Teachers
Gene Collins
I was born in Whittier, Calif., and raised on a dairy and poultry farm in Weddington community in Arkansas. I graduated from Siloam Springs High School and then graduated from college with an associate's degree from NEO A&M in Miami, Okla. I received my bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Arkansas.
I taught agriculture for two years in Clever, Mo.,, and 35 years in Siloam Springs High School.
I started out to become a football coach, but after attending NEO and becoming friends with many aggies I switched over to agriculture education. I am married with three daughters and four granddaughters, one grandson and another granddaughter on the way.
We live on a small farm and raise cattle and a few chickens and enjoy living in the country.
We are very involved with family activities and church life.
My favorite thing about teaching is building relationships with students, parents, and co-workers.
Most rewarding thing about teaching, is seeing former students' personal and professional successes and when they tell me that I contributed toward their success.
Rodney Ellis
I joined the staff at Siloam Springs High School as an agricultural instructor in 2009. I was born and raised in the central delta of Arkansas on a traditional row-crop farm. I have always been involved in some form of agriculture throughout my entire life. I spent the first part of my career in mechanical fields involving aviation and other equipment.
I have been divinely blessed to enter a vocation in which I can forge relationships, instruct, and serve students through our agricultural programs at the middle school and high school in Siloam Springs. In my opinion, I am blessed to work with the best people in the educational field here in Siloam Springs.
We enjoy tremendous support in our agricultural program due to our community and administration. My colleagues in the Siloam Springs program of Gene Collins, Mike Rogers and Glenn Walker, along with our students, make every day in school truly enjoyable for me. I truly realize one can never stop learning.
Glen Walker
Agriculture Teacher
I never knew I wanted to teach Ag. I was raised on 250 acres east of Springdale. FFA was a huge part of my life and I was very successful. After working in the ag industry for 20 years I have found myself here at Siloam teaching. I love my job and I am blessed beyond words to have wonderful students. I have three great mentors that I work with and look up to and that make every day awesome.
Students
Hannah Bossler
I am the junior advisor officer of the Siloam Springs FFA. I am a senior and this is my first time to hold a position as an officer. I wish I had become more active earlier in high school. My SAE is working at Hidden Acres Stables where I exercise and feed the horses and clean the barn. I have been around horses my whole life and I have been competing with them for 14 years. This fall I will be attending OSU in Stillwater, Okla., to pursue my dream of becoming an equine veterinarian.
Seth Fleig
I am a junior at Siloam Springs High School. I have been in the FFA since my freshman year. I longed to be in it beforehand but due to my school schedule I was unable to. When I made the transition into high school and my schedule cleared up I was finally able to be in FFA. I have join the poultry team and I am also the junior sentinel for my chapter. FFA has opened doors for me and has given me many opportunities that I wouldn't have without it, and also the friendships and relationships that are created through the FFA with our peers and instructors are some of the strongest ones in the school. The FFA has been a huge part of my life and I hope to stay a part of it for as long as I can, even after high school. (Go 2017 Poultry Team!!!, Chick-Yeah!)
Quade Greening
I have been in FFA for four years now. I started in seventh grade and I have been in it ever since. I am currently the junior, junior advisor under Hanna Bossler, who is the junior advisor. I buy and sell goats with my grandpa since around seventh grade. I plan on running for junior advisor next year because Hanna is graduating this year. I hope to continue in FFA through college.
Julie Griffin
I am the 15-year-old daughter of Jim and Jackie Griffin. I am a sophomore at SSHS and am the historian of the Siloam Springs FFA chapter. I live on a 333 acre farm where we raise poultry, dairy cattle and row crops. My SAE is dairy entrepreneurship and I show dairy cattle on the local, state, national and international levels. I have competed on several CDE teams including parliamentary procedures and agronomy. I have been a member of FFA for four years and it has taught me the importance of leadership and helping the community. This summer I had the opportunity to go to the Washington Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. WLC taught me a lot about leadership and was truly a life-changing experience. I wouldn't trade the things that I have learned through FFA for anything, and I am excited for what the future holds.
Ben Holland
FFA has been a big part of my life for the past six years. I have been an officer for all six years, and my SAE has been milking cows, raising beef cattle and mowing grass. I received my State Farmer degree last June and I am working on my American Farmer degree application. FFA is a big part of my life because it puts what we learn in the classroom in practice. I have competed in local and district competitions in opening and closing ceremonies, creed speaking, extemporaneous speaking, parliamentary procedure, electricity, meats and dairy products judging teams. FFA will continue to be a part of my life after I graduate in the spring as I plan on being in the alumni program at Siloam Springs, and also joining the collegiate FFA program at Arkansas Tech University next year.
Meranda Murphy
I have been in Siloam Springs FFA since my seventh grade year, and I am now a sophomore. This year I am Junior Parliamentarian, and I am on the dairy products team. FFA has been a highlight of my middle school and high school years. Between meeting new friends, going on trips, and learning to be a better leader, it has been an amazing opportunity.
Will Nokes
I have been in FFA since the ninth grade. I am the junior chaplain at Siloam Springs' local chapter. I joined FFA because I wanted to learn more about agriculture, and because I wanted to learn to become a better leader. I have competed in a couple of judging events. My freshmen year I was on the meats judging team, and this year I am on the electricity judging team. FFA has been a big part in my life and has helped me gain lots of new friends and mentors, and I am thankful that God has allowed me to be a part of it.
