The MFBF 2022 FFA Advisor of the Year, Mary Helen Lett, never lets her students just stand and watch. She sets the example then lets them take over.

“She just installs confidence in her kids all the time,” said Grace Tutor, one of Lett’s students. “I know it sounds kind of cheesy, but she really does. She teaches you how to work with the animals and just be confident in what you’re doing.”

“We can do a lot of stuff with our hands, and it’s not like we’re sitting at a desk the whole time just watching a slideshow or presentation,” adds Parker Pickett, another student. “We’re actually working on the farm.”

When they say hands on, they mean it. This is Lett’s ninth year teaching after graduating from Mississippi State University in Agriculture Informational Science. Lett admits she is in a unique situation at Forrest County Agricultural High School. Not only is there a working farm surrounding the school, but in most cases, students are excited about agriculture.

On a typical day, her students get to check to see if the cows and sheep on campus are pregnant with an ultrasound donated to the program through a grant.

“Having these resources available and showing these kids the hands‑on work that goes into preparing food and bringing it from the farm to the plate, it’s just so fun, you know,” Lett said. “I really enjoy getting out of the classroom, allowing these kids to try something different that they usually don’t have at home.”

Getting out of the classroom gives Lett a little extra advantage, because she knows today’s students are pulled in so many directions. Her class takes students away from their many distractions and gives them a purpose beyond the pages of a text book.

“For them to see through fruition the beginning to the end when these calves are born, even when we’re processing, and everything in between, and just to show them the whole process of planting a seed and then to your harvest,” she said. “Kind of remind them of how the world works and really their place in it.”

Their place may be college, their own farming operation or outside of agriculture, but more importantly, Lett is making an impact on her students.

“Ms. Lett has actually influenced me a little bit to be an Ag teacher,” said Montana Tyree, a sophomore at Forrest County Agricultural High School. “Before, I like never really wanted to be anything with school. I didn’t even want to go to college. But ever since I’ve met Ms. Lett, I feel like an ag teacher would be a really good thing to do when I grow up.”

But the impact goes both ways. Lett’s students inspire their teacher to be and do more.

“It really just motivates me to keep going in this profession. Sometimes it’s not easy to do what we do. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a lot of work. So, to have this recognition, especially for my program and my kids to show what we’re doing here, it really means a lot.  I’m very thankful for this opportunity.”