Show: On The Town Station: KNCO File: 11:4.mp3 Air date: 2026-11-04 Source: OpenAI whisper-1 · shrunk from 26.4 MB to 5.3 MB --- transcript --- It is 1137 and 58 degrees and we have a very special community of young people that are here today and I think they've, I think all of them have been in to record, I know the teachers haven't, but have been in to record letters. Is that right? Yes. So we have, first of all, we have Becky Browning. And Becky, you've just recently taken over with the, with the CTE department, correct? Yeah, yeah. It's been super exciting so far coming into this new position. I have worked in the district for a while and also been involved in agriculture part of it and FFA in the past. So it's really great to be able to work with students and the teachers and help support them. And you've always been active in school and with your students and with other students and your children as well. Yeah, definitely. So in the past, I also worked in Grass Valley School District and was a teacher at Lyman Gilmore and started up that musical theater program there. So that definitely came in quite a few times with my students before and we would record spots or do promos for our shows. I had the pleasure of talking with you at the restaurant, the Mexican restaurant in town. Right, yeah. We had some students there that were there on the town. It was really fun. Margaritas. That was the name of that restaurant. And we also have Mrs. Auling. Good morning. Hi, it's nice to be here. Katie Auling, correct? Do you prefer Mrs. Auling or Katie? Either one is fine. What do the students call you? Auling. They just call you Auling? No Mrs. or anything? Right. All right. And you are a teacher, correct? Yes, I'm one of the agriculture teachers at Nevada Union. So you teach agriculture. So you work closely with at least Taylor and Tanner, correct? Yes. All the ag teachers are FFA advisors, so we all work with all the students. And these two are a great example of our leadership students. So it's fun to work with them and see the different aspects that they bring to our program. Okay. And what is CTE? CTE stands for Career Technical Education, and that's kind of what you'll hear from a variety of our different programs that we have some spots set up with on the town throughout this year. And so this month, we're highlighting some of our officers who are going to tell you about the agriculture program and Nevada Union. But at some of the other meetings that we have set up, we're going to highlight some of the other CTE programs that are offered within our district. And Tanner, good morning. Good morning. How are you doing? I haven't had a chance to talk with you yet. So Tanner Hamblin, you are an officer evidently. So what is your position with CTE and how does it benefit you? Yeah. So at Nevada Union, we have our own FFA chapter and I get to serve as this year's vice president. Okay. And as far as the CTE, what kind of skills have you collected? Within the FFA, we offer a lot of career technical education, such as ag mechanics, which I've been extremely involved in. All four years, I have been in an agriculture mechanics class where we learn a lot of technical skills such as woodworking and welding and we have an electrical unit. I've been able to raise a lot of money by being in these classes and being taught these skills and I've been able to fabricate an agriculture mechanics project and I've been able to showcase that at our own Nevada County Fair and sell those there. Were you part of the ag mechanics auction recently? I was. This past fair, I was able to make a chicken coop. It was white and green and I was able to sell it in our ag mechanics auction on Friday of the fair. And what inspired a chicken coop? I have always had a passion for chickens and I have never made my own coop and so while I was scrambling to figure out a project to build, because I'm a very indecisive person, I thought that, you know, why don't I bring two passions together? I bring my love for chickens and raising chickens and my love with woodworking and I brought those together and I was able to make a pretty cool chicken coop. And saved a lot of homeless chickens. I did. At the same time, making a home for them. And did you also show chickens recently at the fair? I have never shown small animals. Chickens kind of fall into that category, but for the past eight or so years, I've been able to raise a lamb for the Nevada County Fair and I was able to showcase one at this most recent fair as well and then sell them, sell my lamb in the auction on Sunday. Do you know Elena at the front desk? I don't believe I've had the pleasure of fully getting to know her, but I'm sure I've met her. Okay, because she raised, I believe she raised lambs for the fair or a lamb. Well, good. Sounds like you've got a great career in front of you. Is that something you want to get involved