AKRON — For Mike Jones, the new agriculture teacher at Tippecanoe Valley High School, being hired by Tippecanoe Valley is a homecoming of sorts. Jones graduated from Valley in 1993 and after college spent 17 years teaching agriculture at Argos High School. His roots at Valley go even deeper – his wife, Lacey, works as a special education teacher at Mentone Elementary and his children attend Tippecanoe Valley.

In addition to teaching agriculture, Jones will lead the FFA program at the high school, where 50-60 students currently participate. “I really want to get kids participating in more contests,” he says, adding, “The competition and leadership in FFA are outstanding.”

Jones comes at a time when big things are happening in agriculture education at Tippecanoe Valley. The corporation’s goal for the year is to acquire four feeder steers by January; students will get a firsthand education with the animals, and near the end of the year, the steers will be used to feed students in the school cafeteria. This project, plus Jones’ willingness and excitement to come on board, ensures that this will be an interesting year at Tippecanoe Valley High School.