This year's Golden Owl Award recipient is described by his nominators as passionate, selfless, motivating and inspiring.
Prairie Heights FFA advisor and agriculture teacher Ron Noll was awarded the coveted Golden Owl Award at the 95th Indiana State FFA Convention in West Lafayette last Thursday. The Golden Owl Award recognizes teachers who have had a positive impact not only in their classrooms but also in the communities they serve.
"This award really starts with your community because you have to be nominated by community members," he said. "Being appreciated by your hometown and your coworkers and school system."
Noll's nominations described him as wanting the best for every student. One nomination read, "He is passionate about his field, but also worldly enough to inject other disciplines into his content. He is focused, but able to be flexible to teach to different needs. He builds relationships and still sets boundaries of respect and discipline."
Another nomination stated, "His commitment to the students and the Prairie Heights School is second to none. Selfless giving, growth mindset and moral soundness are only a few examples that describe him. His approach to life is if it is worth doing then it is worth doing very well."
Noll said receiving the award was very humbling.
"I was not anticipating getting it. It was just an honor to be a finalist. To be selected, I was very humbled. There were a lot of fine people up on stage with me. It felt nice to be rewarded," he said.
In his 21-year career as the Prairie Heights FFA advisor, Noll has seen several students go on to succeed, both in FFA and beyond. Under his leadership, the FFA chapter has seen nine students go on to become an Indiana FFA state officer, several Hoosier Degree winners, a number of FFA state Star award winners and two National FFA Star finalists.
"I've had a lot of people help me get here," he said. He mentioned his wife, Alicia, and the Prairie Heights Community.
He started out teaching in the middle school but soon after moved up to the high school. He teaches principles of agriculture, ag mechanics courses and welding. Before becoming an ag teacher, Noll was a dairy farmer for 20 years in the Prairie Heights school district.
"Growing up, I wanted to farm. That's all I wanted to do and I had that opportunity, and when that kind of went away, I didn't have any idea what I wanted to do," Noll said. "I was contacted wondering if I'd be interested (in teaching), and I thought, 'You know, I've had a little experience. And maybe I can share that.' And I truly enjoyed my FFA experience when I was going through school."
His ag teachers, Mr. Stump, Mr. Hollace and Mr. Armstrong, made a lasting impact on Noll's life, he said.
"I thought, 'You know, maybe I can give back and do for other kids what those people did for me,'" he said.
That thought is what drew him in to the ag teaching career.
"Everything just fell into place. God had a plan," he said.
Since then, it has been all about helping students learn and grow.
"The highlight for me is seeing the kids I've had in school be successful," Noll said.
While he enjoys teaching, Noll said he creates deeper relationships with students in his role as advisor. He especially loves helping students overcome challenges and watching as they make the connections and come away from the challenge with a stronger understanding of the subject and the ability to perform a new skill.
Throughout the years, his message to his students is to work hard and do your best.
"You can learn how to do things, but you need to have the attitude to want to improve yourself," he said. "If they can do that, they'll be successful."
Noll plans to continue teaching for another three years before retiring. After retirement, he said he plans to stay busy. However, he has not yet decided what he will do.
As the 2023-24 Ag Educator of the Year, Noll received a $3,000 donation to further the Prairie Heights agricultural education efforts, in addition to his new title and the commemorative trophy.
"I've been blessed. I've gotten so many—it's been about 24 hours ago that I received this—" he said, holding up his Golden Owl Award. "And I've had so many congratulations and thank you's from many, many former students and community members. It makes me humble. It makes me proud of my students and I'm going to stay at it for a little bit," he said.