Michelle Nelson

Michelle Nelson, FFA adviser at Brookings High School, is trying to break away from the stereotype that the student organization is just for farm kids.

The newly renovated agriculture workshop at BHS will help, she thinks, by drawing in more students.

"It's more inviting to students and will attract more kids to the program," Nelson said.

"Dingy and dark, crowded and congested" would describe the former welding and woodworking areas. Almost everything from re-sealed floors to new lighting creates a new feel in the area.

Nelson describes the improvements starting with a wall removed that used to divide the welding and woodworking areas.

"Now I don't have to be in two places at once," Nelson said.

Ten new welding stations, complete with welding tables, line an entire wall. Underfoot is a metal working floor, specifically made for welding and able to handle thrown sparks.

New equipment was added to the woodworking area, including a new sawstop table saw.

A computer chip in the saw uses an electric current run through the blade to determine if moisture is present in the object being cut, enabling the machine to differentiate between lumber and a finger .

"It knows what it's cutting," Nelson said. "The stop time is five milliseconds , resulting in only a small nick on the finger."

Also new to the woodworking shop is a panel saw, capable of cutting down sheets of plywood. Nelson said the new tool will help students better utilize their time because they can cut entire sheets of plywood with extremely accurate precision.

A fresh coat of paint throughout and a new ceiling and lighting in the classroom and office round out the improvements.

The teacher is also building new shelves for the tool room, intended to make the area better organized and the tools easier to find. Nelson can also utilize a tablet and projection system, enabling her to project what is on the screen of her wireless, laptop computer while walking around the room.

"It makes it easier to teach in general. Things are always changing , the students need to learn with new technology," Nelson said.

Curriculum changes refocus the program and implement technology , featuring courses in biotechnology, horticulture, landscaping , intro to agriculture, ag mechanics and animal science.

There is also more coming. A grant written by Nelson was selected, providing the funding to build a new greenhouse.

With a wide variety of courses and specialties ranging from job interviews to horticulture in FFA, Nelson is confident that there is something for everyone offered in the program.

Incentives to join the FFA organization also include the lure of awards, scholarships, leadership development, training and travel.

"We're trying to spread the word, get new members. FFA isn't just for farm kids. Eleven of the nation's 15 largest cities have FFA chapters," Nelson said. "Everyone needs to know that milk doesn't come from a grocery store."

An FFA alumna herself, Nelson was chapter reporter and president as a student at Flandreau High School, served as district sentinel and president and oversaw Career Development Events (CDE's ) and was vice president of collegiate FFA while attending South Dakota State University.

Nelson credits experience gained through FFA for helping her snag the ag instructor job at BHS after her college graduation.

Now a second-year teacher, Nelson still looks more like her students than the stereotypical agriculture/woodshop/welding teacher.

But it does seem fitting that the instructor implementing more technology into the courses and saying FFA isn't just for farm kids also breaks the mold.