Prose to pasture
Anita Laib, a veteran educator with 15 years in the classroom, has been named Turtle Lake-Mercer School’s new FFA adviser.
Superintendent Sheila Schlafmann anticipates the program flourishing under Laib’s guidance, citing her experience as a speech coach, class adviser, prom coordinator and a family tradition of four children competing in national 4-H and FFA events.
Laib joined the TLM staff in the fall of 2009 as an English and Spanish teacher. A 1991 graduate of Turtle Lake-Mercer High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English education from North Dakota State University, with minors in speech communication and Spanish Studies. She began teaching in 1996 at Mott High School and later taught at Fargo Oak Grove and Garrison High Schools, where she also coached speech.
“Students who are active in FFA deserve someone who understands what the program has to offer and who wants to see them take advantage of those opportunities,” Laib said. “I know people look at these programs and think ‘ag,’ but that isn’t all there is. There is science, communication, leadership, entrepreneurship and so much more.”