There is no question that FFA is thriving at Marion and that’s because of the passion our students put into it. 

But it’s also because of the passion of its leader and that passion is not going unnoticed. Mrs. Lachnor, Marion’s Ag Teacher at the Junior/Senior High School, was honored with a pair of awards recently, and more may be on the way. 

In March, Mrs. Lachnor was chosen as a District 8 Golden Owl at the New York State FFA Western Substates event. And in April, Mrs. Lachnor was named New York’s Outstanding Early Career Agriculture Teacher for 2025 by the New York Association of Agriculture Educators. The April recognition makes Mrs. Lachnor eligible for the Regional award, which encompasses much of the Northeast from Ohio to Virginia to Maine. 

The Golden Owl, in partnership with New York FFA, Nationwide Insurance and the New York Farm Bureau, honors Ag educators who dedicate countless hours and resources to positively impact students. Honorees are nominated by students, teachers and other supporters and Mrs. Lachnor will be recognized for this honor at the state FFA convention in May. 

Applications for Mrs. Lachnor described her as a curator of safe, welcoming environments, a builder of bridges between school and community and a cultivator of individual student success by pinpointing student strengths and encouraging students to lean into them. Marion students appreciate and value the efforts of Mrs. Lachnor, who makes time to know students on a personal level in addition to the professional level.

The bond helps students recognize their worth, which builds confidence as they pursue goals while understanding that they do not have to do it alone. It leads to success not only for individual students, but for the Marion FFA chapter as a whole. 

The NYAAE award recognizes the “dedication, enthusiasm and caring nature” that are “true characteristics of a quality educator.”

Mrs. Lachnor will be honored at the NYAAE Awards Banquet in June at the Oswegatchie Educational Center in the Adirondack Mountains near Long Pond. 

As the recipient of the New York award, Mrs. Lachnor is eligible for the regional award. If selected for that award, Mrs. Lachnor’s name will be entered for the national award at the National Association of Agricultural Educators Convention in Nashville later this year. 

Congratulations to Mrs. Lachnor on these achievements! The work she is doing is having an incredible impact to encourage Marion students to realize their dreams and the level of work and dedication it takes to make those dreams come true.