Routt High School Charters First FFA Chapter, Expands Agricultural Education

Routt Catholic High School took a significant step for career and technical education on December 13, when it formally chartered its first Future Farmers of America chapter. The ceremony established a school chapter for the first time in Routt history and installed inaugural student officers, including Avery Lowery as president, Grace Cleveland as vice president, Madalyn Wisdom as secretary, Keegan Lawson as treasurer, Easton Harris as sentinel, and Quinn Johnson as a charter member.

The effort was led by Allison Wheeler, the new agriculture teacher hired in July who also serves as chapter sponsor. Enrollment in Wheeler's agriculture classes has doubled for the spring semester, reflecting strong student demand for practical, skills based instruction. School officials presented the charter as a direct response to that demand and as a way to create structured pathways for students interested in farming, agribusiness, and related trades.

The FFA chapter will integrate classroom instruction with extracurricular activities and supervised agricultural experiences, providing students with hands on vocational opportunities that extend beyond traditional coursework. For Morgan County, where agriculture remains a core part of the local economy, the program represents an investment in the future workforce and a mechanism to build technical skills locally rather than relying solely on external training pipelines.

Local reaction at the ceremony and among parents and community members emphasized the program's potential to strengthen ties between the school and area farms, businesses, and service providers. By formalizing an FFA chapter, the school creates organized avenues for students to pursue leadership development, technical certifications, and career exploration that can lead directly to employment or postsecondary study in agricultural fields.

As the chapter moves from ceremony to classroom and community engagement, its immediate measurable impact is an increased class enrollment and a clear institutional commitment to vocational education. For families and local employers in Morgan County, the new FFA chapter signals expanded opportunities for youth to gain practical experience that aligns with the region's economic needs.