The Agriculture Department at Pioneer Valley High School was recently ranked No. 12 in the state. Shown here, from left, are teachers Scott Wonnell, Hector Guerra, Marcie Guerra, Natalie Baldwin, Gabriel Ponce and Tyler Dickinson.
SANTA MARIA — The Agriculture Department at Pioneer Valley High School was recently ranked No. 12 in the state out of 340 agriculture programs.
The PVHS program has 34 state degrees, three American degrees, one state champion team and one state proficiency winner. The Panthers were also named the Chapter of the Year in their section, said Kenny Klein, spokesman for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.
“Annually, Ag programs get measured on the successful merits of their student achievements and are evaluated statewide for their commitment to student success,” Mr. Klein said. “This past year, FFA members shined during speaking competitions, career development events and leadership development opportunities. Our State Champion Judging Team was the only one from this region.”
Ag teacher Gabriel Ponce added, “As Ag Teachers this is what we strive for. We want our students to take full advantage of the opportunities for growth, competition, and success. The Pioneer Valley FFA staff with the support of our administration and additional staff have allowed us to achieve this. We want to thank all of you and the real stars of this award, our students for their achievements. They worked hard to achieve the goal that they set out to accomplish and they did it.’’
— Mitchell White
