More than 300 agriculture educators and FFA advisors got together to share ideas, resources and support, at the Wisconsin Association of Agricultur Educators(WAAE) summer conference in Oshkosh.

Collaboration was a major theme when visiting with instructors.  The new president of WAAE, Mary Handrich from Denmark, is continuing to build bridges with local technical colleges to leverage their assets with what she's presenting in the classroom.

Handrich says that agriculture instructors across the state have been in contact with local technical colleges creating new ways to not only help students explore career options, but also get them there faster.  With shared college credits being taught at the high school level, students not only find their career path faster, they also do it in an affordable way.

Handrich says she intends to continue to work on helping other teachers discover what technical college partners might be available to them. She also wants to continue to expand her own program with community outreach projects, which she says, are largely driven by students.  "What I love is when students ask me if they can try something."  She says seeing them engage in the process reinforces what education is all about.