The incredible student success stories of the Penn State Agricultural & Extension Education Program! Creating Positive Agents of Change to make the world a better place!
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Congratulations Ms. Halee Wasson #psuaged18 cohort member and 2018 graduate of The Pennsylvania State University! She was recently hired at Southern Cayuga High School in Aurora, New York. Halee is from State College, Pa and while she attended Penn State she was involved in many organizations including Penn Stay Ag Student Council, Penn State Teach Ag! Society, Penn State Collegiate FFA, Penn State Dairy Science Club, Coaly Society, Alpha Tau Alpha, and Delta Theta Sigma Fraternity. When Halee student taught at Derry Area High School this past spring she had taught a community based unit of instruction which lead to students being asked to draw out blueprints for the Derry Township Fair Sheep and Wool Superintendent. They were then shared with community partners and the to top designs were chosen. She stated,"Overall this experience created opportunity for me to instruct students in the Ag Construction course to apply their knowledge and skills, which they acquired in the classroom, to solve a real-life issue." Halee's new position at Southern Cayuga High School, she will be the sole teacher there. One thing that is unique about the school district she was hired at is their community. Halee expressed, "I do not think I could have asked for a more supportive and welcoming community. This community has truly welcomed me with open arms, and has shared an immense amount of support for my passion of teaching agriculture. I am excited to see how all the strengths of each individual and organization can contribute to the program in the future." The Southern Cayuga had an agriculture education and a FFA Chapter by 1965. She will be teaching Natural Resources and Ecology, Agriculture Mathematics, Agriculture Business, Animal Science, and Greenhouse Production. She looks forward to her new experience as she says, "Although State College, Pennsylvania will always be home, I am eager to experience life in Aurora, New York. The community’s roots are firmly established in agriculture, which provides numerous program resources. I am excited to explore these resources to expand and create opportunity for my students."
One piece of advice she had for students looking to go into agriculture education is, "If you are passionate about purposefully contributing to the future of agriculture through today's youth, then you need to become an agriculture educator! Passion is the true driving force of perseverance that creates grit. With grit you will conquer all challenges that you may face, while creating positive and successful outcomes."
Congratulations Ms. Halee Wasson, we are excited to see how you shape your classroom and inspire students for generations to come!
On Tuesday April 24, 2018, LEAD Society hosted the 82nd Annual Agriculture and Extension Education Banquet. We had special guests that had attended which included; Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences Dr. Richard Roush, Associate Dean Dr. Tracy Hoover, keynote speaker Joshua Hersl, PA FFA State Officers Justin Kurtz, Thomas Gabel, and Nathan Moyer.
Ali Emig, Sara Lang, Alicia Gates, Megan Royer
Joshua Hersl
Throughout the night students were recognized for their accomplishments throughout the year. The students that were recognized were from each academic standing year. Our outstanding freshman was Megan Royer #psuaged21, sophomore Alicia Gates #psuaged20, junior Sara Lang #psuaged19, and senior Ali Emig.
Alpha Tau Alpha Initiates
Alpha Tau Alpha, the National Professional Honorary Agricultural Education Organization, held an initiation ceremony for those students who qualified. Those students who were initiated were; Kaitlin Liszka, Rachel Bloom, Ryan Rupert, Macy Fisher, Angela Becker, Allyson Balmer, Lisa Boltz, Olivia Aten, and Karlie Wright.
#psuaged18
The seniors had also gave a small presentation and thank you's to Dr. Daniel Foster, Dr. John Ewing, Dr. Kevin Curry, Ms. Terra Ingram, Ms. Beth Mathie, Mr. Jon Seaman, and Ms. Tiffany Morey. To end the night Dean Richard Roush had given his kind address and thank you for being invited to the banquet.
LEAD Society Leadership Team
#psuaged19
We thank everyone who had attended the banquet and hope to see you next year at the 83rd Annual Agriculture and Extension Education Banquet.
Well, we can wrap this Domestic Study Away trip up as one for the books. We sent 15 people out to represent @TeachAgPSU at schools and industries across the New England states (except Maine). What was especially unique about this trip is that no participants on this trip have ever been on a DSA trip before. Additionally, we have come together from commonwealth campuses, main campus, and a graduate to embark on this journey.
We started our trip out in Connecticut with a #PSUAgEd14 alum - Mr. Tyler Cremeans (@TCMeanAgEd14). We continued up the coast - stopping at the beach for those who had never seen the ocean. We went to Massachusetts and had some cultural immersion in Boston! We spent Wednesday continuing with our theme of #PSUAgEd14 with another alum - Mr. Michael Petrun (@PetrunMichaelG) in New Hampshire. Finally, we toured the wonderful state of Vermont - taking in its beauty as we completed our industry tours and last program tour. Check out our other blogs for the week for more details.
