CAIRO — With graduation for the Class of 2019 approaching, Cairo High School’s top academic-achieving seniors are busy preparing for their next steps.

Next fall, valedictorian Ian Batey is headed to Kansas State University, where he plans to start out on a pre-veterinary track in the animal science program.

Working with animals is nothing new for Batey, 18, whose family owns livestock and cattle at their ranch in Florida.

“That’s really what sparked my interest in it,” he said. “Over the past few years I’ve stuck with it and ran.”

The valedictorian has spent time training horses earlier this year, and he has a job lined up this summer breaking colts at a ranch in Virginia.

Batey attributed his involvement in the Future Farmers of America program and animal science classes at CHS with helping teach him skills which can play a useful role for the path that lies ahead.

In particular, Batey cited FFA’s Farm and Agribusiness Management Career Development Event, which he said taught him the accounting and business side of agricultural operations.

Meanwhile, salutatorian Thomas Jones will be finishing up classes to obtain his associate’s degree at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, where he has been taking dual-enrollment classes since 2017.

Once completed, Jones will be attending the University of Georgia in the fall to pursue a degree in biological science, either on a pre-medical or pre-veterinary track.

The salutatorian said that, similar to Batey, his interest in biology came about from his upbringing, which allowed him the opportunity to frequently interact with animals.

“I had always been interested because I grew up on a farm,” said Jones, 17. “My dad was the initial person who planted that seed of what I wanted to do.”

When Jones came to CHS, he initially was not heavily involved in the agriculture program until he was placed in the class of Robbie Harrison.

Jones said that when Harrison arrived two years ago she encouraged him and Batey to pursue their interests, setting them up on paths they’ll be headed down after graduation next week.

“When she got here she took us under her wing and shared with us all of the opportunities that there are in the ag program,” Jones said.

Jones and Batey, who are the FFA president and vice president at CHS, respectively, cited Harrison, also the FFA advisor, for her efforts both in and out of the classroom.

“She puts a lot of time into this, spending her own money to go on trips on weekends, using up her own breaks where she could be doing stuff with her family,” Batey said.

Last October the group traveled to Indianapolis for the national FFA convention — a multi-day trip — and Harrison also brought the students on a tour of the UGA Tifton campus to learn about what they have to offer.

According to the two students, it’s Harrison’s excitement about getting kids involved in agricultural education that makes her a great teacher. “I think it’s her passion for what she does,” Jones said. “She’s just always elated to be able to tell us more about what she loves. It’s contagious.”

Much like Harrison, Batey said physics and chemistry teacher Thomas Shyamala shows a love for what he teaches, which made learning a breeze.

“He can make it click,” Batey said. “He understands (the subject) so well and he likes it enough that it just happens and you learn.”

For Jones, literature instructor Hank Smith was another favorite teacher.

While not necessarily teaching a subject directly relevant to the studies Jones will pursue in college, the salutatorian said Smith relayed the concepts they learned in class, such as critical thinking skills, in a way that they can be used in day-to-day life.

“(He showed how) it could be applied to other things that aren’t necessarily just writing a paper,” Jones said.

Those concepts are often learned outside the classroom, but Batey said they aren’t necessarily learned outside of school.

“We’ve got a wide variety of students and different types of people,” he said of CHS. “Learning how to deal with that is going to be more helpful to you later in life than a lot of classes may be.”

Outside of school, Batey, an Eagle Scout since last spring, said his scoutmaster Travis Sheperd has provided valuable support and mentorship over the years.

Batey said also he has been heavily involved with the youth program at Whigham United Methodist Church.

While neither of Jones’ parents pursued a degree beyond a high school diploma, the salutatorian said they have still helped him along the way.

“They instilled in me (the drive) to do more and be more,” he said.

Additionally, Jones said Brett Phillips, who has been his soccer coach at CHS and at the club level, has acted as a mentor over the years.

With the two students having completed all of their finals, Batey and Jones are now in the process of writing their valedictorian and salutatorian speeches for tonight’s graduation ceremony.

Focusing on themes of change and continuing the journey life has set them upon, the speeches will be heard by approximately 280 graduates and their loved ones — once they’re completed.

“I’m still on my first paragraph,” Batey said.