STOVER NAMED STATE’S TOP AGRICULTURAL EDUCATOR
COLUMBIA, SC… .Pelion High School faculty member Frank R. Stover, Jr., has been named the Outstanding Agricultural Education Teacher in South Carolina for 2005, according to John W. Parris, State Director of Public Affairs for Agricultural Education.
“Stover was selected for this prestigious award by the SC Agricultural Educators Association and is now in competition for the Outstanding Agricultural Educator in the southern states”, Parris said.
A graduate of Clemson University with a BS Degree and a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Education, Stover has been teaching at Pelion High School for 24 years where he serves as advisor to the FFA and Young Farmer-Agribusiness chapters.
A two-term former president of the SC Agricultural Educators Association, he has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the SC FFA Association and the SC FFA Foundation.
The SC Young Farmer-Agribusiness Association named Stover the Outstanding Young Farmer-Agribusiness Chapter Advisor in 2004 and awarded him an expense paid trip to the National Young Farmer Convention in Orlando, Florida.
As the FFA advisor, Mr. Stover has coached twelve Mid-State Region Champion FFA Soil Judging teams, four State Runner-up teams and three State Champion Teams. Seven Pelion Soil Judging teams have competed in the National Finals. Additionally, he has produced the first place Soil Judging Team in the southern states and the fifth place team in the National Finals.
He has also coached five State Winning FFA Wildlife Management Teams.
In the FFA Parliamentary Procedure competition, Mr. Stover has produced fourteen Mid-State Region Championship teams and four State winning teams which competed in the National Finals.
Under Mr. Stover’s leadership, the Pelion FFA Chapter has received the coveted Gold Emblem Award twice and has had five state FFA officers. Two members have received the State FFA Star Farmer Award.
The many other Regional, State and National FFA Awards, including State FFA Degree recipients, Proficiency Award winners, Public Speaking champions and college scholarship winners, are too numerous to list.
Mr. Stover, in concert with school administrators and the local advisory board, led in restructuring the Agricultural Education curriculum which resulted in a three hundred (300) percent increase in enrollment in 2004-05 over previous years.
The Pelion Agricultural Education Department is a show-place of modern facilities, including a classroom with a computer center, a state-of-the art greenhouse and agricultural engineering laboratory.
The Pelion Young Farmer-Agribusiness Chapter is one of the outstanding chapters in the state with members annually recognized for record-breaking crop yields and other accomplishments in agriculture.
“Considering Mr. Stover’s long and distinguished record of accomplishment, his being selected South Carolina’s Outstanding Agricultural Educator is a well deserved honor”, Parris added.
