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Caroline agriculture teacher retiring after 29 years in the county Date published: 4/14/2008
BY JEFF BRANSCOME
For the past 30 years, the world has been Warren Samuel's classroom. That includes the agricultural camp he has bused his Caroline Middle School students to each summer. And the 100-year-old pond next to his house where he has let students fish--provided they don't drink or smoke. It also includes the rest of his Ruther Glen property, where the agriculture teacher recently helped an eighth-grader identify trees. "Getting in there with them in something other than the classroom, they get to know you in a different light," said Samuel, 55, who has spent all but one year in Caroline County since he began teaching in 1978. Samuel, who has become something of an institution in the county, will be leaving the classroom after this school year. "I just want some time for myself before I die," he said. Though his retirement is imminent, he has made a lasting impression on his students, at least seven of whom became state officers of FFA, formerly called Future Farmers of America. His classroom wall is adorned with plaques won at FFA contests. MAKING AN IMPACT For years, Samuel said, his students have beaten area high-schoolers in the forestry competition, in which competitors identify trees and equipment as well as a tree's volume and value. "It's right involved," Samuel said. He remembers group chats during FFA camps in Smithfield in which everybody would hold a candle and talk. Some said they didn't think they'd like Samuel's class. "Then they'd get to talking about how I'd taken them here and done that--changed their life. I mean, it was real moving. I'll never forget that," he said. Samuel, who sings at funerals and weddings, has even belted out some old Eagles tunes during camp. "I would tell them, 'You'll have to come to camp to see what I do in the talent show,'" he said with a laugh. He never competed, but sang while the judges decided on winners. FFA leadership and recreation camps used to last eight weeks, he said, but have declined over the years. "But we always kept on going," he said. "We had, like, 30 kids and we'd be the only ones there. And really, we'd still have a good time."
Read more stories about Caroline Date published: 4/14/2008
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