The differences in agriculture in the New England really surprised a lot - in addition to how they incorporate that into school-based agriculture programs. Most of the programs we saw focused on helping students to become ready for both industry and college. They work hard to make sure students truly own their programs, are held responsible, and develop employability skills that are sought out. We also had the chance to talk to employers during our industry tours about what they think students are lacking when they come to work for him. To sum it up, he said that they are lacking basic life skills and being able to "get dirty".
Once we get back, we are excited to use the information we learned this week as part of the rest of our education, student teaching, and in our future classrooms. Students from this trip will be returning for more conferences, internships, job (or looking for jobs), and summer classes. Holding true this entire trip, the agriculture field is a family. Whether it is a high school, a family business, or a family business turned large corporation, or the #TeachAgDSA18 participants, it does not take long to work together and act as if we have always known each other.
Be sure to check out our last video recap of Day Four!
We could not complete this transformative learning experience without the incredible support of our partners including The Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators, The Penn State Center for Professional and Personnel Development, and the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
Karlie Wright @Wright_KarlieM #psuaged18
Guest Blogger for the 6th Annual Domestic Study Away - #TeachAgDSA18
Editor's Note: What is a Domestic Study Away? A Domestic Study Away (DSA) is a non-credit experience where a group of students travel to a State to explore the following:
What does #AgEdu look like in other states? How is the total model of school-based agricultural education (Classroom Instruction, Youth Leadership Development <FFA> and Work-based learning <SAE>) uniquely provided?
Who are the #AgEdu Stakeholders in the state? Specifically, what agricultural industry is being served?
A unique yearly selected professional development topic! This year is a little bit different in that we will be striving to answer an inquiry each day as we explore agricultural education across New England. Each question connects to the big idea of diversity in agriculture.
You can virtually-engage with this experience by reading and commenting on the daily blogs and following the experience on Twitter and Facebook with our hashtag #TeachAgDSA18.
We could not complete this transformative learning experience with out the incredible support of our partners including: The Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators, The Penn State Center for Professional and Personnel Development , and the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
____________________________________
DAY 3: New Hampshire
We started our trip today with breakfast at Heritage Farm Pancake House. We enjoyed a family-style, farm-to-table breakfast. There were over 15 flavor choices including white raspberry, blue banana, birthday cake, and apple cinnamon. They had chickens, ducks, goats, horses and a friendly dog named Fern.
Before lunch, we toured Winnisquam Regional High School where #PSUAgEd14 member Mike Petrun (@PetrunMichaelG) is currently an agriculture instructor. We listened to and provided feedback to students completing their capstone projects. Their projects ranged from stone wall construction, horse driving, taxidermy, and forestry. Mr. Petrun is truly "Stationed by the Owl" as he gave the future agricultural educators his words of wisdom as preparation for their student teaching experiences in the spring of 2019.
In the afternoon, we had a tour of Pleasant View Garden's greenhouses and growing facilities. Mr. Huntington gave us a tour of the facilities at Pleasant View Garden, where they produce Proven Winner flowers, and herb plants. He helped us understand more of how their facilities run including the Ag Mechanic side of things like the wood chip burner to heat the greenhouses.
He also explained their drip irrigation system, and how it waters both their hanging baskets and their liners. He detailed how their shipping system works and how they are able to ship to various states up and down East coast. Mr. Huntington was kind enough to show us his hydroponic lettuce systems. He sells to both restaurants and local retailers.
Check out the video blog from day three and stay tuned for tomorrow's recap!
You can virtually-engage with this experience by reading and commenting on the daily blogs and following the experience on Twitter and Facebook with our hashtag #TeachAgDSA18.
Neve Consylman (@NeveConsylman), Member of #psuaged21
and
Nicole Guise (TwitterlessNicole), Member of #psuaged21
Guest Bloggers for the 6th annual @TeachAgPSU Domestic Study Away - #TeachAgDSA18
Each month we like to highlight students that have gone above and beyond in their involvement in the agriculture education program at PSU! We are proud to announce that Megan Royer (@Megyyy22) was selected as May's Student of the Month! Let's learn about her adventure and accomplishments so far.
