At the regular board meeting on Monday, May 2, the Board of Education for Marietta Public Schools approved the hiring of an additional ag teacher.
“We are very excited to have the opportunity to add an additional teacher to our successful ag program,” stated Superintendent Brandi Naylor. “Mr. Bazor, through hard work, long hours, and dedication to seeing students succeed, has done a phenomenal job growing our ag program through the years.
“Agriculture programs are multi-faceted and with the addition of a second teacher, we will be able to serve students in the leadership/public speaking areas, as well as expand our horticulture offerings to utilitze our new greenhouse/outdoor classroom.”
Josh Bazor, ag teacher and FFA advisor for over 20 years, has built a powerhouse program in ag mechanics, one that has brought home state title after state title, but in doing this, admits that there have been other avenues for students where he lacks the time to focus.
And so, in the fall, Kelsi Kamesch, who graduated from OSU on May 7, will bring her brand new degree to Marietta. Kamesch, an Atwater, California 2018 high school graduate, looks forward to the move to Love County.
Kamesch says that when people find out that she’s from California, they sometimes look at her askance, but she insists that she has embraced her new home state.
“I love California, but I was tired of the way California was leaning politically and wanted a change,” she said. “I moved to Oklahoma in 2020 to start school at OSU, have been here since, and don’t plan on going back. The way of life is slower, and people are kinder. I love it here. It’s where I belong.”
Kamesch has been involved in FFA since high school. The program at Atwater was a large one, with nine teachers and varied programs, everything from turf management and floriculture – Kamesch’s passion – to ag mechanics and public speaking.
She did her student teaching in Fairview and got hooked on the small-town atmosphere.
“When I came to interview at Marietta, I got here early and drove around for a while, and I could easily see myself moving here and being happy,” she said. “Every person that I’ve talked to about the program and Mr. Bazor has said nothing but good things. They seem excited to have me come and I am very excited to be here.”
Kamesch will be focusing on public speaking, and she can’t wait to get her hands on the greenhouse, too.
“I look forward to providing the same kind of encouragement to my students as my FFA teachers were to me,” Kamesch shared. “I believe that when it’s done correctly, a teacher can be both an educator and a mentor, and I can’t want to get started doing that at Marietta.”