Willows teacher honored by Cattlewomen
The Glenn-Colusa Cattlewomen's Association recently named a Willows school teacher the 2009 Cowbelle.
Jill Egly, a fourth-grade teacher at Murdock Elementary School, accepted the award at a combined California and Nevada Cattlewomen's Association conference in Las Vegas last month.
"I was very honored," she said. "The Cattlewomen have been such positive mentors and roll models to me. They just just quietly do it (make contributions) year after year after year."
Egly earned the Cowbelle award because of her continued efforts to provide children with hands-on experiences in agriculture and the natural environment and her involvement as co-chairwoman on the organization's scholarship committee.
"The more varied information they (students) get, the broader their world is," she said.
Three scholarships are available each year for college juniors, seniors and graduate students who major in fields
related to beef promotion and production, Egly said. Past recipients have started careers in wide-ranging fields, including nutrition and developing new recipes in healthy ways to use beef.
She also was recognized for promoting beef and healthy nutrition to students and making "kids aware of the economic impact of the beef industry in our area" as well as the local history and development of the beef industry in general.
A teacher for 24 years, she got involved with the Cattlewomen's Association when she approached them for help supporting Pioneer Day, when fourth-graders take a field trip to Mike and Kathy Landini's ranch. Landini is a member of the association.
"They were very quick to be supportive," Egly said, adding that after witnessing her work with the children, the group encouraged her to join.
Besides Pioneer Day, Egly conducts a science field trip in the spring, takes students to Colusa Farm Day, Glenn County Farm Bureau Farm Day and to the Mudd Ranch for Health and History Day.
Through her involvement with the Cattlewomen, Egly said she has learned to involve state and local agencies to share their expertise with her classes.
"There is so much overlap" in what the agencies do and what she teaches, "and they're always happy to do it," she said.
Egly gives particular credits with helping her to Ladybug Doherty, Sherry Maltby, Caroline Vann and Diane Perry.
She uses the connection to teach math, create circle and bar graphs and how to make predictions. Using these skills, this year's class has predicted when a calf will be born in the spring at the Landini's ranch.
With all she does, Egly insisted on giving credit to the organization for supporting her efforts and to Willows Unified School District Superintendent Steve Olmos and Murdock Principal Kathy Parsons for providing the support necessary to make her programs successful.
Olmos and Parsons said Egly is far too modest.
"It's 90 percent Jill," Olmos said, with Parsons adding, "Jill does all the work, we just give her encouragement and time."
Contact Lydia Harris at 934-6800 or lharris@tcnpress.com.
