Todd Eick, Medina ag teacher, selected for national award

Provided photo: Todd Eick (second from left), a Medina agricultural teacher, was honored by the National Association of Agricultural Educators for his exemplary performance and dedication to agricultural education.

Press Release, National Association of Agricultural Educators

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Todd Eick, an agricultural educator at Medina, is one of six agricultural educators nationwide who received the 2022 National Association of Agricultural Educators Ideas Unlimited award.

The awards were presented during the 2022 NAAE Convention, which was Nov. 29 through Dec. 3, in Las Vegas.

The NAAE Ideas Unlimited award is presented to NAAE members to recognize them for their innovative ideas that optimize student success and development. The Ideas Unlimited Award is sponsored by National Geographic Learning | Cengage Learning.

Eick received this award for his Blackout Poem lesson plan. To celebrate Ag Literacy Week, Eick collaborated with his school district’s English department to promote ag literacy with his high school students.

Utilizing ag-based magazines, Eick’s students create a Blackout Poem, a form of poetry that uses another authors words, in their written order, to create something else.

For this past year, Eick provided articles to his that were related to growing their own food, but challenged them to select words to create a poem that focused on the theme of hunger. The unused words are then blacked out or colored out to leave just the desired text. Eick has found that this project drastically increases the reading comprehension of his students.

NAAE is the professional organization for agricultural educators with over 8,000 members nationwide. The organization advocates for agricultural education, provides advancement through professional development for agricultural educators, and works to recruit and retain agricultural educators in the profession. NAAE offers a variety of programs and services to support this three-pronged mission.

The mission of NAAE is “professionals providing agricultural education for the global community through visionary leadership, advocacy and service.” NAAE is headquartered in Lexington, Ky.