When Wessington Springs agriculture education teacher Brady Duxbury travels to New Orleans in December, he won't just be representing his school or South Dakota.
He'll be representing agriculture educators from a six-state region on the national stage.
Duxbury was selected as South Dakota's recipient of the National Association of Agricultural Educators Outstanding Agricultural Education Teacher Award and advanced to the regional competition, where he was also named the winner. The honor makes him the Region III representative for the national award. The region includes South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Duxbury will be recognized during the NAAE national convention, held in conjunction with the Association for Career and Technical Education convention Dec. 1-5 in New Orleans. This year's gathering marks the 100th year of the ACTE convention.
For Duxbury, now in his 15th year as an educator, the extensive application process became about much more than competing for an award.
'When I tell students to do something, I want them to do it to the best of their ability, the best that they can possibly do,' Duxbury said. 'I approached this the same way.'
The application required him to look back across a career that has taken him to five schools and included years of learning, growth and change.
Duxbury said educators spend so much time looking ahead — at the next class, student, contest or challenge — that they don't often stop to consider how far they've come.
'You don't spend enough time sitting down and thinking about how far you've come,' he said. 'This application really forced me to look at my career as a whole and where I've come and why I've been there.'
That reflection included the students who helped shape his teaching philosophy, the successes along the way and even the mistakes from which he learned.
'I'm just so proud, and I'm so happy this is the career I chose,' Duxbury said. 'I love what I do. This is what I was built to do.'
His professional involvement has also grown beyond the classroom. Duxbury currently serves as president of the South Dakota FFA Adult Board of Directors and has been involved in a lengthy revision of the organization's constitution and bylaws, which was adopted at the state FFA convention this spring.
A full-circle moment
The national convention will bring another distinction that Duxbury couldn't have anticipated when he began his teaching career.
Jeff Voss of Jackson, Minnesota, the teacher Duxbury considers his mentor and the person who first taught him how to be an educator, will also be honored on the national stage.
Voss, now retired after a distinguished career in agricultural education, will represent Region III for a Distinguished Service Award.
'What a full-circle moment,' Duxbury said, of being able to stand on the same stage alongside his mentor.
Beyond the awards ceremony, Duxbury said he is looking forward to the professional development offered at the national gathering and being able to explore a new city with his wife Danielle, who is accompanying him on the trip. ACTE represents career and technical education fields ranging from agriculture and family and consumer sciences to health sciences and other skilled career areas, while NAAE serves agricultural educators specifically.
The annual convention brings together educators and presenters from across the country, offering training and professional development specific to career and technical education.
But for Duxbury, being selected to represent six states carries a significance that comes all the way back home to Wessington Springs.
'It's an absolute and total honor to represent the region,' he said. 'I'm excited to stand on stage with incredible people doing incredible things, and I'm just proud of the fact that we are worthy of standing there.'