Morgan High School teacher recognized for exemplary performance and dedication to agricultural education

Of the 36 Agricultural Educators who received the 2023 National Association of Agricultural Educators Teachers Turn the Key Scholarship Award, Morgan High School’s own Agriculture teacher, Hannah Giles, was one of the two Utah winners. 

The National Association of Agricultural Educators TTK awarded teachers who show exemplary performance and dedication to agricultural education during the 2023 NAAE Convention held Nov. 28 through Dec. 2, in Phoenix, Arizona. According to the NAAE, “The Teachers Turn the Key scholarship brings together agricultural educators with three to five years of experience and immerses them in five days of professional development that addresses issues specific to the early years of teaching agriculture.” 

Giles began her teaching career at Maple Mountain High School in Spanish Fork. After teaching there for two years she was hired by Morgan High School. She is currently in her third year teaching classes ranging from Agricultural to Animal Science to Greenhouse Management. 

“I became a teacher because I wanted to be able to give kids experiences in their high school years that my own AG teacher, Megan Haslam, was able to give me,” said Giles. “I also realized that so many people in the world had no idea how important the AG industry is in their lives. Being able to help kids realize that agriculture is so much more than a farmer on a tractor in a field.”

Giles says she continues to teach because she loves it. “I love watching my high school students grow and realize what they can accomplish in life. That they are capable of so much more than they realize.”

Besides teaching, Giles also is the advisor for the Future Farmers of America program at the high school. “I love helping my FFA members gain new skills to help them in their adult lives.” 

Last school year, Giles filled out an application through the Agriculture Teacher Association in Utah. She was then selected by the leaders of the state organization from a pool of other applicants to represent Utah at the National Convention.

“I had an amazing experience while attending with being able to connect and network with other teachers from all over the country,” said Giles. “I take a lot of pride in being selected to represent Utah. Through my experiences, I was able to bring things back to my classroom to better myself and my students. I love being able to help my students succeed in the classroom, as well as, through the FFA program. Agriculture is connected to every single person in the world, not just those that raise animals or crops, and helping people understand that is one of my main goals in teaching.” λ