Gasconade County R-I School District

In December the Gasconade County R1 School District sold 2.1 acres to The Jack Charles Schneider Foundation for the purpose of constructing a new state of the art 20,000+ square foot agricultural education center that will serve students at both the high school and the middle school. The facility will be 100% donated to the district by The Jack Charles Schneider Foundation to serve the agricultural education department at GCR-1 as a tribute to Jack Schneider.

This new building will be among the top ag education/FFA facilities at a public school district in the nation and will include:

• Two large classrooms w/ attached offices for teachers

• A 12,500 square foot shop (approx. five times larger than the current shop)

• A 6-ton remote control bridge crane with a 50’ bridge and 120’ of runway

• 15 welding training booths

• An 18’x50’ paint booth with ventilation system

• 4-overhead roll-up doors up to 24’ wide

• A 2,400 square foot multi-purpose commons room

• A 1,200 square foot covered patio outdoor classroom area

• Fully equipped with modern/updated equipment & furnishings

Upon completion the foundation will return the property to the school district for student use in perpetuity.

Name of the building – The Jack Charles Schneider Agricultural Center

Location - 2.1 acres directly east of the current agriculture shop, on the site of the current paint booth building, which will be disassembled during the construction process and retained by the school district for possible future use in another location on school district property.

Intended use - This project will be part of Jack’s legacy and will support the ag education department and the Hermann FFA that he cherished so much, for decades to come. Students at GCR-1 will have access to one of finest facilities in the nation, in a community that values and supports agricultural education.

Jack’s Background – Jack Schneider was a student at Gasconade County R1 School District since pre-school. He is the son of Lucas & Andrea Schneider of Berger. Jack was a straight-A student his entire school career and was only two months away from graduation when he tragically lost his life in an automobile accident in March 2025 while he was running an errand for the Hermann FFA, when a tractor trailer crossed the center line. Jack was an integral part of his family’s equipment auction business and had other business and trading ventures of his own. As said by an auction industry professional, “Jack was one of the auction industry’s greatest ambassadors”. In his spare time, he loved to work on his antique tractors, trucks, hunt and spend time with his family and friends.

Jack was a respectful Missouri farm boy. A bit friendlier than some, perhaps, and maybe a bit more determined to do the best job possible at everything he tried. It took an organization he wasn’t even sure he wanted to be active in at first, to set his feet on a path they would always follow. The Hermann FFA took a young man and helped turn him into a polished speaker and leader. It found in him values of honesty, integrity and dedication that were already a part of his character and helped develop them into a set of codes that he would live by.

Jack was very active in the Hermann FFA and had many achievements including:

• Competed on the Farm Business Management Team, placing 1st at the area and district levels and receiving 2nd place individual at the state level, “the second-best financial mind in the State of Missouri” according to his teacher, Doug Ridder

• Competed in public speaking, placing 1st at the area and district levels and receiving 3rd place at the state level

• Area XIV - Star in Agri-Business Award winner

• Finalist for the State Star in Agri-Business Award, but was not able to attend the final interview because of his accident

• Area XIV - Ag Mechanics Repair & Maintenance – Entrepreneurship 1st place winner

• Area XIV - Agricultural Sales - Placement 1st place winner

• 2025 Hermann FFA Outstanding Senior Award winner

• Received Chapter and State Degrees

• 2024-2025 Chapter Parliamentarian

Quote from Foundation – “We are honored to be working with Dr. Geoff Neill and the Gasconade County R1 School Board to build a lasting legacy for Jack, and to build a world class agricultural education facility that will serve students in this area for decades to come”.

Quote from GCR-1 Board – “The Gasconade County R-1 School District extends its deepest appreciation to Lucas, Andrea, and the Jack Charles Schneider Foundation for their generous and meaningful gift. This gift ensures Jack's memory and enduring legacy will continue to inspire the students of HHS and especially the district’s agricultural program for generations to come. Jack will be missed but never forgotten in our school district.” - Jeff Englert, Board President

Contacts for the Foundation and the District:

Board of directors for The Jack Charles Schneider Foundation:

• Lucas & Andrea Schneider

• Doug Ridder - Hermann High School ag teacher and FFA advisor

• Tracy Vedder - Hermann High School ag teacher and FFA advisor

• Matt Kohrs - Close friend of the Schneider family and school district employee

• For information about this project or The Jack Charles Schneider Foundation feel free to talk to any of the board members listed above or contact Lucas & Andrea Schneider at 573-834-2207 or email: info@schneiderauctioneers.com

Gasconade County R1 School District:

• Dr. Geoff Neill – Superintendent

• gneill@hermann.k12.mo.us

• 573-486-2116 ext. 1300