After a remarkable 41-year career shaping generations of students at Wessington Springs Middle and High School, Craig Shryock has been honored with induction into the South Dakota Association of Agriculture Educators Hall of Fame.
Shryock retired in 2022 after dedicating 39 years to the Springs Vo-Ag classroom. Over the years, he guided 105 FFA teams to top-five finishes at the South Dakota FFA Convention, taught generations of students life-long skills, and inspired countless future leaders in and out of the classroom.
Reflecting on this recent honor, Shryock joked, “Pretty neat, I thought you had to be dead to get one of these.”
Though officially retired, Shryock remains active in the school community, still driving the bus for FFA events and wrestling tournaments, helping out at contests, and spending time with his grandkids when he’s not feeding cows or competing in mounted shooting competitions. “Kids that graduated last year, I had those ones as freshman,” he said, highlighting the deep connections formed over decades.
Throughout his career, Shryock focused on teaching students how to set and achieve goals, instilling a “work hard, play hard” ethos. He calls the Vo-Ag shop the “neutralizer,” where all students start on equal footing and can find motivation and success. “When I got to work with kids all four years of high school and see unmotivated students turn around and get excited about achieving the goals they set, they got a lot out of it and so did I,” Shryock reflected.
He also emphasized the importance of giving back, pointing to his students’ longtime support of the local food pantry. His influence extended beyond the classroom through projects like the renovation of the Shakespeare Garden, where multiple generations of students have contributed.
“There aren’t too many that stick it out as long as we did,” Shryock noted about the longevity of his career. His Hall of Fame plaque now hangs alongside others in the Ag-Ed offices at South Dakota State University, home to the state’s teacher education program.
“There are really no worries in retirement,” he said, “but it has opened up a lot of opportunity to do what we love.”
Though retirement has given him more time for family and hobbies, Shryock’s impact on agriculture education in South Dakota will be felt for generations to come.