Advisors

Advisor's Message

The Advisors of the Lincoln FFA would like to welcome you to the Lincoln FFA and Agriculture Department for the 2021-2022 school year. The mission of the Lincoln FFA and Lincoln High School Agriculture Department is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agriculture education. We hope to inspire you to participate in career development events and to become involved in our program by providing you with a high quality agricultural education. Our mission is to prepare students for higher education, technical training, employment and citizenship. We hope that you take advantage of all of the opportunities that the Lincoln FFA and Agriculture Department has to offer. We offer many activities, events and team opportunities that appeal to a variety of students, all of whom come from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Please know that it is our sincere hope that all students will feel welcome, intellectually stimulated and inspired. The advisors in the Lincoln Agriculture Department believe that leaders can be made in the FFA program. With skills learned in the Lincoln FFA and Lincoln Agriculture program, students will be given the tools necessary to become a better and more effective leader. We hope that you use these leadership skills to run for office, join a team or inspire others to become more involved in our chapter and our community. We look forward to working with you this year and for years to come.

Lincoln FFA Advisors

Jacob Willhite

Hello Lincoln! My name is Jacob Willhite, and I am the newest member of our Lincoln High School Agriculture Department! I am originally from Hanford California, and grew up in the San Joaquin Valley. I was a member of the Hanford FFA Chapter, and served as an officer while there. I was very active in FFA, attending all of the conferences, and competing on teams like Grape Vine Pruning and Parli Pro! I was also lucky enough to be able to earn my American FFA Degree in 2018! I recently graduated from Cal Poly, SLO with my Teaching Credentials and my Master’s in Agriculture Education!
At LHS, I teach 3 sections of Introduction to Agriculture and 2 sections of Chemistry and Agriscience at the LHS Farm, and I teach 1 section of Ag Leadership at the main LHS Campus. This year I am serving as the Main FFA Advisor, and working with our Lincoln FFA officer team. I will also be coaching Opening and Closing, Impromptu, Prepared, & Extemporaneous Public Speaking Contests, as well as Job Interview and Parliamentary Procedure! Looking forward to meeting more of you this year, and the years to come!

Jessica Armistead

I have been teaching with Western Placer Unified School District since 2010. I studied at Chico State where I received my Bachelors Degree in Agriculture Education. I hold an Agriculture, Biology and Agricultural Specialist Credential. I am also certified to teach AVID. My industry experience comes from 5 years employment with the Roseville Livestock Auction.

I am a graduate of Lincoln High School and served on the Lincoln FFA Officer Team for 3 years including Chapter President my Senior year. I currently raise chickens, pigs and rabbits at our family farm and my husband and I have two girls and a son that love to come to FFA events with me.
I teach 1 section of Ag Entrepreneurship at the Farm and 5 sections of Floral and Advanced Floral at the main LHS Campus. I serve as our Department Chair for the Agriculture Department at LHS! I serve as our FFA Sheep and Small Animal Advisor. I will be coaching Opening and Closing for our advanced teams this year.

Cassandra Killingsworth

I grew up in rural Lincoln for most of my life. I was lucky enough to be raised on a cattle and horse ranch and truly believe that is where my love for agriculture began. I went through the local Mt. Pleasant 4-H program, as well as the Lincoln FFA program, selling both steers and lambs at the local fairs. I went on to graduate from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science and a teaching credential in Agricultural Education.

I was fortunate enough to have a few industry jobs prior to teaching. These included riding horses for Doug Ingersoll Training Stables, working as a cashier for Placer County Farm Supply, and Stewart and Jasper Orchards. I am happy to say I have been an agriculture instructor at Lincoln High School for the past 15 years. As one of the FFA advisors, I spend extra time at FFA contests and conferences strengthening our student’s leadership skills, which helps prepare them for future career success.

I teach 3 sections of Ag Biology, and 2 sections of Animal Science at the LHS Farm! This year I also will be teaching 1 section of Floral Design on the main LHS Campus. I serve as the Lincoln FFA Beef and Goat Advisor, and work to make sure all of our animals at the farm stay happy and healthy every day! This year I will be coaching our Novice Opening and Closing teams, as well as Vet Science.

Barret Hess

I grew up in a forestry/surveying family in Humboldt County, then moved to Grass Valley following work. I spent the summers cruising timber, packing meat in my grandparents butcher shop, and raising horses and swine. I graduated from Nevada Union and was scholarshipped to attend Chico State for Agriculture.

I worked in the Equipment Repair facility at Chico state for 5 years while attending school. I have a Bachelor's of Science in Agriculture with options for both Integrated Plant Systems Science, and Agriculture Education. I have been teaching at Lincoln High School since the 2002/03 school year. In 2014 I was awarded Placer County High School Teacher of the Year. I look forward to many years with Lincoln High School.

I currently teach a mix of Ag Systems Management, Welding, Diesel, and Farm Interns. My main job is keeping the farm in good shape and working! I am also our FFA Swine Advisor.

Thomas Toy

I have lived in or near Placer County for most of my life. In my youth, I worked on my family’s farm and ranch raising cows, pasture land, fruit trees and grapes. While attending Sierra College, environmental science became my focus of study and I later completed a B.S. Degree in Environmental Science from U.C. Davis. When moving back to the Sierra Foothills with my wife, I was employed as a naturalist and a river guide and eventually obtained a teaching credential in 2001.

My employment with WPUSD began in 2002. Since then, I founded a high school 4-H robotics program, helped to establish a county science fair known as the STEM Expo, and helped to initiate a district-wide environmental outdoor science school. I am living out a dream by once again working on an active farm while working with the local community in developing future Western Placer County farmers and supporters of agricultural practices.

I teach Agriculture Government and Economics! At the farm I help our plants grow in our student fields, and keep our chemistry students busy with agriscience projects! This year I will be coaching a Vegetable Crop judging team.