Students Utilizing New Napoleon FFA Alumni Facility
By Jessica Wald
It’s been in the works for a handful of years, ground breaking happened in the summer of 2024 and now, January 2026, it has become a reality.
The new Napoleon FFA Alumni agricultural facility is now in use at the Napoleon Public School. “I think the building is everything we planned it to be. All the work that was put into designing a facility that would meet the needs of the ag department and the school has been worth it,” stated Napoleon FFA Alumni President & 2002 NHS grad Nate Horner, rural Dawson.
The new facility, which is connected to the high school side of the school through a hallway, features a 4,400 sq. ft. shop, green house, three classrooms (one with a full kitchen for food science), meats lab/cooler, tool/finish room, a 6,300 sq. ft. storage loft and bathrooms.
NHS Ag Teacher and FFA Advisor Brian Schneider said he is pleased with the features of the new building. “It’s about double the size of the old building; there was zero room to move in there. It’s a lot safer and the ventilation is substantially better,” he said while contrasting the new building with the former ag shop. “The high schoolers now have their own bathrooms, so that’s good. Plus, the kids don’t have to walk outside to get to the shop and ag classroom,” like they did with the former shop, he mentioned.
Horner said the project from start to finish came in around $1.65 million. Currently with all the pledges and donations, they need about $150,000 more, to have it all paid. “So, we’re on the homestretch,” he mentioned. “We really appreciate everyone that has stepped up and contributed to funding this project. I think the opportunities that this new facility gives to students are amazing. The greenhouse, meats lab, and food science areas give the students a chance to explore different aspects of agriculture that they couldn’t before. Also, the new shop area is so much larger and safer than the old one; giving everyone a better experience overall.”
As Schneider gave a tour of the new facility, explaining each room and shared the new opportunities they present. The three classrooms house business, math and ag classes. “Students will get to do more with food science,” he said with the full kitchen set up in the ag room. The green house is equipped with a control panel run by an electronic tablet, which controls the temperatures, lights, heat and moisture. Connected to the greenhouse is a head house, where Schneider noted prep work can be done on plants (seed, cuttings, separating), before entering the greenhouse to grow.
He said the bigger shop area features more . . .