#TeachAgDSA18 Guest Blog: Day Two - Mastering Massachusetts!

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:  

1. 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? 
2. Who are the #AgEdu Stakeholders in the state? Specifically, what agricultural industry is being served? 
3. 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.

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Day 2: Massachusetts

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!