Megan is a freshman majoring in Agriculture and Extension Education with hopes of becoming an agricultural educator. Megan had began her freshman year of high school by taking an Introduction to Agricultural Sciences class. When she took that class it became apparent to her that it was the place for her. Megan's ambition to be an agriculture educator came from her high school agriculture teacher, Mr. Heasley. She had become aware of how much of an impact he made on some many students during his career as well as her. She stated, "He didn't just teach us about the importance of an industry that took care of everybody else, but he also taught us how to care for others, how to care for the land we live on, and for the community."
Megan is involved in LEAD Society, a TeachAg avenger, and the 2017-2018 Centre County Grange Fair Queen.
Fun Facts about Megan
Hometown: State College
Graduation: 2021
Birthday: December 30, 1998
Favorite PSU Class: AEE 100 with Dr. Curry
Favorite places to eat in State College: Myer's Dairy, Mexi Hots, and Chocolate Marshmallow ice cream are a must
Favorite athletics team/sport: Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Vikings, South Carolina Gamecocks, Penn State
Favorite hangout on campus: Her mom's office in Deike Building or Ferguson 213
Favorite thing at PSU: Growing up in State College makes it feel like home. She was born bleeding Blue and White; from Little Lion to Nittany Lion
Editor's Note: What is a Domestic Study Away? A Domestic Study Away (DSA) is a non-credit experience where a group of students travel to a State to explore the following:
What does #AgEdu look like in other states? How is the total model of school-based agricultural education (Classroom Instruction, Youth Leadership Development <FFA> and Work-based learning <SAE>) uniquely provided?
Who are the #AgEdu Stakeholders in the state? Specifically, what agricultural industry is being served?
A unique yearly selected professional development topic! This year is a little bit different in that we will be striving to answer an inquiry each day as we explore agricultural education across New England. Each question connects to the big idea of diversity in agriculture.
You can virtually-engage with this experience by reading and commenting on the daily blogs and following the experience on Twitter and Facebook with our hashtag #TeachAgDSA18.
We could not complete this transformative learning experience without the incredible support of our partners including The Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators, The Penn State Center for Professional and Personnel Development, and the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
We made it today to Massachusetts to start another day of exploring Agriculture and Agriculture Education in New England. Our beautiful 76-degree day started with at Norfolk County Agricultural High School. This breathtaking school is situated on 300 acres of pristine agricultural production land. Norfolk boasts state of the art animal care and research facility, several barns and Ag arena, an American Kennel Club (AKC) grooming area, and a full diesel mechanic shop just to name a few. Norfolk employs cutting edge technology and well-trained professional teachers. Being made up 70 school districts and approximately 400 students, this school spares no opportunity for the advancement of their students. The time, resources and community support that have been built up over years of careful operation of the program have allowed for this school to flourish. Norfolk was definitely every agriculture teacher's hallmark desire.
Our second stop of the day was to ReVision Urban Farm; a community garden in downtown Boston. Their mission is to educate the community about where their food comes from and how they can help produce the food they eat. Afterward, we were able to explore the North End of the Boston Harbor and take in some sights and sounds for the evening. North End is a beautiful area with such strong national heritage and history. To top of this incredible experience, we had seafood dinner on the Boston Harbor at the Boston Sail Loft.
We are looking forward to the next few days! Follow us on our journey using #TeachAgDSA18, and check out our video reflection from today!
Ryan Rupert (@RyanRupert22),
Member of #psuaged19, Student Teaching at Greenwood HS (PA)
Megan Royer (@Megyyy22),
Member of #psuaged21, and
Beth Winklosky (@Winklosky_Beth),
Member of #psuaged19, Student Teaching at West Perry HS (PA)
Guest Bloggers for the 6th annual Domestic Study Away - #TeachAgDSA18 - New England!
What is a Domestic Study Away? A Domestic Study Away (DSA) is a non-credit experience where a group of students travel to a State to explore the following:
What does #AgEdu look like in other states? How is the total model of school-based agricultural education (Classroom Instruction, Youth Leadership Development <FFA> and Work-based learning <SAE>) uniquely provided?
Who are the #AgEdu Stakeholders in the state? Specifically, what agricultural industry is being served?
A unique yearly selected professional development topic! This year is a little bit different in that we will be striving to answer an inquiry each day as we explore agricultural education across New England. Each question connects to the big idea of diversity in agriculture.
You can virtually-engage with this experience by reading and commenting on the daily blogs and following the experience on Twitter and Facebook with our hashtag #TeachAgDSA18.
We could not complete this transformative learning experience with out the incredible support of our partners including: The Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators, The Penn State Center for Professional and Personnel Development , and the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
Penn State has officially arrived in New England! After hours of travel and an overnight stop in New York, we started our first day of #TeachAgDSA18 in Connecticut, where we attempted to answer the question...