Caroline Perry
I have been involved in FFA three years now. I am a freshman in high school. I currently hold the position junior treasurer in Siloam Springs FFA Chapter. I participated on the OCC (opening and closing ceremony) team my eighth-grade year. It taught me a lot about the importance of leadership. Recently, my chapter officers and I went to a 360 leadership conference in Hot Springs to create a vision and future for our chapter. We met lots of new people and learned ways to improve our chapter. I am a part of the poultry judging team. It definitely has changed my perspective of the poultry industry and further my learning about poultry. I definitely could say that being a part of FFA has changed my life. It helps and teaches life values, communication skills, leadership skills and many others.
Wesley Perry
I have been in FFA since I started the seventh grade. I am currently a junior at Siloam Springs High school. I am the Sentinel for the FFA. FFA has taught me so many skills including leadership, responsibility, loyalty, team building and so much more. I am a part of the FFA poultry judging team. We meet with Mr. Glen Walker every Monday afternoon. By being involved in poultry judging, we have learned many things. I currently work at Atwood's ranch and home supply. I would love to further my knowledge and pursue a career in agriculture.
Robert Phillips
I have been in FFA for four years. I am 16, and while this is my first year being an officer, I have always tried to be as involved as possible. I am now serving as parliamentarian and hope to move up next year. I've shown since I was about 8 years old and started out showing goats and then moved to showing cows. I have been showing cows for about six years and have started trying to expand my herd of Hereford-influenced club calves that started when my grandparents gave me a Hereford-Angus cross calf for Christmas. I am on the agronomy team and have learned and still learning so many things about crops and equipment that will help me tremendously later on in life.
Audrey Ratliff
I have been in FFA for four years. This is my first year as the junior historian and a parliamentarian. I have competed in livestock, parliamentary procedure, and dairy cattle. I am currently planning to go to a leadership training at Camp Couchdale. I am part of the vet science CDE team. I have received my star greenhand degree, and am now working on my chapter degree. I have done many things in FFA since I have became an officer like packing meals for the needy.
Casey Rogers
I am the secretary of the Siloam Springs FFA chapter. FFA is a great organization to get involved in. If you are into things like judging animals, public speaking and spending time with your peers, this is a club for you. Not only is it about having fun, but it's also about helping your community. I have gained so much knowledge through FFA and one day hope to become the FFA president. I am currently in horse judging, which is a great team to be on. I am so glad that I was introduced at a young age. Thanks to the ag teachers, I have learned how to accomplish new things and will one day use them in the future.
Chate Rogers
I have been in FFA for three years. I am currently in the ninth grade and the junior reporter in FFA. I'm on the FFA horse judging team for the second year in a row. FFA has taught me a lot in life such as responsibility, respect and maturity. I live on a farm and we raise a few horses and cattle. On my farm I weedeat, brushhog, mow, and check and feed the animals. I'm also on the FFA creed speaking team along with three others. My favorite thing to do outside of school is ride four-wheelers, and dirt bikes. I like shooting guns, and trapping animals. The main reason I joined FFA is because it teaches me a lot about life and growing up and I encourage others to join so they can learn more about life, and respect for others.
Melissa Rogers
I am the FFA president at Siloam Springs High School. I am a senior this year and have been in FFA since seventh grade. I am on the livestock team and enjoy the outdoors. I grew up on a farm and have raised a bunch of animals including goats, hogs, horses, cows, raccoons, cats, dogs, deer, a coyote and a wolf. I have participated in the Benton County Fair while attending school and have showed goats and hogs. My goal for this year is to graduate, start an internship at Tyson, go to school at NWACC for the first two years for my mandatory classes, and transfer to the University of Arkansas to further my career. I plan on majoring in career and technical education and through the Career Academy of Siloam Springs program I am going to try and get hired at Tyson to become a human resource manager. A couple of the biggest moments of entering high school (being in FFA) for me was ordering my very own FFA jacket, competing on judging teams, learning the FFA creed, and keeping my supervised agricultural experience up to date. My above-all goal in FFA was to become the president, and this year I was able to achieve it. Here is one of my favorite jokes: Why did the ram fall off the cliff? Because he didn't see the ewe-turn.
Kiley Weir
I am the 15-year-old daughter of Lori Weir and Jeremy Weir. This year I am proudly serving as the Siloam Springs FFA Reporter. I am also on two CDE teams, I am on parliamentary procedures and agronomy. My SAE is beef cattle, I show cattle at many different levels and I enjoy every minute that I do it. This year I already have two calves that I have been working with all winter to get ready for show season. FFA is such a great organization, there are so many things that you can do. Last summer I was chosen to attend the Washington Leadership Conference for FFA in Washington D.C., I was honored to get to attend this. I met so many different people and I learned many more leadership techniques that I could bring back to my chapter.
Luke Vancuren
I moved to Siloam Springs my freshman year and joined FFA my sophomore year because I saw opportunities to improve myself in leadership. I am now a senior officer and am the chaplin for the FFA chapter. I have enjoyed every minute of being an officer. I joined the mechanics team my junior year and learned welding techniques, electrical wiring, plumbing, carpentry and many other lifelong skills. One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 10:9. "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." I like this verse because no matter what life throws my way, it always encourages me.
Community on 02/22/2017