High school explores FFA club

Green River High School may host a chapter of the Future Farmers of America organization.

Speaking to the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees last night, high school principal Darren Howard said the school is surveying students regarding a FFA chapter, which he said is part of the school’s goal of keeping more students in Sweetwater County after they graduate.

While most would classify the organization as agriculturally-based through its name alone, Howard said the organization also supports career training in fields such as land management and mining.

“It’s mining. It’s forestry. It’s engineering,” Howard said.

Howard said the freshmen at GRHS have already received surveys and plans to talk to the other student classes about the chapter during their town hall-style meetings. Responses that are trickling back to the administration suggest students are interested in the organization.

Howard also said the school plans to start small if FFA chapter is formed.

“We want to start small and work into something bigger,” he said.

Information presented by Howard states annual job opportunities during the 2010-2018 period are expected to average 14,500 annually and include careers including veterinarian, animal pathologist, biological engineer and food scientist. In agriculture and forestry, the number of annually available position is estimated at 7,900 and include positions such as land use manager and restoration forester.

While mining is Sweetwater County’s major economic engine, the county also contains large sections of public land, managed by either the Bureau of Land Management or the U.S. Forest Service.

The high school is working on other avenues to increase post-graduation workforce opportunities. Howard said the school has purchased training equipment such as a virtual welder and a Hunter Road Force Wheel Balancer to help train students in the school’s industrial trades classes. The welder is a simulator that faithfully recreates a welding experience and grades students based on their handling of the equipment. The wheel balancer is one of two such systems in Sweetwater County and uses lasers to accurately measure how balanced a vehicle’s wheels are.

Howard said the school plans to purchase 3D printer and plans to introduce a flat arc welding class during the 2015-2016 school year through a partnership with Western Wyoming Community College.