A small crowd gathered at Iola’s John Deere store Tuesday afternoon to recognize four area seniors on being selected for the PrairieLand Partners’ Technician Scholarship Program.
“We are excited about the opportunity for our young people to come be a part of our team and go to school to learn a trade that will be with them for the rest of their life,” said store manager Dale Lalman.
The four seniors selected for the scholarship program are Gage Barron, Austin Teter, Quinton Rothwell, and Weston Cochran. Lalman noted that the scholarship will cover the entirety of their education, as long as they maintain a C-average GPA.
The program pays for the students’ education in exchange for them working in Iola’s John Deere store, where students gain real-world experience. They will work in all areas of the store, learning how to service, repair and rebuild John Deere equipment.
“It typically works out that for each semester of school they complete, they do about a semester worth of work here,” said Lalman.
The two-year scholarship may be used at a community college or vocational school. In addition, the store gives each scholarship recipient tools and a toolbox worth approximately $18,000.
Gage Barron, the son of Terry and Melissa Barron, is a senior at Shawnee Mission North. Austin Teter, the son of Mike and Rececca Teter, is a senior at Anderson County High School. Quinton Rothwell, the son of Nick Rothwell and Valerie Kramer, is a senior at Prairie View High School. Weston Cochran, the son of Matt and Carolynn Cochran, is a senior at Jayhawk-Linn.
Gage, Quinton, and Weston will be joining the John Deere Ag Tech program at Fort Scott Community College this fall. Austin plans on attending Cowley County Community College.
Upon graduating, the four will work as service technicians at Iola’s PrairieLand location for three years after finishing the program.
“We always feel like this is a good opportunity to put a base under our students,” said Lalman. “We are very pleased to be able to do this.”
