The Pea Ridge FFA has been in existence for quite some time. I used to visit with Fred McKinney at Webb's Feed Store about FFA. He liked to tell the story about sponsoring a group of FFA boys to attend what I recall being the National FFA Convention in Kansas City. He even had an old picture which included some then young guys in there. I recall seeing Lee Otis Hall among others, so we know Pea Ridge FFA has been around a LONG time. (Just kidding, Lee.)
I came to Pea Ridge in July of 1990. At that time, the Agriculture program was like the proverbial turtle -- on its back and just about to die. There were 13 kids in the FFA here and I recall the FFA account was $134 in the red! I began trying to contact FFA Officers. There weren't any. The classroom for Ag was an 18- by 28-foot room with an office and Venetian blinds. Perfect! We had two restrooms, a drinking fountain, and a 2,400-square-foot shop. So what if the ceilings in the shop were 8 feet? So what if the overhead shop door was 10- by 7-feet and we had to build storage buildings in two pieces and wait for pretty weather so we could slide it out of the shop and build the roof? It was our Ag building and we loved it!
When I came, Ag was only part-time. The then current Ag teacher taught three classes of Agriculture and three classes of something else. I don't even recall what. There were no books and no curriculum. There was one Lincoln AC arc welder in the shop and that was it! But, again, it was "home!" Why did I come to Pea Ridge to teach? I asked myself that very question a few times during that first year here. I began teaching in a program a lot like the one I just described. It was a two-teacher program in danger of being eliminated. In five years, current county extension agent of McDonald County John Hobbs and I turned the program around. I was still young, and wondered what sort of Ag teacher I would be if I had to do it all over again, but this time by myself.
At the conclusion of that fifth year, I was in the office of the Ag Department by myself and just out of curiosity called the University of Arkansas, where I received my BSA, and asked the late Dr. Nolan Arthur what jobs were open in northwest Arkansas. He went through a list which included Elkins and Pea Ridge. Dr. Arthur tried to discourage me about the latter, saying "You won't want Pea Ridge ... they're a part time program with no money." Well, I went ahead and called Pea Ridge anyway, and they invited me to come down and talk to them. After my interview, and a visit/background check at my former school, a couple days passed and I received a call from the superintendent wanting to know if I could start work the next day! I was taken aback to tell you the truth -- that a school actually wanted my services as their Ag teacher. I told Mr. Higgenbottom I needed a few days to think this over. I got to thinking about the condition of the program and turned this into a positive.
"No matter what I do, it's going to be looked at as fantastic!" So, long story short, I took the job.
Since that time, we have maintained a positive account with our school system. Our FFA operates on a $20,000 to $25,000 budget annually, which is totally student supported. Our student membership remains one of the largest, if not THE largest youth organizations on the Pea Ridge School campus. Our kids have fun running the organization because it's not a dictatorship like some organizations sometimes are forced to become because of a lack of student ambition.
The Ag classes are popular in our school and I have to attempt to talk our scheduling department into keeping my class numbers manageable -- an awesome problem to have! My school administration and the School Board have been very innovative in allowing me to be flexible in my lessons requiring technology. Lessons come to life in Ag classes. Even then, sometimes students are ready for change, and we have the mobility to incorporate many hands-on activities which embed knowledge even further!
Yes, our school is growing and continually bursting at the seams it seems. That first school year I was here 1990-1991, approximately 30 students graduated from our campus. This year we are at 140 or so I think. We've been surrounded by football and PRMBA, but like the song goes: "You can't Keep A Good Man Down!" After that first year at Pea Ridge, I've never looked back. The people -- and the kids here -- are special. I love it.
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Perry Mason is Agricultural Educator, Advisor of FFA, Pea Ridge America FFA Chapter.
General News on 02/24/2016