August 8, 2017 - Center FFA Officers cut the ribbon for the Center ISD New Ag Science Building before those attending toured the 10,500 square foot building which houses specialized classrooms for agribusiness, animal science, floral design, power, structure, and technical systems, and a meeting room.
FFA Chaplain Makayla Mayo lead the invocation at the ribbon cutting for the Center ISD new Ag Science Building 1 before Center FFA Chapter President, Kaden LaRock spoke, "On behalf of the Center FFA officer team, I would like to thank all the people that came to support us and all the people that made this happen for us. And we can promise you that great things will be happening in this building."
Superintendent James Hockenberry spoke about how this event came to be, "It was approximately 6 to 7 years ago that we were discussing the future of our CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs and where the student interests truly laid. And at that time we conducted a student survey and overwhelmingly the students wanted to see an expansion of the Agriculture Science programs." He went on to say one of the first programs to emerge from the survey was the vet-tech program which had to be housed inside the Center High School main campus in the old homemaking room and how the armora of program made it evident that animals were in the building.
Hockenberry, "I do want to talk about the moment the decision was made to start construction here... You know the board president and superintendent relationship is unique. You spend a lot of time with each other and Mr. (James) Greer and I over the last several years had many conversations, almost daily, and they revolved around school, agriculture, and Texas A&M. And if it wasn't those three topics, I'm not sure if we were really talking about anything. But his heart was for kids. His heart was for agriculture and he loved this school. And this building is the intersection of agriculture and the school and he wanted to see it happen. So, it was April of 2016, and we had a couple of students recite the FFA Creed at a board meeting and we also had a couple of concepts for buildings, this one and the tennis courts that were being presented that night. And it was his efforts and his will to push the concepts, not only from a drawing, but to what you see here today." Hockenberry then asked for a few moments of silence to remember Mr. James Greer and the impact that he had and his legacy that he will leave as we walk through the hallways of this building today. "We're going to miss him."
"Never the less, this is a happy day. This is for the students today, tomorrow and well into the future. This building has allowed for Center ISD to expand their offerings, to have those specialized classrooms we so desperately needed to meet the future needs of our students and the programs. No longer will we have dogs and other animals walking the halls of the main campus, they will be out here," said Dr. Hockenberry smilingly before inviting everyone to tour the building.
Makayla Mayo (Chaplain), Mallory Fausett (Historian), Jaylee Sims (Sentinel), Kalei LaRock (Reporter), Maddie Russell (Treasurer), Madison Kirby (Vice President), and Kaden LaRock (President). Not pictured: Carsen Vickers (Secretary)
FFA Officers inside their main meeting room.
