BIXBY, Okla. — "It's a really good program for kids that want a career base."
Dea Nettles, the FFA, and Bixby High School work hand in hand making a difference in the lives of students and helping them succeed.
"Everyone is really just there for each other," Kennedy Adams, a senior at Bixby High School said. "You know that you can count on anyone, any time and they will be there for you."
Mr. Nettles keeps his FFA students very busy with the Tulsa State Fair, "Jackpot" shows, a fall show season, then speech contests and horse judging contests in the spring.
"Then we go into purchasing new animals for the next fall show season," Nettle said.
Born on a farm and raised around agriculture, Mr. Nettles knew at an early age what his life would be like.
"I knew that's what I wanted to do," he said. "I knew that I wanted to teach kids."
And he spends every day preparing them for the future.
"They may go on to career tech and become welders, may become veterinarians, they may become lawyers," Mr. Nettles said.
Bixby's principal says the recent loss of an FFA officer after a long illness devastated the school, so grief counselors were brought in to help. And says those students were more worried about how Mr. Nettles was handling the death than themselves.
Principal Terry Adams says it speaks to the depth of the relationships Mr. Nettles has built with students and staff.
"Those kids are the ones that are the life-blood of this program," Mr. Nettle said. "They keep me going, they keep me young, they keep me doing what I do."
And the kids say the same about Mr. Neettles.
"My favorite thing would be probably, Mr. Nettles and just how he brings all of us out of our little bubble and we all do a bunch of things and learn," said Christine Lundy, a senior.
"He's coached me through so many experiences that I've had to go through during high school and I really don't think I could have done it without him," said Kennedy Adams.
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