Et cetera : New Year, new teacher for VS FFA

Past FFA Pres. Riley Ries introduces FFA teacher Melissa Heeren during the May banquet.

With the new school year beginning, many people are getting excited; it’s time for new experiences, new friends, and a new agriculture teacher! Mrs. Heeren, a previous agriculture teacher at Gladbrook Reinbeck, applied for the position when Mrs. Fleming, the agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor at Vinton-Shellsburg for five years, took a different position in the school district.

Mrs. Fleming will now be a secondary instructional coach, meaning she will be working with different teachers in the high school so that she may bring learning to a whole other level, but that doesn’t mean she’s leaving behind her passion for agriculture. Mrs. Fleming will continue to be an FFA Advisor, working beside Mrs. Heeren.

Over the summer, Mrs. Heeren has been present for the FFA activities; helping out at Party in the Park, the Benton County Fair, FFA meetings, and classroom chores. Already she has been a huge help in the Agriculture Department at Vinton-Shellsburg and all the members and agriculture students are excited to grow closer to her and to learn from her!

Besides the students and members being excited for Mrs. Heeren to join the Vinton-Shellsburg School District, she is excited! She is really looking forward to building relationships with all of the students, learning- because she will always be learning something along with teaching the students, and enjoying the community and everything involved with Vinton-Shellsburg. Mrs. Heeren is excited to help students be successful in the adventures.

Mrs. Heeren, a former Ag student of Mrs. Fleming and now an FFA Alumni/Advisor, has a minor in Animal Science along with her bachelors in Agriculture Education. She is a big fan of horses; enjoying horseback riding, competing in horse shows, and watching and participating in rodeos. Besides spending time with her horse, Mrs. Heeren really enjoys being outside. She loves to hunt, fish, camp, and anything animal related!

Everyone is super excited to have such an amazing person to come in to teach and advise! The Vinton-Shellsburg FFA Chapter and the students involved in agriculture classes are excited for a new year with a new teacher and co-advisor!

Jessica Alderson

Co-Reporter