The stunning accolades of retired Orland educator and community leader, Anna Cannon

Anna Got her gun

In nearly 30 years of working with teenagers, Anna Canon has been focused on one thing: educating kids. Primarily, her teaching revolved around being head of the agriculture department at Orland High School and being the Future Farmers of America advisor for 18 years. This goal has not been abandoned since she retired from OHS last year. She still puts in many hours with agriculture interests and organizing and coaching the trap shooting team at the high school.

Anna graduated from Lincoln High School and already had her sights set on an ag teaching career. She received her Bachelor of Science degree at Chico State, a master’s from Cal Poly, and an associate degree from Ft. Lewis College in Colorado. After student teaching at Hamilton City High she came over to Orland in 1996 and began her career, teaching agriculture and other classes over the years. Among these classes were ESL science, driver’s training, health, and ag classes. On top of that is her leadership and guidance in the FFA, which could easily take up this entire article. As an advisor, Anna coordinated FFA leadership, local, regional, and state competitions for the OHS students, including the North Valley FFA Section Leadership contest held at OHS since 1996. This competition hosts over 100 contestants from Butte, Glenn, and Tehama counties. She has also judged competitions at the local, sectional, regional, state, and national levels.

In the ag classroom, bud Canon has taught all facets of agriculture, including livestock, horticulture, poultry, forestry, soils, and just last year created a floral program. “The floral program gets kids ready to work as soon as they step out the door,” she said. The class has sold over 40 subscriptions locally, where

floral arrangements are delivered to the customer once a month. The subscriptions go for $200 apiece, and the class is expanding sales.

Along the way, Anna Canon has garnered some impressive awards. Outstanding Young Teacher, Superior Region, California Agricultural Teachers Association; Star 4-H Leader for Glenn County; Star FFA Advisor for California Superior Region; Teacher of Teachers Silver Award, California Ag Teachers Association; and Teacher of Excellence, California Ag Association, the highest award in the state. And this is just a partial list. Her students have competed at the regional, state, and national level, and many have won awards at the state level. Anna left the ag department in good hands, and there are over 200 FFA members at Orland High School.

Her volunteerism in community activities is just as impressive. She has been involved in efforts for the Glenn County Medical Center, Friends of the Orland Free Library, Veteran’s Day and honoring veterans, and many more. However, one she is particularly happy with is being the current director for the Colusi County Historical Society. Oh yeah, she also authored a book on the history of Glenn County. It's available on Amazon and is an educational read.

It’s Anna’s latest endeavor that has her excited and still involved with students. She’s the state director for the California State High School Clay Target Competitions. Orland High currently has a clay target shooting team with 60 members, and they compete against 26 teams in California. Locally, these teams are Gridley, Hamilton City, Willows, Shasta, and University Prep to name a few.

“What we do with the shooting team is teach kids the proper way to handle a long gun, how to maintain it, and how to perform under pressure in the competitions,” said Canon. She added, “I got my license to coach in 2016 after I saw my son, Travis, compete. This is a growing sport, and there are competitions and leagues all over the United States.” Orland High took first in their league in 2017, their inaugural year. The team is thriving today and is already practicing at the range in Artois and competing.

“Clay target and trap shooting clubs are forming across America,” said Canon. Other organizations like the Boy Scouts of America and the 4-H club have formed competitive shooting teams. Over 1,000 members compete in California.

“In order for kids to learn about gun safety, there’s no better place than in an organized and adult-coached environment,” she said. And Anna Canon is the perfect person to teach those skills. It is without a doubt Orland High School will miss Anna Canon and her remarkable presence on campus.