with, is making those kind of, I know, maybe not specifically chicken coops, but something in that general nature? It's always been a passion of mine. I'm applying to colleges right now and pretty indecisive about fully what I want to do in my life and my career, but if I could get my dream, I would still love to continue to live on property and have my own shop and be able to keep working with my hands. I think that'd be great. All right. Well, Tanner, thank you for being here today. Thank you. And Taylor, good morning. Good morning. And thank you for coming back in. You've been in at least a couple of times to record letters for us. Yeah, a couple of times for letters and then a couple of times for other things too. Yeah, you've been in to talk with Tom probably. Yes. A couple of times? Lots of times, yes. And what is your association with CTE? So I currently serve as the chapter president for Nevada Union FFA and I have been, like Tanner, I've been involved in ag all four years of high school. I've really just been doing ag classes. I'm really into the animal science and natural resources pathways, so I definitely love the hands-on going out to the ranch every other day, and then also my internship currently through Nevada County RCD is definitely another great thing I've been able to do through CTE. What kind of animals do you work with on the ranch? We have a variety. So we have pigs, goats, lambs, cats, lots of cats, and then- Cattle? Cattle, yes. That's the other one. Cats and cattle. Yes. Use the same letters there. And you know, CTE could spell cat if you move around a little bit. And did you show at the fair as well? I did, yes. I showed a pig this year and then I had an ag mechanics project as well. And how'd you do with your pig? We did pretty good. He did the best I've ever done with a pig in market, so that was good. It was also cool because he was from the ranch, and I had interned at the ranch and was there when he was born, so it was cool to see from the very beginning of the process to the very end. Was it sad to say goodbye? Not really. He wasn't very nice. It was a mutual, we didn't like each other. Yeah, hit the road. And how about your ag mechanics? What did you do for that? I made a patio table, and that was pretty good. A family that I'm close with actually bought it, so that was cool. And what are you looking at as far as the future? What do you plan to do? I really want to go into marine biology, so I'm currently applying to a couple of different colleges. UC San Diego and University of Hawaii are my top two right now, though. And when do you graduate? In May of this year. So this year? Yes. This year, okay. Or 2027? Yes. And Tanner, when do you graduate? I'm in the same class as Taylor, so we both graduate together and we'll walk the stage together in May. Who's the better student? Oh, I'd have to say, I don't know, it's pretty tough. We're involved in different ways. It's close. Yeah. I think it's different. Very different pathways, but we're pretty close. We're both crazy busy. Yeah. Well, is that good? Do you like to be busy? I enjoy it, yeah. I think it's fun to always be doing something different. My days vary very much, like, depending on what's going on that day. Yeah, I find it very beneficial at times, and sometimes it feels like I don't know which way to focus my attention and life gets pretty crazy, but I feel like it's better to stay busy than sit around and be bored. Well, Tanner, I know you do a lot of things to stay busy, and you work, a lot of the things you're doing, you're working. Do you consider the work that you do is maybe also something that you might do when you're not working? Or, let me put it this way, what do you do for fun? I highly enjoy being out in the community. I enjoy staying active. I enjoy working out, and I am an avid baseball player. I've played ever since I could pick up a bat and they'd let me on the field. I enjoy meeting new people. That's one of my passions. I have a very low sense of social awkwardness. I enjoy going up to people and introducing myself and getting to know about them. Yeah, and sports and staying active. I absolutely love to be outdoors. Duck hunting is a very deep passion of mine. Any time I could be out in the field is a great time. All right, same question for you, Taylor. I'm a really avid wake surfer, so I love wake surfing. Other than that, I stay pretty busy, so it's a lot of FFA and homework, but when I do have free time, it's wake surfing or running or something like that. But you're both doing something that you really enjoy and are looking forward to careers utilizing your experience and all your intellect. Yes. I guess you could raise a whale and that would prepare you for marine biology. Yeah. I'm not sure where we'd house that on the ranch. Yeah. You know, there's a couple of ponds out there. Yeah. No, we've talked about that. Housing dolphins