South Garner High FFA Partners with Washington D.C. Agriculture Students Ahead of National Competition
Students in D.C. are making new friends and learning leadership skills (while petting a few ducks) by partnering with other students in North Carolina to learn different ways of farming.
Credit: FAA - DC FFA students care for ducks and other animals while learning leadership skills.
On September 7, 2026, WUSA highlighted an innovative agricultural education partnership between Future Farmers of America (FFA) students from Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Washington, D.C., and students at South Garner High School in Garner, North Carolina. The collaborative initiative connects urban high schoolers with North Carolina students from a historically agricultural and rapidly growing community, bridging urban-rural divides ahead of upcoming national FFA competitive events.
The exchange pairs students to explore diverse farming models, sustainable horticulture, and practical animal husbandry. For the visiting urban students who lack everyday exposure to farm infrastructure, collaborating with South Garner peers provides valuable hands-on experience in livestock handling, poultry care (including managing turkeys and ducks), and agricultural problem-solving. FFA educators noted that the program reinforces essential leadership, teamwork, and active listening skills that translate directly into competitive readiness and broader scientific careers.
By serving as an agricultural mentor school, South Garner High underscores the continued vitality of career and technical education (CTE) in southern Wake County. The initiative fosters meaningful cross-cultural connections and breaks down regional stereotypes, demonstrating how agricultural science unites students across differing geographic backgrounds. Participants highlighted that the technical competencies and mutual perspectives developed through the partnership inspire students to pursue advanced pathways in veterinary science, agribusiness, and medicine.
Read the full story here
Two Garner Residents Earn Their Law Degrees from Campbell University
Two Garner residents were among the 183 graduates conferred Juris Doctor degrees on Friday, May 9, 2025, during Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law’s 47th hooding and graduation ceremony at the Martin Marietta Center in downtown Raleigh.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — Two Garner residents were among the 183 graduates conferred Juris Doctor degrees on Friday, May 9, 2025, during Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law’s 47th hooding and graduation ceremony at the Martin Marietta Center in downtown Raleigh.
They are:
Lauryl E. Fright, graduated cum laude and was a member of Campbell University Law Review
Parissa Y. Sharifyazdi
The Class of 2025 marks the largest graduating class in the law school’s history, said Dean J. Rich Leonard.
“Standing here in my 12th year as your dean, I have enormous confidence in the superb quality of our legal education program,” Leonard told the graduates. “In my final words to this class I love, we have taught you to analyze an issue thoroughly, write persuasively and stand on your feet and comfortably defend your position … Hopefully we have taught you to follow your own moral compass. And we have put you out in this community, in externships, clinics, pro bono initiatives and mentorships to learn how the practice of law works. You are ready. And your skills are desperately needed.”
North Carolina’s Attorney General Jeff Jackson in his first commencement address in his new role told the graduates his mission was to help them feel a little less anxious about their future including the upcoming bar exam and subsequent job hunt.
“Campbell does the best job of preparing students for the bar exam of any school in the state,” he said. “You are in such a stronger position than I was walking into that test. You are going to be OK…for those of you who don’t have something lined up, if you are applying anywhere in North Carolina, you have an advantage because Campbell Law is widely known and … it’s well regarded.”
Jackson added, “You just ran a three-year long marathon that fewer than half a percent of anyone in our country has ever run. You don’t need to worry about your place in this world, the world needs to worry about you. You’re going to crush it!!
Retiring Dean Emerita and Professor Melissa Essary, in her last official duty for the law school, hooded the graduates.
Find more photos of the ceremony on the law school’s Facebook page at this link and watch the graduation ceremony’s YouTube recording at this link.
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2026, Campbell Law will celebrate 50 years of graduating legal leaders and 17 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.
via Campbell University
Wigeon Capital Brings Additional Industrial Space in Garner
Wigeon Capital is seeking to help alleviate the crunch for industrial space with the construction of their new project, Greenfield 27.
If you have tried to buy a home lately you know that the real estate market is extremely competitive. The industrial real estate market is no exception.
Wigeon Capital is seeking to help alleviate the crunch for industrial space with the construction of their new project, Greenfield 27.
Greenfield 27 is located in the Greenfield South business park. This new project will consist of three buildings and encompass a little over 27 acres. Buildings will be 160,380, 57,800, and 44,800 square feet. This variety of building sizes gives potential clients the opportunity to choose which space best fits their needs.
Over the past few years, Wigeon Capital has made signifcant investments in Garner. To-date, the company has already constructed nearly 200,000 square feet of space. The Greenfield 27 project will only add to the companies invest in Garner.
"We are fortunate to have developers like Wigeon in our community," said Joe Stallings Garner Economic Development Director. "These types of investments are critical to the community's ability to attract new jobs to our area.
Garner's Station Podcast Episode 19: Importance of Early Childhood Education in Economic Development
In this episode, we talk with Cassandra Brooks, owner of Little Believers Academy and Nikki Leonard, Department Head of Education at Wake Tech, about the important role that early childhood education plays in economic development.
GARNER, NC –In this episode, we talk with Cassandra Brooks, owner of Little Believers Academy and Nikki Leonard, Department Head of Education at Wake Tech, about the important role that early childhood education plays in economic development.
