Bateson Named Forestry Teacher of the Year
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Wheeler County Middle/High School Agriculture Teacher and Future Farmers of America (FFA) Adviser Les Bateson was honored for his dedication to teaching students about Georgia’s forests and timber, as he was recently named the Georgia Forestry Teacher of the Year. continued from page
Every year, the Georgia Forestry Foundation partners with Huber Engineered Woods to recognize a middle or high school agriculture teacher that works diligently to ensure that students recognize the importance of forestry within the state, as well as the many facets associated with the timber industry. The names and work of several educators are submitted through applications and nominations for the award, then a winner is selected from those candidates.
Bateson was presented with the award on Monday, July 13, during the Georgia Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association Summer Conference.
Bateson has been teaching agriculture for 14 years – 8 of which he has spent at the Wheeler County Middle/High School. He has used classroom instruction, handson learning, and guest speakers from the forestry industry to help students learn more about the trees across the state, as he focused his curriculum on topics, such as tree identification, reforestation, measuring standing timber, forest disorders, prescribed burning, land measurements, and more.
He has inspired students to compete in several Career Development Events (CDEs), including Forestry Field Day, Land Judging, Environmental Natural Resources, and Wildlife Management. Bateson’s teams have captured many state and area championships, as most recently, his Wheeler County High School Senior Land Judging Team captured the state championship and went on to compete at the National Land Judging Competition in Oklahoma.
Outside of the classroom, Bateson enjoys spending time with his wife, Samantha, and children Remi, Eliza, and Fletcher.
Wheeler County Schools congratulated Bateson on the prestigious award, as they thanked him for his work and dedication to students both inside and outside the classroom.
