Schmitz set to make an impact on WHHS FFA program

There is a new face that will be a big part of the West Holmes FFA community over the coming months, and that new face should be a big advantage for teacher and adviser Jamie Chenevey and her agriculture students.

Emily Schmitz has stepped in to become the new student teacher, taking on a role that will take her from early January through the middle of April, where her focus will be on the agriculture program.

“I am so excited to get to know each student, their background and goals and to teach what I know this upcoming semester,” Schmitz said in a letter to the students and their parents.

Schmitz originally hails from Darke County, Ohio, where she attended high school at Mississinawa Valley and was involved in FFA, Student Council and 4-H and cheered throughout high school.

“Through FFA I was an active member for five years, an officer for four years, competed in many career-development events, and obtained my state and American FFA degrees through my SAE projects of working on the family farm,” Schmitz said.

In addition, she owns her own business of raising and selling golden comet pullets.

Upon graduation from Mississinawa Valley, she attended ATI for two years, where she milked cows for her brother-in-law, worked in the admissions office and was involved in the Agricultural Communicators, Educators and Leaders of Tomorrow Club.

After obtaining her associate degree in 2022, Schmitz moved to the Ohio State University in Columbus. During her time in Columbus, she joined Agricultural Education Society and Sigma Alpha Sorority and chaired a committee for both organizations.

In addition to her on-campus activities, she also worked as an assistant as a financial representative at Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company.

Outside of class, work and extracurricular activities, she said she enjoys baking for friends; spending time with her niece, nephews and family; and traveling across the state of Ohio.

“My most recent project has been baking yeast breads,” Schmitz said. “If anyone has some tips on how to create the most perfect bread, I would love to hear them.”

Schmitz said she is ecstatic for the opportunity to teach the WHHS students and is thankful for this opportunity to learn from the students and Chenevey, the West Holmes agriculture program, and the community.

For Chenevey, the opportunity to work with a student teacher is exciting because it helps everyone on multiple levels.

“Any time I can help promote an agricultural career and help people gain knowledge through sharing my own and having them experience it in the classroom, it’s a great thing, and Emily is a good egg,” Chenevey said. “She is going to be a great addition to our chapter and the classroom.”

Having spent her life on the family farm and learning from her older sister, Schmitz said agriculture has always been one of the driving factors in her life, and she is excited in preparing to step into an agriculture role as an educator through this process.

“It’s going to be exciting to learn and apply everything I learn through this next semester here at West Holmes,” Schmitz said. “I’m looking forward to developing some great relationships and grow in my experience.”

While serving in her student teacher role, she can be emailed at eschmitz@westholmes.org.