On March 22nd, the Indiana FFA and Nationwide honored Blair Orme, an agricultural teacher at Rushville Consolidated High School, as a finalist for the 2021-22 Ag Educator of the Year honor through Nationwide's Golden Owl Award. The award was started in 2020 to recognize outstanding Agricultural Educators and award them for their efforts. Indiana FFA and Nationwide have recognized Blair Orme as 1 of 8 finalists for the Golden Owl Award.
"Mr. Blair Orme is truly one of the most passionate and student-centered teachers I have encountered in my 31 years in public education," said RCHS principal Rob Hadley. "Mr. Orme dedicates countless hours, way beyond any contract requirement, to serve his students' needs! Several of his agriculture students personally tell me that Mr. Orme impacted their lives as that special teacher who was a positive mentor!"
Mr. Orme is a graduate of Rushville Consolidated High School.
He attended Purdue University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. Mr. Orme also received a Master of Science degree from IUPUI. He has been teaching for 32 years in agricultural education and currently serves as FFA Advisor at RCHS. When not working with school activities or teaching, Blair keeps busy helping with the family farm. Blair and his wife, Natasha, have three children, Justin, Callista, and Alex. They have six grandchildren.
As a finalist, Orme will be presented with a $500 cash prize and plaque in front of fellow teachers and students. He will then have the chance to be crowned as Indiana's Ag Educator of the Year in June 2022 and receive $3,000 to help fund future educational efforts.
About the Golden Owl Award
Agricultural educators serve a critical role in preparing future generations for success and devote immeasurable time and resources to help students pursue their passions.
This year, the award program honors outstanding ag educators in seven states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The Indiana FFA recently collected nominations for the top agricultural teachers across the state from October to December 2021. Once all finalists have been recognized, a selection committee will honor one finalist as Indiana's grand prize winner and Ag Educator of the Year. The winner will receive the coveted Golden Owl Award trophy.