Community News

Farm club kicks off at Rugby Middle School when classes begin next week

Rugby Middle School agriculture teacher Carol Levi works in the family’s garden this summer with her daughter, Raelynn, son, Weston, and husband, Jon. [photo courtesy of Carol Levi]

By Amy McCraw, Published: August 6, 2026

Students at Rugby Middle School will have the chance to learn more about farming when they return to classes next week thanks to a new club offered at the school.

“It opens so many windows for our students to get hands-on learning experiences,” Rugby teacher Carol Levi said of Future Farmers of America.
While FFA has been available to high school students for years, Rugby will be the second school, along with Apple Valley, to offer the club to middle schoolers in Henderson County. 
Apple Valley began offering agriculture classes during the 2025-2026 school year with its FFA program getting underway last fall. The club was chartered in the spring and some students attended the FFA convention over the summer, officials from Henderson County Public Schools said.
Levi will act as an advisor to the club at Rugby and take over as the agriculture teacher when classes begin next week. Her students will be responsible for crops grown at the school.
Levi said she plans to give her students a tour of the school’s greenhouse, chicken coop and garden on the first day back to school on Wednesday, Aug 12.
“When they get here, we will be outside tending to everything,” she said.
Along with eggs from the chickens, crops grown at Rugby include pumpkins, squash, corn, zucchini and flowers. Levi said she also hopes students will be able to grow broccoli and cabbage in the fall.
Rugby began offering agriculture as a course during the 2024-2025 school year but did not have FFA until students led the effort to build a club at the school.
“Several students came to me and were interested in it,” Levi said, adding that creating the club was “a great opportunity to put students in the driver’s seat.”
FFA will give students the chance to learn even more about agriculture while also developing their leadership skills.
Some FFA activities include tractor driving and dairy judging among other things.
Offering agriculture classes and FFA in the county’s middle schools is happening one school at a time as resources, staffing and logistics come together, the school system said.
The hope is to eventually expand access to agriculture programs to middle schoolers across the county.
“Introducing agriculture education in middle school gives students the opportunity to explore its role in our local economy and heritage at a pivotal point in their development. These courses spark interest early and create a seamless pathway into our outstanding high school agriculture programs,” the school system said in a written statement. “Agriculture education extends far beyond traditional production agriculture, encompassing Animal Science, Plant Science, Agribusiness, Sustainable Agriculture, Agricultural Mechanics, and many other high-demand fields and career pathways. Students gain hands-on, real-world skills that prepare them for a wide variety of careers while helping them understand the importance of agriculture in everyday life.”
Combining agriculture education and FFA also develops leadership, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
“Through competitions, service projects, and experiential learning, students build confidence while applying what they learn in meaningful ways. Ultimately, these programs prepare students for success while strengthening the future of agriculture and our community,” according to the statement.
Levi, who was named Rugby’s teacher of the year for 2026-2027, began teaching science at the school in 2014 after earning a bachelor’s degree in math and science from Western Carolina University.
She said she enjoyed teaching science, but farming is in her genes.
Levi’s grandfather, the late Jay Lee Ward, grew produce in Henderson County for many years and her father, Jonathan Ward, continues to work in farming along with his duties as a firefighter in the county.
“Growing up in agriculture, it’s always been a way of life with me,” she said.
Levi said she hopes to pass her passion for farming along to her students through FFA and her agriculture class. She also hopes the agriculture class and club teach students skills that will prepare them for life outside the classroom along with the value of knowing how their food is grown.
Levi will not know how many students have signed up for FFA until school begins, but she said several parents have indicated their children plan to join.
“I think we will have a pretty good turnout,” she said.