Two students from the Atlantic High School will be honored Monday afternoon, in Ames. Seniors Haley Carlson and Aubrey Schwarte will be part of an historic event where Iowa will be the first state in the nation to conduct a Letter of Intent to Teach Agricultural Education. The goal is to recognize young people who are committed to pursuing teaching as a career. The ceremony honoring Carlson and Schwarte will take place on the ISU Campus at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, beginning at 3:10-p.m.

Dale Gruis, ‎Ag Ed Consultant for the Iowa Department of Education, and State FFA Advisor, says nationally, the number of college students pursuing degrees to teach K-12 is down 30-percent. In Iowa, there are currently about 20 teaching positions that remain unfilled in Agricultural Education (grades 5-12). While southern states have had Ag Ed instructor shortages for many years, the 2015-year was the first such shortage, in Iowa. Gruis says in addition, 25-percent of high school Ag Ed instructors are eligible to retire by 2018.

Agricultural Education is linked with the FFA, the largest student-led organization in the world. Gruis says students can only become members of the National FFA if they are first enrolled in Ag Ed courses.