Marshall County High School agriculture teacher Jourdan Palmeri has been selected as Kentucky’s Outstanding Agricultural Education Teacher. Only one agriculture teacher is selected for this honor each year by the Kentucky Association of Agricultural Educators.
Palmeri has taught agriculture in Marshall County for the past seven years in partnership with Allan Smith, her co-teacher. Her classroom is in Marshall County High School’s on-site Career and Technical Education Center. Palmeri’s classes focus primarily on the horticulture and animal science career pathways.
Palmeri’s courses are hands-on, and she sets them up so students have the opportunity to learn not only from her, but one another as they work through the content. She creates an environment of consistency, accountability and communication in hopes that these qualities will be instilled for their future endeavors.
Experiential learning opportunities outside the classroom is another area where Palmeri focuses her efforts. Through community partnerships, she is able to connect her students with work opportunities in agriculture. She also helps students who want to develop their own enterprises get started and find ways to grow.
Palmeri advises the Marshall County FFA chapter, which is very active and has produced many contest-winning individuals and teams. In addition to giving students opportunities to compete, Palmeri also uses FFA to develop leadership skills in members, encouraging them to organize events, manage operations, and conduct chapter business with minimal supervision.
She also has used her position as agriculture teacher at Marshall County to develop opportunities for her students to participate in community service activities. One way she does this is by working closely with the Marshall County Youth Service Center to organize several food and supply drives thought the school year.
Professionally, Palmeri is involved in the Kentucky Association of Agricultural Educators, serving as the Purchase Region KAAE Chair. In addition, she is a certified Kentucky Hunter Education instructor and has certified students through both her classes at the school and publicly offered courses. She is also a Google Certified Educator.
“Mrs. Palmeri has consistently demonstrated conscientiousness and genuine commitment to the education of her students as well as a concern for professional growth and development,” said Brian Harper, the principal of Marshall County Technical Center in his letter of recommendation. “She is the type of teacher we want to support and be in this profession for decades to come.”
Palmeri and her husband, Mike, reside in Benton.
As the Kentucky Outstanding Agricultural Education Teacher, Palmeri is now in the running to be named one of the top six agriculture teachers in the nation.
The Kentucky Association of Agricultural Educators is the professional organization for individuals involved in school-based agricultural education at any level. To support its members, KAAE advocates for agricultural education, provides professional development opportunities, and works to recruit and retain educators in the profession. KAAE is part of the National Association of Agricultural Educators, which has more than 9,000 members nationwide.