HERMANN — The legacy of a Hermann High School student killed in an auto crash last Spring will be a new agriculture education center for students in middle school and high school.

Under a plan unveiled Thursday night by the Gasconade County R-1 School District board, the Jack Charles Schneider Foundation will construct, equip and, upon completion, donate to the district a state-of-the-art center for agriculture education — a lasting remembrance of HHS senior Jack Schneider.

According to Jack’s father, Lucas Schneider, the center could be the first of its kind in Missouri: A structure built with private money and donated to a school district.

“I doubt this has ever been done at a public school,” Schneider told the R-1 Board of Directors at its regular monthly session.

The center will be developed on a 2.1-acre tract of land on the R-1 campus that had been deemed surplus property and sold in December to the Foundation. The site was sold for about $50,000, according to Superintendent Geoff Neill.

As envisioned, the center will be among the top agriculture education and FFA facilities at a public school district in the nation. Plans call for the center to include two large classrooms with attached offices for teachers; a 12,500-square-foot shop; a 6-ton remote-control bridge crane with a 50-foot bridge and 120 fee of runway; 15 welding training booths; an 18-by-50-foot paint booth with ventilation system; four overhead roll-up doors up to 24 feet wide; and a 2,400-square-foot multi-purpose commons area.

The center also will have a 1,200-square-foot covered patio outdoor classroom area and the center will be fully equipped with modern and updated equipment and furnishings.

The Jack Charles Schneider Agricultural Center will be located on the 2.1 acres directly east of the existing agriculture shop. The new shop will be about five times larger than the existing shop area. It will set on what now is the site of the school’s paint booth building, which will be taken apart during the construction of the Agricultural Center and retained by the district for possible use in the future.

The son of Lucas and Andrea Schneider of Berger, Jack was a student in the R-1 District since pre-school. A straight-A students for his entire school career, the senior had a passion for the school’s FFA program. He was an integral part of his family’s equipment auction business and he had other business and trading venture of his own. In his spare time, Jack loved working on antique tractors and trucks, hunting and spending time with family and friends.

In a statement accompanying the announcement of the Center, the Foundation expressed appreciation to the school district.

“We are honored to be working with Dr. Geoff Neill and the Gasconade County R-1 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.”

Lucas Schneider Thursday night recognized R-1 officials for “thinking outside the box” to make this project possible. “We greatly appreciate that,” he said. “The wheels are moving fast on the project. There’s going to be a lot of good to come from this for years to come,” he added.

R-1 Board President Jeff Englert offered comments on behalf of the district directors.

“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,” said  Englert. “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.”

The Board of Directors of the Jack Charles Schneider Foundation include Lucas and Andrea Schneider, Doug Ridder and Tracy Vedder, both HHS agriculture teachers and FFA advisors, and Matt Kohrs, a close friend of the Schneider family and school district employee.