The ninth annual Baler Buckaroo at Hollister High School on Oct. 23 brought classmates from all backgrounds and abilities together to enjoy an inclusive hands-on rodeo experience catered for students with special needs.
Hosted by the Hollister High FFA program, the Baler Buckaroo took place at the school’s Rajkovich Ag Barn, which buzzed with a celebratory and welcoming atmosphere for the event. The action-packed Buckaroo featured adapted rodeo events—such as steer roping and a mechanical bull—for about 50-plus Life Skills students to enjoy with assistance from their classmates in the FFA program and Ag Leadership classes.
Events throughout the morning’s rodeo included barrel racing, stick horse races, goat tail untying and a barnyard experience with goats. Opening ceremonies and a grand entry featured a singing of the national anthem and a ceremony led by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter.
Hollister High staff and students started the Baler Buckaroo nine years ago as a collaboration between the school’s Agricultural and Special Education departments in an effort to foster community bonding and bring students together through teamwork, encouragement and inclusion.
Hollister High Life Skills Brett Davis said this was his first Baler Buckaroo and he was “enjoying every second of it.”
“I think this creates a lot of inclusion among our program and the rest of the school,” Davis said. “Going to a school with these kinds of resources—like the FFA program and having a real barn on campus—is a luxury that I think a lot of schools don’t have. So it’s quite a privilege for us to be here.
“The FFA program has done a great job here and I hope they keep it up for many more years to come.”
Hollister High FFA advisor and Ag Leadership teacher Grace Erickson added that the Baler Buckaroo attempts to promote and preserve a sense of community on campus where “every one of the students is our student.”
“Ultimately, what I would love for the outcome for the day is for different groups on campus to come together in one shared experience, and I think we accomplished that pretty well,” Erickson said while helping other school staff and ag boosters prepare a BBQ lunch for the students to cap off the Buckaroo festivities.
Erickson said the community has become “tremendously supportive” of the Baler Buckaroo, with local sponsors and special guests—including the Hollister Fire Department officials and VFW—contributing to the annual rodeo.
