In Honesdale, A, B, C is for apples, bovines and cheese

HUNTER HILL
Posted 11/14/18

Reading, writing and arithmetic—and throw in some meat, milk and produce while we’re at it. Apples and oranges aren’t just a part of a frustrating algebra question now. Through the …

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In Honesdale, A, B, C is for apples, bovines and cheese

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Reading, writing and arithmetic—and throw in some meat, milk and produce while we’re at it.

Apples and oranges aren’t just a part of a frustrating algebra question now. Through the Agricultural Education department, headed by Kayla Hack at Honesdale High School (HHS), students have the option to sign up for an elective course where they can learn about subjects including livestock processing, animal management, forestry, horticulture, animal science and food processing.

Kayla Hack began as HHS’s first agricultural education teacher in the fall of 2017. Since then, she has managed to breathe new life into the abandoned chapter of the town’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) by reinstating it after nearly 50 years.

The program has grown exponentially since it began—more than 100 students are now signed up to participate—due not only to students’ individual interests, but also support from the local community, Hack said. The program, she added, is “really just starting to grow.” Hack emphasized the readiness the program creates in students preparing for college and the workforce. Her classes get students ready for one of three post-high school paths. One third will be prepared to enter the workforce for a variety of industries with skills and certifications they will have acquired in school, including OSHA and chainsaw safety certifications. Another third will be prepared to enter a technical school. The final third she foresees going on to seek a four-year degree pertaining to agriculture either in agri-business, engineering, or another agricultural degree that may be useful on a family farm.

Though “farm-to-table” may be a trendy dining phrase, students in Hack’s courses are intimately familiar with her “farm-to-fork” mantra, which reminds them of the importance of understanding the whole process of producing and marketing locally grown food.

Beyond the classroom, students engage with the world of agriculture through a varied array of projects. One student is working on an on-campus chicken coop. Others are preparing for the holiday season by hosting another wreath-making workshop on December 7 at the high school. Additionally, students are working on a feasibility study for the potential construction of a greenhouse on campus which would be used for both soil planting and aquaponics—a cutting-edge industry newly available to produce farmers.

“Students are really excited about these classes.” Hack said. “[They] compare their other interests with these classes.”

The FFA and the in-class portion of student education are closely tied, Hack said. All students who take these agriculture classes are required to be part of the FFA. They get to choose how much or how little they wish to be a part of the organization, but are allowed access to opportunities presented through FFA, including networking with its leadership-and-career-readiness segment. One student took first place at a dairy competition called the “Big E competition” in Massachusetts. Another team of agricultural communication students recently participated in events held in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Students in the agriculture program have participated in fruit sales fundraisers, “Ag Day” in the elementary school, “Ag literacy Week” in March, food drives with local organizations, volunteering hours at Billy’s New Hope Farm and various parades in Pleasant Mount and Honesdale.

“I learn about the animals and responsibility through 4-H and FFA,” said Alexandra Korb of Hack’s Intro to Agriculture class. “I love going to events through FFA.”

The FFA features three components to develop agricultural know-how. Through classes, individual student projects and the FFA leadership lab—which involves attending events and building skills alongside teacher instruction—Hack says the FFA program is built to be intra-curricular, meaning it serves as a supplement to agricultural education.

“It’s a really cool experience to go to new places and meet new people with experience in their fields,” said upperclassman Cindy Perricone.

Hack emphasizes that her focus is, and will remain, on training students to be career ready for the agricultural industry. “Students are doing real-life practices in the classroom and preparing to be leaders and entrepreneurs in local agriculture,” she said.

The classes are for students like Elizabeth Rhyne, who said she wants to participate in the industry when she grows up. “These classes are helping me decide where [to work], and teach me things about those careers.”

 As the program continues, Hack said it’s been thanks to local organizations and industry leaders that she’s been able to facilitate an increasing number of in-and-out-of-the-classroom learning. “It is nice to see how the community has supported this ag program,” she said.

HHS, agircultural education, ffa

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