2012 PSU-OSU Teach Ag Adventure

Written by: Mackenzie McCollum, Class of 2013

Students exploring the greenhouses at W.B. Saul High School.

It is hard to narrow down my favorite experience but one of my favorite parts of the trip was visiting and comparing the different schools.  We first visited Milton Hershey. It was incredible to see the facilities and opportunities with which they provided their students. Our tour guide informed us that students could enter with only the clothes on their back and the school would clothe, feed, and provide them medical care. In addition, each student lives in a private home with "house parents." We learned that upon graduation, each student was given $500 to purchase anything they wanted to include in their "senior bag," as well as a laptop and an $80,000 scholarship if good grades were maintained. 

Next we visited the agricultural program at Conrad Weiser. This program focused heavily on science-based curriculum which was evident upon viewing their laboratory, greenhouse, library, and biotechnology facility. The program also had a vineyard and barn. The program exemplified the importance of science within the agricultural industry. Mr. Serfass encourages his students to read and pursue experiments that intrigue them. 

Finally, we visited W.B. Saul, an inner city agricultural high school. This program was amazing because they had their own meats lab, multiple barns, riding arena, and classrooms devoted to each facet of agricultural education. We were fortunate enough to teach a lesson encompassing the importance of higher education. It was awesome to interact with students attending a strictly agricultural high school in the middle of a large city!