or something. Well, Katie, Mrs. Ahling, what can you say about the other students that you work with, with CTE and with the Ag Department? What I really appreciate about our district, our site, our school, our program is how many different opportunities we have. Pretty much any student with whatever they enjoy or wherever they see themselves going, we have something for them that will help them develop and find their path. All right. Well, you know, we need to take a quick break here and we'll come back and spend our remaining moments with Taylor Browning, Tanner Hamberlin, Katie Ahling, and Becky Browning. It is 1148 and 59 degrees. This is Melissa Hanebrink inviting you to join me Friday mornings from 10 to 11 on KNCO AM 830 for the Human Side of Technology. We'll talk about how technology affects everyday life from scams and AI to privacy, confusing devices and the frustrations we all run into. You'll hear practical ways to stay safer, make sense of what's changing and feel more confident using technology. Join me Friday at 10 on KNCO. Hi everyone. It's Tom Fitzsimmons. Join me the first Friday of every month at 9 a.m. right here on KNCO News Talk 830 for a thoughtful, honest conversation exploring our community through culture, science, wellness and the people shaping our future. I'll be joined by our friends from Grass Valley Provisions. If you're curious, cautious or just craving grounded conversation, this show is for you. That's the first Friday of every month at 9 a.m. on KNCO News Talk 830. 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Let's help get you ready for the road ahead. I'm Les Schwab, doing the right thing since 1952. African Americans are the most likely to die from colorectal cancer, so please get screened starting at age 45. Now Medicare and insurance companies are required to cover not only colonoscopy but also less invasive exams like virtual colonoscopy. Talk to your doctor about your options. For more information on virtual colonoscopy, visit radiologyinfo.org slash virtualct. Brought to you by the American College of Radiology and the Radiology Health Equity Coalition. Ring, ring, goes the bell. And KNCO Newstime. It is 1151, currently 59 degrees, and we're talking CTE here on InSight, or actually, this is on the town. Mo Howard filling in for Tom Fitzsimmons, and by the way, if you'd like to make a donation to Tom's GoFundMe, you can go to knco.com, and it's right there. You can listen to his message from about a week and a half ago, but we really miss him around here, and we hope that he has a quick return. And we are talking CTE this morning, and I heard Randy ask, I don't know if it was the students, about, are you doing a commercial today? Sounds like we are, yeah. Yeah, they're going to be working on a commercial after this as well, so they're very talented, so we're going to highlight them. Uh-oh. So you might be learning more about radio, huh? Should I be watching my back? Well, I would want to thank Becky for being here today. Yeah, thanks for having me. And you said you had some information to discuss about some of the achievements of not only the young people, but also Mrs. Ahling. Yeah, I just think, as you can tell, these students are pretty amazing, and they've been doing some great stuff to help support their program, and not only support their program, but provide opportunities for new members. So they can tell you a little bit about that, and they have a new Green Hand initiative they've been working on. But all of this wouldn't be possible without the amazing teachers that we have within our district that are supporting these students and these programs that make the magic happen. And actually, Mrs. Ahling was highlighted this past National FFA Convention with her Honorary American Degree, so she got to go back there with some past students that also got their American Degree. But it's a pretty high honor, so I don't want to make sure we get to mention that for her, because that's pretty special that she got recognized. Yeah, tell us about that ceremony. What happened? It was the first time that I've ever been on the stage at National FFA Convention, so it was really new for me and really cool. I was nominated by our state staff that is part of the State Department of Education representing the agriculture sector, just for helping out when they were understaffed, and a variety of different things that I've helped out with. They saw that I took some extra time to provide support and do some things for, especially teachers, but also other programs. And so I got to go and get recognized on stage. It was really cool for me. My favorite part was that our State Secretary of Agriculture, Karen Ross, was also nominated to get the same award at the same time, so I got to spend time with her in that recognition, and she's a really neat lady, and she's retiring. So I got to wish her well as she's