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Agriculture Students Harvest Their
Future
For
the past eight years, the first week of the new
school year begins with the tradition of clearing
out the summer crop and planting a new crop in the
Agriculture Life Science class at Atwater High
School. This year was no exception as Mr. Gossman
spent the first two weeks keeping the tradition
alive and “growing”. “This was not what I
expected!” exclaimed freshman student Alexandra
Beltran. Two weeks earlier, what was an area
of dried corn and weeds, is now a beautiful
vegetable garden due to the efforts and teamwork of
the students.
The
yearly vegetable garden created by the 9th
grade students is an opportunity for “hands-on”
learning and teamwork. “Seeing the evolution of
students wondering why they are pulling weeds, to
the final phase of pride in their faces when they
see the results of their hard work is what is the
most rewarding aspect of this class project”, says
agriculture instructor Dave Gossman.
Over
1300 transplants of broccoli were donated by
California Transplants in Newman. Each year they
have continued to support this project at no cost.
“We enjoy the opportunity to support the students
and our industry’s future”, says California
Transplants representative Ron Bettencourt. The
students take the 3-5” plants and transplant them
into the vegetable garden laboratory located outside
the high school Agriculture Department. The students
are broken into teams and are responsible for the
care and well-being of the plants. The garden will
also serve as a science laboratory where a
fertilizer experiment will encompass California
State Science Standards utilizing the scientific
method. By the end of October and early November,
the vegetable plants are ready for harvest where
both education and nutrition serve as a primary
reward.
“I had
a lot of fun!” stated freshman student Judy Mendoza.
Getting students involved and excited about
agriculture is the philosophy behind the Atwater
High School Agriculture program. “We guarantee our
students that if they take advantage of the
opportunities and resources agricultural education
and FFA provides, they will gain skills and
resources that will assist them in being successful
towards any educational and career goals they
have”, says agriculture instructor Beth Knapp.
Indirectly, the experience is teaching the students
teamwork, organization, and the rewards of hard
work. Students gain personal pride in seeing the
results of their hard work. “Pride extends to
personal confidence, and with confidence comes
productivity and a drive towards personal,
educational, and career success”, says Gossman.
Thanks
to the students, the vegetable plants continue to
grow and prosper. Atwater FFA is appreciative of the
tremendous school, community, and local businesses
support. For more information, log onto
www.AtwaterFFA.org
Written By: Mekayla Coughran, Atwater FFA
September 2009 |
