Huron County View

NH ag education program selected for national award


SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - Clark Brock, Huron County Career and Technical Education, and Joe Ankley, North Huron Agriscience, receive the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Outstanding Middle/Secondary Agricultural Education Program Award in San Antonio, Texas. Courtesy photos

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Clark Brock, Huron County Career and Technical Education, and Joe Ankley, North Huron Agriscience, receive the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Outstanding Middle/Secondary Agricultural Education Program Award in San Antonio, Texas. Courtesy photos

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The agricultural education program at North Huron School, in Kinde, is one of only six agricultural education programs nationwide that received the National Association of Agricultural Educators Outstanding Middle/ Secondary Agricultural Education Program Award, given at the NAAE annual convention in San Antonio, Texas on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. Joseph Ankley is the agriculture teacher at North Huron. Ankley and Clark Brock, Huron County Career and Technical Education, were in attendance to receive the award.

The Mission of North Huron School’s Agricultural Education Program states that within a learning environment different teaching styles, techniques and classroom settings allow students to better understand content. Diversification of curriculum is important and inquiry based learning is a significant aspect of agricultural education. At North Huron, school technology plays a vital role in the classroom; both teachers and students must feel comfortable with the application of technology within lessons and project-based curriculum. This program has worked diligently to effectively implement these ideas both inside and outside of their classrooms. Their achievement in this has led to an increase in enrollment as well as support from both the administration and community.

At North Huron, it is believed that students should have the opportunity for experiential and hands-on learning experiences as much as possible. Curriculum is brought to life through using different resources to develop a project based approach. An example of this is demonstrated in their Introduction to Agriculture and the Zoology and Environment course. In this course, students raise more than 500 broiler chickens in small groups of 25 each for a six-week period. During this time, the students collect and analyze data about the broilers’ growth rates and feed consumptions. The students must then complete a scientific lab report explaining their findings. Once the students are finished with their research, the chickens are donated to their local food pantry as well as the school for daily lunches.

North Huron School’s Agricultural Education Program has recently adopted a study abroad opportunity by partnering with a neighboring chapter to send a group of students to Uganda, Africa, with their instructor and three other chaperones for a two-week experience focused on agriculture and education. Students were able to visit local schools and teach classes focused on improving agricultural practices. They taught basic nutrition, caretaking and artificial insemination to students and young adults who would be able to use this information to make a better life for themselves and their families. The program continues to focus on the importance of global learning and will be travelling to Costa Rica in May for a study abroad. A dozen students and adults will be participating in the program: “Environmental and Agricultural Sustainability in Costa Rica.”

Each of the six regional Outstanding Middle/Secondary Program Award winners was recognized at the NAAE convention in San Antonio, Texas. The Outstanding Middle/ Secondary Agricultural Education Program Award is partially sponsored by Bayer as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

NAAE is the professional association for agricultural educators with more than 8,000 members nationwide. Its mission is: “professionals providing agricultural education for the global community through visionary leadership, advocacy and service.” The NAAE office is located in Lexington, Kentucky.

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