Kristal Nobile, new Saint Jo High School ag teacher. (Photo by Dani Blackburn)

By DANI BLACKBURN
Saint Jo Independent School District is reinventing its agriculture department with a fresh face at the helm and a brand new farm science building that opened this week.
Kristal Nobile, a 1990 graduate of Saint Jo High School, has taken the position of agriculture teacher after filling in as a long-term substitute for Brad Bland who retired at the end of last year.
Nobile attended Tarleton State University, where she graduated with her bachelor degree in English and business and received her teaching certification. However, agriculture wasn’t her first classroom.
After college, she accepted the head softball coach position with Gunter ISD. She also was the assistant coach for cross country and basketball while teaching English for three years.
The former coach then made a move to Era, where she remained for 10 years as the head track coach. Nobile also was the assistant cross country and basketball coach and taught technology business before taking time at home after the birth of her daughter.
The new teacher has lived in Saint Jo with husband, Brent, a firefighter in Southlake, and the couple’s two children: Bailie, 8, and Brandon, 5.
With both children in school, Nobile felt it was time to return to teaching, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for the long hours of coaching.
That’s when Bland asked Nobile if she was interested in the agriculture position after he decided to retire. In fact, he asked several times, but it was mid-July before Nobile decided to accept.

Read the full story on this new animal science facility at Saint Jo and meet the new teacher in the weekend News.

Pictured: A large crowd attend this week’s ribbon cutting ceremony for the new facility. (Courtesy photo)