Garrett Moorse new co-advisor for FFA
At the Minneota FFA banquet on May 3, Garrett Moorse was officially named co-advisor for the program.
Moorse will be the co-advisor along with recently-hired Minneota agriculture instructor Matt Buysse for two years, beginning with the 2017-18 school year.
“I'm really excited,” said Moorse, who graduated from Minneota in 2015. “I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing it for the kids.”
“I've been involved in FFA for a long time and some of the more successful FFA programs in the state have more than one advisor, so I think this will help the kids here.”
At an April 18 meeting, the Minneota school board approved naming Buysse to replace agriculture instructor William Delaney, who is retiring at the end of the school year. Buysse's hiring is pending upon approval of a community expert license by the Minnesota Board and Education, which is expected to be known within the next two weeks.
Buysse, who grew up on a farm and graduated from Minneota High School in 2007, currently holds a four-year degree in another field so he still is required to be licensed as an agriculture teacher.
“I will be taking online courses to get my Master’s in Agriculture Education beginning this fall through Auburn University,” said Buysse, who currently works for Laleman Construction in Minneota.
“The courses will be for two years.” Moorse, who lives on the family farm one mile south of Minneota, has been involved with FFA since seventh grade and has attended two national conventions and won a national contest, also qualifies to attend two more conventions.
He has also been involved in the 4-H program since he was in kindergarten. “Garrett will be a big help to me,” said Buysse. “We didn't have an FFA program when I was in high school here so his experience with that will help a lot.” With school officials realizing a need for an additional advisor, Moorse was contacted by Principal Jeremy Frie to gauge his interest in the paid position.
“I interviewed with Frie and he told me I would get the job if the school board approved me,” said Moorse. The board approved Moorse at the school board meeting on May 2. The next day it was announced at the FFA banquet. “My duties will be to work together with Matt to develop a plan of action to get the kids involved in all the events throughout FFA,” explained Moorse. “I want the kids to have every opportunity I had (in FFA) and more.”
“Having two advisors will be better for both and Matt and myself. We will be able to work more closely with the kids. I think the position will be time-consuming, but it will also be a lot of fun.”