How can we deliver secondary school-based programs in unique contexts?
There are so many exceptional experiences from today that I could talk about, but I’m just going to touch on the few that I thought were the coolest!
Connecticut has such a unique Agricultural Education system! The state is broken up into 19 regional school districts, where students have the opportunity to attend an Agricultural Science and Technology (ASTE) program within each one. All but one of these programs is a comprehensive program, meaning that they include the core subjects such as math, English, language arts, etc. Students, therefore, get the same experience as attending a “normal” high school while gaining tons of great options to get involved in agricultural education and FFA.
The first of these programs we visited was Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury, CT, which is in Region 14. I was absolutely blown away at all they do. The first thing about Nonnewaug that impressed me is that they’re a 10 teacher program! Each one teaches a single subject area, and because of this, they have the manpower to offer tons of different classes to their students from 23 different towns.
Tyler Cremeans (@TCMeansAgEd14), a fellow Penn State graduate of 2014 (participant of several past DSA trips) and aquaculture instructor at Nonnewaug, took us for a tour of the school's facilities where we got to hear from several other teachers. Students took us on a tour through just two of the several greenhouses on the property. The two that we got to explore were around for a while but really took off when Mr. Cremeans took over as the aquaculture teacher.
His students transformed the whole left
side of the greenhouse into an aquaculture facility complete with home-made fish tanks and filters, gravel plant beds, Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) tables, and Deep Water Culture (DWC) growing beds. Most of the food that is grown in their greenhouses is either sold, used for farm-to-table meals, or donated to local food banks in the area. The school offers a variety of curriculum that students can take, including:
Aquaculture
Floriculture
Natural Resource Management
Vet Sciences
Agricultural Production
Engineering
Horse Management
Landscaping
Culinary Arts
Local Food
We had an incredible lunch provided by the culinary program at the school, utilizing farm-to-table foods grown in the school's greenhouses and production facilities before we left for our next stop.
Next up, we were headed towards the coast to Bridgeport Aquaculture School, the only ASTE school in the 19 districts that is not a comprehensive program. This school is super unique in that it's completely focused on science and technology instruction as it relates to aquatic life.
Today I learned that being a super specialized school has its perks. The school not only has a boating simulation equipment, but it owns its own research vessel where students and instructors make the ocean their classroom! In addition to these amazing parts of their program, students also have some other great opportunities for their students to learn and develop skills applicable to a future involving aquatics.
The facility has a wood shop where they're able to learn how to build a boat from scratch or restore one, two labs with state-of-the-art equipment to learn how to analyze soil and water quality, and study advanced chemistry, and a full fish hatchery and nursery where they raise tilapia, coy, and lobsters. We got the chance to tour each of these areas and learn how students learn in such a unique type of school.
Bridgeport, being a specialized facility, offers lots of unique courses for its students, including:
Biology and Ecology
Marine Navigation and Map Reading
Marine Safety
Applied Physics
Engine Mechanics
Seafood Science
Aquaculture
Marine Energy
Bridgeport Aquaculture School was by far the most unique school I have ever visited! What really stuck out to me here was how this school is able to create meaningful learning out of the leisure and
industry that Bridgeport was built on. Boating, fishing, and other aquatic pursuits are obviously very economically important to Bridgeport, as well as culturally important. Bridgeport Aquaculture School recognizes that and gives students a chance to really dig into the science it all.
Throughout Day 1 we learned how New England agriculture programs are able to provide students with agricultural instruction in a unique context by catering to the interests of their students, relying on community support, bringing relevant industry and culture into the classroom, and thinking outside the box, just to name a few ways!
Check out the video reflection from today, and stay tuned for more guest blogs throughout the remainder of the week as we explore New England agricultural education on #TeachAgDSA18!
Bonus: Enjoy this picture of me trying to capsize a virtual boat because I was geeking out so much:
You can virtually-engage with this experience by reading and commenting on the daily blogs and following the experience on Twitter and Facebook with our hashtag #TeachAgDSA18.
Hunter Kauffman
Guest Blogger for 6th Annual DSA (#TeachAgDSA18)
Team Leader, @TeachAgPSU Communications
Halee is from State College, Pa and while she attended Penn State she was involved in many organizations including Penn Stay Ag Student Council, Penn State Teach Ag! Society, Penn State Collegiate FFA, Penn State Dairy Science Club, Coaly Society, Alpha Tau Alpha, and Delta Theta Sigma Fraternity.
