The Nebraska Golden Owl Award honors teachers for their exceptional commitment to students and dedication to agricultural education. This year, out of many nominations, six finalists were selected. Finalist, Cole Blomendahl, from the Mead FFA chapter, finds purpose in watching his students grow and develop through their time in his program.
Having grown up on his family’s farm and been involved in agriculture throughout his life, Mr. Blomendahl says that pursuing a career in agricultural education was a natural choice for him. He credits a fantastic agriculture teacher in high school who developed a strong relationship with him and inspired him to pursue a career in education.
Mr. Blomendahl is completing his 17th year of teaching agriculture and his 10th year at Mead High School, a place he truly enjoys being. “We have nice facilities, supportive alumni and administrators, and students who want to be involved, which makes it a joy to teach here,” says Blomendahl. The community of Mead echoes this sentiment. “Cole has been a wonderful asset to the Mead FFA Alumni chapter,” noted one nominator. “He is respected and admired by many of his peers in the field of Agricultural Education, as well as in his school and community.”
One of the things Mead FFA is known for most in their community is spring plant sales. Community members have no other options for buying flowers unless they want to drive to Omaha or Fremont, so Mead FFA’s spring plant sales are always well-supported, and Mr. Blomendahl loves watching the community turn out for the event after all the hard work of the students.
Mr. Blomendahl enjoys teaching at Mead because he has the opportunity to work with students from seventh grade all the way through their graduation. He loves witnessing their growth over the six years they are with him and appreciates catching up with them after they have graduated. One of his favorite memories as an agriculture teacher is running into his first FFA president at the State Fair.
Another great perk of teaching at a small school like Mead for Mr. Blomendahl is that he sees his children all the time at school, and also teaches them once they hit 7th grade. The line between work and home is blurred, but that’s a good fit for him. “I get to be a Dad and advisor at the same time,” shared Blomendahl.
He credits a lot of his success to having taught at three different schools. Mr. Blomendahl has been able to combine ideas and perspectives from the different communities he taught in, and believes that this has strongly benefited him. He also attributes much of his chapter’s success to strong alumni support.
Mr. Blomendahl’s advice for future agriculture teachers is to dive into the career. Until you dive in and start living it, you’re never gonna learn it or improve at it. Things aren’t always going to go as expected; that’s fine. Be willing to learn from mistakes and grow.
Outside the classroom, Mr. Blomendahl enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, and watching the Huskers.
Mr. Blomendahl would like to express his gratitude to his wife and four children for their unwavering support over the years. He also wishes to thank his fellow agriculture teachers, both in his district and across the state, noting that they make his job enjoyable.
The Nebraska Golden Owl Award is sponsored by the Nebraska Agriculture Educators Association, the Nebraska FFA Foundation, and Nationwide.
