Pridemore named new FFA adviser, ag educator at Edison High

Kelli Pridemore is returning to her educational roots as the new FFA and agricultural educator at Edison High School.

The Carrollton native succeeds longtime teacher Chuck Cline. A graduate of Carrollton High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Ashland University.

Pridemore taught agricultural education and advised FFA members in Carrollton for 16 years before joining Edison, where she now works with 77 agriculture students and more than 120 FFA members. She said she hopes to continue the program’s long-standing traditions while broadening student involvement.

“I’d like to get more students involved in FFA activities at the local, state and national level and continue to have students succeed in career development,” Pridemore said. “I also want to continue keeping the community involved in Edison FFA activities.”

She and her husband, Steve, operate a farm in southern Carroll County and have six children ages 9 to 22. Pridemore stepped away from classroom teaching after the birth of her youngest child but remained in education, serving two years as an instructional supervisor at Quaker Digital Academy and mentoring other agricultural teachers for eight years.

“My children are grown with my four youngest in school, and I wanted to teach in school,” she said. “An opportunity opened up and I’m excited to bring my experience with the program and continue the tradition of Edison’s FFA.”

Edison’s FFA program has produced American and state degree recipients, as well as state individual and team winners and Top 10 finishers in career development events. The industrial arts and agriculture programs are combined, giving students hands-on experience in the greenhouse and shop, which features welding booths, a CNC plasma table and metal-working equipment.

Most recently, a school team placed seventh in equine management and will travel to Tulsa, Okla., for the 55th Annual National Arabian Horse Judging Contest Oct. 24-25. The event draws FFA, Arabian Horse Association and collegiate judging teams from across the country.

Students also gain leadership and community service experience through events such as the annual Classic Tractor Show and Car Cruise-in, fundraisers for the Wounded Warrior Project and Children’s Hospital, Wreaths Across America, Veterans Day breakfasts, and improvement projects at school ballfields and the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.

Pridemore said current plans include attending the Ohio Farm Science Review in London, participating in soil judging events, traveling to the National FFA Convention in late October, and continuing the group’s sausage sandwich fundraiser during Wildcat football games.