Jordan Donnerbauer graduated from Marshfield Senior High School in 2001. While in high school, he played football and threw shot and discus in Track and Field. Donnerbauer continued his education at the University of Wisconsin River Falls where he played football, rugby, and nearly every Intramural sport offered. Here he earned a degree in Agricultural Education in 2005. Currently, Donnerbauer is an Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor at Stanley-Boyd, a decision he explained that began for convenience. “I taught 2.5 years in Minnesota prior to coming to Stanley.  I wanted to be closer to family and Stanley-Boyd was and still is a great fit,” he explained. Since 2008, Donnerbauer has strengthened the agriculture education program at Stanley-Boyd and continues to enhance the lives of the students he mentors.

Jordan was the first member of his immediate family to be in FFA, but agriculture has always been a large part of Donnerbauer’s life, from wanting to be a dairy farmer as a child to being an active member of his high school’s FFA and filling his elective course options with agriculture classes. Jordan was impacted by his high school agriculture teachers, Mr. Tim Heeg and Mr. Mark Zee whose own passions for agriculture shaped his decision to pursue a career in education.

 “As a member of the National Honor Society I did some tutoring and enjoyed helping others, so I combined my love of agriculture & FFA with teaching others and decided to become an Agricultural Educator,” he explained.

Donnerbauer  lives in Neillsville with his wife, Stephanie, an Agriculture Teacher at Loyal High School, his three-year-old daughter, Aspen, and his newborn son, Grant. Juggling family life and a career are new obstacles for the new father of two but Jordan is taking it day by day. He shared, “I would say the hardest challenge has been trying to balance teaching, with coaching and advising FFA, with making time for family at home.”

Living such a busy life doesn’t leave much downtime for Jordan but when he does get some free time, he enjoys spending time outdoors and is an avid hunter and fisherman.  “I enjoy gardening, camping, and spending time with my family,” he elaborated. Being in nature has always been a hobby that Donnerbauer enjoys, and he mentioned that when he was in middle school, he wanted to be a forester, an industry that he could see himself making a career in if he hadn’t chosen agriculture.

 Donnerbauer’s encouragement and belief in his students is inspiring them to better themselves and do great things. He shows them that it is important to be active members of their communities and to give back to those around them. Jordan is a leading example of this to his students with his own activity in the community well known. He explained, “My community involvement is a direct result of being the Advisor of FFA.  Our FFA chapter takes pride in our community through various community services such as organizing the Youth Service-Learning Day, participating in Trunk or Treat, presenting the Flag at the Stanley Rodeo, playing Bingo with the elderly, raking leaves, decorating Christmas cookies with the elderly, offering concessions at many area events, and the Community Coffee Clutch to name a few.”

Some fun facts about Jordan are that he loves football, especially if the Green Bay Packers are playing. His favorite music genre is anything 90’s country and his favorite food is stuffed crust sausage pizza. When Jordan has a chance to relax and unwind, he likes to watch his favorite movie, Star Wars or the television series, The Office. 

Donnerbauer is a dedicated teacher who goes the extra mile to invest in his students. Past and current students alike speak highly of the experienced teacher who is changing lives while imparting knowledge. Student accountability is important to Donnerbauer and he hopes that parents know he holds his students accountable because life will. “I want them to know that I generally care about their child and want them to be successful.  I want them to leave my classroom with an increased knowledge about agriculture as well as being a more responsible and prepared individual who can handle whatever life throws their way,” he expressed. He shared that “teachers truly want what is best for their students and that we aren’t pushing any sort of agenda.” His care and dedication for his students were highlighted when Jordan was honored with the Teacher Mentor Award from the Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators (WAAE) in 2022. Jordan shared that while he is an educator, he learns from his students every day as well. “My students have taught me to be more patient and to not take everything so seriously,” he stated. As the school year progresses, Jordan’s excitement is growing for upcoming FFA events.  “I’m most excited for my FFA members who have been practicing hard to succeed in their Judging and Speaking Contests,” he mentioned.  He also commented that his favorite part of teaching is seeing the success of his students. “I enjoy seeing students succeed and using the skills learned in the agriculture classroom in their future careers,” he said.