WEST LIBERTY, Iowa–Growing up on a farm, agriculture classes always appealed to Brenda Arthur-Miller. When she began her career as a school administrator in West Liberty 13 years ago, she knew agriculture and FFA remained relevant. “When I started at West Liberty, I jumped into learning about what we have to offer here,” she recalled. “Being a rural district with farm kids, I knew it was an important part of the high school.”
After spending the start of her career as an assistant principal at West Liberty Middle School and West Liberty High School, Arthur-Miller stepped into the role of West Liberty High School principal six years ago. Since then, she has worked to grow the agriculture department and strengthen the FFA program. In particular, Arthur-Miller focused on adding a second agriculture teacher. “We had the numbers and interest to support an additional teacher, so we advocated with the school board and now have two ag teachers, which has helped increase our course offerings and opportunities for students to explore agriculture and FFA,” she shared.
With two full-time agriculture teachers on staff, all students can take agriculture classes, something Arthur-Miller considers beneficial. ” It isn’t just a program for farm kids,” she emphasized. “Agriculture is an important part of all of our lives, so it is vital students have opportunities to learn and explore the varied industries, careers, and jobs within ag.”
Brenda Arthur-Miller (center) with her Outstanding Administrator Award. Photo courtesy of West Liberty Community School District.
Arthur-Miller also works with FFA students to ensure they have the support and resources to have the best experiences possible. When the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted their 2020 activities, Arthur-Miller stepped in to help West Liberty FFA continue its greenhouse fundraiser. “During COVID, with schools being shut down, we had a greenhouse full of vegetables and flowers and no way to start the annual plant sale, which is one of the biggest fundraisers for our FFA,” she explained. “I worked with our FFA advisor to create an online order form that we pushed out to the community. With the need to limit person-to-person contact, I also worked in the greenhouse quite a few hours to fill orders and leave them outside to be picked up. It was a crazy adventure but a successful one!” To this day, West Liberty FFA continues to utilize online orders as one way for people to shop their greenhouse, allowing them to raise the most money possible.
Even during regular competition seasons, Arthur-Miller stays engaged with West Liberty FFA and assists wherever possible. “I enjoy proofreading scripts, timing events, and running through possible judges’ questions with them,” she shared. “They have so much potential and learn so much from competing.”
Because of her dedication to agriculture education and West Liberty FFA, West Liberty High School agriculture teachers Elyse Buysse and Zach Morris nominated Arthur-Miller for the Iowa Association of Agricultural Educators Outstanding Administrator Award, which she received. An award she did not expect, she felt surprised and excited to receive it. “I am honored to receive the award and value that I can use the recognition to highlight what great things our program is doing,” she stated.
