up in Wayne County, she didn’t have any real experience with or knowledge of agriculture education, until she took a class during her freshman year of high school. Then, at one point, the teacher suggested that she participate in a National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Organization extemporaneous public speaking competition. That is where her agriculture and FFA adventures began.
The National FFA Organization Extemporaneous Public Speaking Leadership Development Event allows participants to showcase their agricultural knowledge and their ability to think on their feet, by giving a speech and answering questions with limited prep time. This event challenges students to practice their presentation skills, articulation, and logical thinking while advocating for agriculture and agricultural education.
"The biggest thing is thinking of ways to genuinely make a connection with my students."
Participants draw from 18 agricultural topics, then select three of interest. From those three, a student selects the topic for their speech and has only 30 minutes to prepare, using just five resources. Participants then present a four to six-minute speech on their topic to a panel of judges. After their speech, students answer five minutes worth of questions on the topic they just presented.
Holloman began extemporaneous public speaking competitions her freshman year of high school, and in her junior year she placed fourth in the state. For her senior year, Holloman decided to switch things up and compete in the National FFA Organization Parliamentary Procedure Leadership Development Event. Participants are judged on their knowledge of parliamentary law and their ability to present logical, realistic, and convincing debate and motions.
The impact of the agriculture education class and the exposure Holloman received as a high school student was the most impactful on her future. She wanted to make an impact on high school students, so Holloman grabbed the bull by the horns making the decision to study agriculture and education at North Carolina State University (NCSU).
She was named a NCSU Goodnight Scholar which provided her with a full-tuition scholarship. Holloman immersed herself in the curriculum, earning a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Extension Education, with a double minor in Animal Science and Leadership in Agricultural and Life Sciences.
And she hasn’t slowed down since, building a healthy resume filled with professional memberships, recognitions, certifications and instructional training. However, the accolades aren't what drives Holloman. Her focus is on making an impact, big or small, on the students in her classroom each year. “You don’t have to have a background in agriculture, to have a passion for agriculture,” she said.
Although most of her students are not interested in farming per se, she shows them how the agricultural education curriculum extends far beyond merely raising crops and milking cows. Biotechnology, the fuel and fiber industries, and marketing are in the agriculture corral as well. “Everyone has to eat, and everyone wears clothes, so we are all connected,” she said.
Throughout each semester, students participate in hands-on activities that include injection labs, taking water samples, and, most recently, making art from plastic bottle caps in honor of Earth Day. The bottle cap art will be taken to a local nursing home to be used as wall or window art for the residents. “It’s a cross-curricular opportunity to talk about recycling and giving back to the community,” Holloman said.
Next up for the 2024 CTE Teacher of the Year is applying to be a North Central Region finalist. Twenty-four regional finalists will attend a celebration, and a week of Teacher Professional Development at the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching’s (NCCAT) Cullowhee campus in the fall. A selection committee will review portfolios and interview the 24 finalists. The winner of the NCCAT CTE Teacher of the Year will be announced at a celebration event on October 3, 2024.
Holloman hopes to inspire her students no matter what they want to do in the future, and provide them with some knowledge and understanding of the importance of agriculture. “The biggest thing is thinking of ways to genuinely make a connection with my students,” she said.