A 2026 Santa Fe High graduate won the national FFA agricultural education contest, and the Alachua school's food science team placed fifth in the nation.

A Santa Fe High School graduate from the class of 2026 has won a national FFA title. Oliver Flanagan took first place in the National Agricultural Education Invitational at the National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis.

A team from the school also placed fifth in the nation in the Food Science and Technology competition. Alachua County Public Schools announced both results in an Oct. 28 district release.

Santa Fe High is in the city of Alachua, about 10 miles northwest of Gainesville. It is home to the district’s Academy of Agriscience, a career and technical magnet program.

The teaching contest

The invitational encourages high school FFA members to look at careers teaching agriculture. The district said competitors are students who excelled at state-level events first.

To win, Flanagan had to:

  • submit lesson plans
  • teach a lesson in person to a group of students
  • pass a written exam

He prepared with Brooke Bailey, who directs the Academy of Agriscience at Santa Fe High.

“I was really inspired by the teachers I had in the program,” Flanagan said in the district release. “I’d like to show students the different professional opportunities there are in a field that’s often overlooked.”

Flanagan now studies wildlife ecology and animal sciences at the University of Florida. “It was my last contest, so it was a really cool way to end my time in high school FFA,” he said.

The food science team

The four-member team finished fifth in the nation in Food Science and Technology. The district said members worked through challenges on food industry skills, food safety knowledge and product development.

“Success like this doesn’t happen overnight; it is the result of countless hours of preparation, perseverance, and a passion for excellence,” Bailey said in the release. She credited the students, their coach and advisers, and their parents.

What it means for you

  • For families: seats in the Academy of Agriscience are by application through the district, on its magnet programs page. The application for 2026-27 has closed, and the district says it will post the 2027-28 timeline there. Magnet questions go to 352-955-7121.
  • The school: our Santa Fe High school page has the address, grades and the state report card.
  • More school results: high school sports results are on our scoreboard.