in her last part of her term. What's shop talk like with her? You know, I just talked casual stuff about being at the National Convention in Indianapolis, but I did get to spend time with her, which was cool. Well, congratulations. Thank you. Wow. And, Becky, you said there were some other issues? Well, no, I think I just wanted to highlight a couple things or give the students the opportunity to talk, is that our FFA program within the district is based off of a three-ring model, so they base what they are learning from classroom instructions. They're SAE projects, so they work on the ones you highlighted from the fair, but also the activities that they're involved in. And so these students come up with a lot of stuff on their own as part of being leaders within the campus as officers to try to provide great opportunities for other students. So I'll let you guys talk about that a little bit. Yeah, so one really cool thing that we've recently introduced is our Green Hand Gateway program. The program has been kind of my brain baby, as you could call it, for the past year and a half or so. What it's about is helping our Green Hands, a.k.a. freshmen or first-year involved members, kind of have a system to go through to become more confident within the FFA and themselves and their ability, because joining a chapter or any kind of forum that has 500-plus members and a bunch of involvement, like, it can seem pretty intimidating. Like, I know as a freshman, I didn't know too much about what was going on, and I felt like I was kind of, I kind of already started off behind. And I felt like if I was able, and I pitched it to the team, and if we were able to get this program going, and it took a lot of hard work and a lot of thinking and a lot of sacrifices from each and every member of our team, but we were finally able to get this up and running. And we have roughly 150 freshmen involved within our program where we meet about once a month and we discuss what's going on within our chapter, how these students can get involved, how our officer team can help them, and how we're a resource for them to be confident in themselves, to be able to come out and compete, to be able to be involved, and how we can push them towards all these amazing things that we offer, such as internships and scholarships and creating these awesome SAE projects, such as things that Taylor and I have done. And I just am super proud of all the work that we've put in, and it's so awesome to see all these students thrive and how much help that this program has been to them. That's really amazing. Taylor? Yeah, so we actually, like, our, we have a Green Hand Ceremony tomorrow, actually, and it's when all the freshmen who apply for their Green Hand degree get recognized for all the work that we've done, and we've actually had a lot more applicants this year than we have any other year, so that's been awesome to see how it's all worked out. It is also really cool to see how excited they all get. We have them split into teams, so they gain points based off of how involved each team has been. So every event, there's always some freshmen coming up saying, oh, do I get points for my Green Hand team now? Do I, like, are we in the lead now? So it's been pretty competitive, but pretty fun to see how they've all, like, took it in full stride and have just loved every second of it. We also have some other events coming up. We love to work with Bear River since they're so close, and so we actually, this Friday, have a barn dance. So we're going out to the district ranch, and this year Bear River is hosting it, and so it's just an opportunity for all of Bear River and Nevada Union's FFA members to get together and hang out and also see different parts of the ranch because of how quickly it's been growing throughout the years. All right. Did they have anything like that when you were a freshman, Katie? I actually wasn't involved in the Ag program when I was a freshman, so I missed the boat on that, and I definitely regret not being involved, but it has been amazing watching this group of students come up, not only come up with their ideas, but they actually are the ones that initiate it, plan it all, get it going. They do require a little bit of guidance from the advisors, but they definitely put the work in to get all these projects going. So how do you explain that they're watching out for the next class coming up? How do you explain that, having that compassion? Well, I think they're fostering future leaders on our campus, and so it's pretty cool when you have upperclassmen students that are providing that sense of community on campus. So it's a really good job. Nice work, you guys. All right. Well, Mrs. Browning, Mrs. Alling, Tanner, Taylor, thank you for being here today. Really appreciate it. Thank you so much for having us. Yeah, thanks for having us. Thank you. --- end of transcript ---