Written by 2024-2025 Chapter Reporter, Holly Speake
San Luis Obispo High School and San Luis Obispo FFA are so excited to be welcoming our newest staff member, Jamie Stapf to the agricultural department. Stapf will be the 3rd teacher in our department this upcoming school year, and we are so excited that we are able to grow our FFA program on campus.
Stapf (pronounced Staff), was born in Orange County, California but grew up nearby in Cambria, before moving to San Luis Obispo at 14 to attend SLO High. Growing up, she competed in gymnastics and diving, and coached diving at age 13. During high school, she was a part of the SLOHS Cheer Team and the SLOHS Varsity Dive Team. Ms. Stapf was also involved in the SLOHS Theatre Company and ASB, a part of the Public Relations Team and serving as the Treasurer her Senior year. Some of Stapf’s favorite teachers in high school were Mr. Johnson, her ASB teacher, her math classes with Mr. Fintel, her theater classes with Ms. Stephens. She also really enjoyed all of her English teachers and the Chemistry class.
We are so excited to welcome a SLOHS and FFA alumni back to our chapter! During her time in high school, Stapf competed with the Veterinary Science team and was a regular competitor in Opening & Closing Ceremonies. She was a part of the BBQ committee in high school, and loved working and organizing the Aggie Backer fundraiser. Her favorite FFA meeting in high school was the February meeting, and the responsibility she gained from being a part of FFA. Her freshman year, Stapf began to show pigs at the California-Mid State Fair, which she did for five years. After she graduated, you could always find her helping out with showmanship practices and at the fair. The responsibility she was given to help out the younger generation of students is what she accredits for wanting to become an agriculture teacher. Stapf says “she always wanted to be just like Bates”, and loves mentoring others.
Ms. Stapf attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo as a dairy science major. During her time there, she worked with the Cal Poly Dairy. Stapf had always wanted to be an animal science major, but In her animal science class in high school, they took a tour to the Cal Poly Dairy Unit. During her field trip, the herd manager, Richard Silacci saw how interested she was and told her she should major in dairy science. Being a dairy science major Stapf says, “she really felt like this was where I was meant to be”. Stapf always knew growing up she wanted to be a veterinarian, specifically a livestock vet. When she took Dr. Bates’s animal science classes in high school, her mind was set on this career path. If people didn’t gross her out so much, Stapf would definitely be a doctor or a surgeon. The tours students in our agriculture classes get to take truly inspire them to learn more about college and career opportunities.
During her college years, apart from working at the dairy, Stapf was also a part of the Cal Poly Cheer team. In her junior year of college, after helping out at SLOHS, Stapf decided she wanted to become an ag teacher. Stapf took extra classes to obtain her teaching credential, because she loved dairy science so much she couldn’t imagine herself switching majors.
Ms. Stapf did her student teaching at Greenfield High School, along with her first year of teaching. There, she taught Ag Chemistry, Animal Science, Vet Science, and Agricultural Government & Economics. She then taught in her hometown, Cambria at Coast Union High School for two years. There she taught Ag Chemistry, Ag Mechanics 1, Horticulture, Floral 1, and Floral 2. Ms. Stapf never expected to be good at floral design, but loved teaching it at Coast Union. Ms. Stapf has always thought of SLO High being such a special place, being a SLOHS Alumni. Teaching at SLOHS has always been a dream of hers, and to carry on the amazing legacy of SLOHS is so important to her. Stapf is so excited to be a part of the SLO High community again.
This year, Ms. Stapf will be teaching Ag Biology, Ag Chemistry, Horticulture and Floral Design. Ms. Stapf is most excited about teaching the floral design pathway, and hopes to start a Floral Design team.
In her free time, Stapf is always watching movies or TV shows with her dogs, riding her horse, with her close friends or with her fiancé, Calvin. Ms. Stapf’s biggest piece of advice to current FFA students is that you only have four years in high school. “You can’t say yes to every opportunity, but saying yes to as many as you can is so important”. In high school, “you only get to raise four pigs'', so wasting time because you aren’t sure about something isn’t worth it.
Stapf cannot wait to join the SLOHS FFA team, and we are so excited to give her a warm welcome into our program! We are so excited for our students to meet her, and are looking forward to another amazing year for our chapter!
Opmerkingen