Alumni Profiles

Jason Knopp

2004 WVAAE Outstanding Young Teacher

Recently, I was selected as the West Virginia Young Outstanding Agricultural Teacher. To me being chosen for this award signifies that what I have been doing for the past five years is not only rewarding to the students but also to me. I have been able to gain a lot of agricultural experience throughout my life. Being raised on a family farm I learned about beef cattle, sugar cane, watermelons, cantaloupes, and a variety of other crops. I was a member of the Frozencamp Supremes 4-H club until I started high school when I became a member of the Ripley FFA Chapter. Under the guidance of Bill West, David Bourgeois, and Connie Scarborough, I was able to participate in several FFA activities, was elected an FFA officer, completed a variety of agricultural classes, and had an experience of a lifetime when I attended the National FFA Convention.

I graduated from Ripley High School in 1995 and completed two years of basic college classes at West Virginia University-Parkersburg. During the fall of 1996 I went back to the National FFA Convention to receive my American FFA Degree. The following year I transferred to West Virginia University where I majored in Agricultural and Environmental Education. I was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, Alpha Tau Alpha, and the Collegiate FFA. I student taught in the spring of 2000 at Barbour County Vocational Center with Mark Hostutler. I graduated in May 2000 with a degree in Agricultural Education. Currently I am working on my master’s degree.

I accepted my first teaching position at Ravenswood High School in the fall of 2000. I was fortunate to work beside Don Stephens for a year before he retired. I taught one school year as a single teacher department before I was able to get the administration to hire another agricultural teacher. The next year Jason Miihlbach was added to the program.

In the high school program we have 110 members in the chapter. We offer programs such as: Ag I, II, III, and IV, small animal care, greenhouse, ag mechanics, veterinary science, wildlife management, ag business and leadership, and aquaculture. We have had two State FFA Presidents from the chapter and three American Degree recipients. This year we came in 7th in the CDE sweepstakes and had a 1st place entomology team and a 1st place 7th & 8th grade agriscience team. Two of the chapters biggest fund raisers include an equipment auction in March that grosses around $150,000 (percentage goes to the chapter) and the grilled chicken and corn on the cob stand that the chapter sponsors at the West Virginia Arts and Crafts Fair that brings in around $13,000. As a chapter, we have an annual banquet, go ice skating, participate in a donkey basketball game, have chapter picnics at the beginning and end of school, attend state and national FFA conventions, attend leadership conferences, and many other activities.
In the five years that I have taught, I have been fortunate to start a middle school program for 7th and 8th graders. This is the third year that the middle school program has been operational and currently there are 51 members enrolled. The past two years that we have participated in the 7th & 8th grade agriscience CDE contest at Morgantown. We walked away with a 1st place team both years.

I have had the opportunity to start a Boosters Organization for parents and supporters of the FFA chapter. This allows the parents to get more involved in their children’s extra-curricular activities. I also serve as the treasurer of the livestock committee at the Jackson County Jr. Fair.

I am in the process of trying to secure funding for a 40x80 building for a meats laboratory, aquaculture facility and an additional classroom. We are also looking into buying a refrigeration truck for the chapter so we can use it at the Arts and Crafts Fair.

These past five years have definitely been an experience for me. Not only have I been able to help students and teach them about agriculture, but I have also been able to learn from them as well. Teaching is a passion that is instilled in us and we as educators get a chance to take that passion everyday and go to a job that we love to do and have the chance to make a difference.

Jason Knopp is an agricultural education teacher at Ravenswood High School. He is a 2000 graduate of West Virginia University