We are thrilled to announce that CLHS Teacher, Darrelle Parker, was recognized as the 2025 Agricultural Educator of the Year by the Linn County Farm Bureau!
Here is a biography of Mrs. Parker:
Darrelle grew up on a small, family owned grass seed farm in the outskirts of Silverton, Oregon. She began her desire to excel in Agriculture under the direction of the Silverton High School FFA program. She received her State FFA degree in specialty crop production and after graduation enrolled as an Agriculture Education Major at Oregon State University. During her time at OSU, Darrelle was involved in Collegiate FFA, Sigma Alpha, and the OSU Dressage Team. While attending classes at OSU she also served as an intern at the Benton County Fairgrounds. After completing both her bachelor’s and her master's at Oregon State, she went directly into teaching and has been at Central Linn High School since the fall of 2006. She worked as the full time Agriculture instructor for 2 years and then completed the necessary requirements to add science to her teaching credentials. It was at that time that she stepped into a more supportive role of the Central Linn Agriculture program and the FFA Chapter.
During her time at Central Linn High School when she wasn’t working directly with the FFA she added eight different college now course offerings where students can take a high school course for college credit. These courses include Biology, Anatomy, Animal Science, Forensic Science, and Psychology. Offering these opportunities has saved students and their families in this community thousands of dollars. She also helped to expand the CTE program at Central Linn by creating and teaching new courses including Natural Resources, Forestry, and Fish and Wildlife, which are also available for students to obtain college credit. With the addition of these courses she helped to begin a Central Linn chapter of FNRL (Future Natural Resource Leaders). In 2021 she was able to secure a grant for a portable sawmill for students to create lumber in her forestry classes. Additionally, she has taken students to participate in forestry skills competitions at the Oregon Logging Conference and also takes students to participate in Fire School where they learn the skills to become a wildland firefighter at a two night event at Camp Tadmor.
After a 13 year hiatus from leading the FFA chapter and getting other avenues for students started at Central Linn, she came back to help lead and direct the activities of the FFA chapter with the advisor at that time, Kathy Smith. Suddenly, she found herself leading the entire program and chapter predominantly on her own, when there was an abrupt change in staffing. She coordinated the activities for the FFA members through the turmoil of multiple teachers and substitutes in a two year span. Without her guidance and direction the Central Linn Agriculture Program and FFA could have been eliminated from the district.
She teaches her classes with an emphasis on authentic learning experiences whether it be dissections of digestion systems, visits to the cadaver lab, or even chainsaw safety. At one point, she saw a need to get students on trips and there weren’t enough drivers to provide transportation. Instead of reducing her trips, she went ahead and got her commercial drivers license and pupil transportation certification in order to drive all her own field trips and the majority of the FFA trips. She is often called “The Mrs. Frizzle of Central Linn” with her quirky science teacher earnings, bus driving skills, and a lizard as a classroom pet.
When she isn’t planning a field trip or doing an FFA activity she also is the National Honor Society advisor at Central Linn, the Central Linn Education Association Vice President, and the school liaison for the Central Linn Equestrian team. You also might find her playing saxophone in the pep band at football or basketball games when she has the opportunity. Her FFA students call her “Mama Parker” as she is often called the school mom whether they need a deck of cards, a snack, band aids, or even hair ties.
Her passion for success and accountability has helped numerous Central Linn students over the years achieve great things and pave the way for future generations.