When he was preparing
to teach small engines his
first year of teaching, he
realized there wasn’t much
with which to work. “I
went over and introduced
myself to Mr. Johnny Jones
at Johnny’s Repair and
told him what I was needing. As we talked, he said, ‘If I can
ever help you out, let me know.’ He was in FFA Future
Farmers of America in school and even named some of his
Ag teachers. Those Ag teachers, he said, were the reason he
had his own business today. I told him we could probably
use a little help, and it would be great to have him come to
our class.”
Mr. Jones did come to the Ag class at TCHS, and Mark
learned as much as his students from him. In fact, Mr. Jones
still comes to the Ag class from time to time. And just as
importantly to Mark, it was really the start of a lifelong
friendship.
It was a summer school class that took him back to
where he first started with landscaping in high school.
“Back then, kids could take a summer school class to get
ahead. It wasn’t just for kids who had failed a class. I had
nine kids signed up for a landscaping class. I think I had six
girls and three boys. I was trying to figure out, ‘What can I
do with these kids in four weeks?’”
The answer came through an unexpected opportunity.
“Cindy Reddick was building her house and called because
she heard I did landscaping,” said Mark. “It was the perfect
solution to both the question of what to do for summer
school and how to help out Cindy.”
Mark and his students designed and installed the
Reddick landscape job, Cindy paid for the material, and the
kids were paid for their labor during the four-week summer
school course. And—to top it off—Cindy made a substantial
donation to the FFA chapter at TCHS. The kids not only
got hands-on experience, they were paid for their work and
got credit for the class. Over the years, Mark’s landscaping
company has helped many students looking for summer
work. In fact, one of his fulltime employees is a former
student from fifteen years ago.
Agricultural Education not only teaches students skills
they can actually use in the workforce but also provides
understanding of the vital importance of agriculture both
nationally and globally. In an online edition of Advanced.
org, 2015 Virginia teacher of the year, Agricultural
Education middle school teacher, Jaclyn Ryan, writes,
“…we need agriculture to survive. If you eat, you need
agriculture. If you wear clothes, you need agriculture. If
The FFA at Toombs County
High School is an extension of
the Ag program and provides
opportunities for leadership,
further learning, and
participation in regional, state
and national competitions.
94 Toombs County Magazine