Hershey’s Ag Integration Program May Serve As Statewide Model ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.) ‘ ‘lt’s apparent that we have moved out of the ages where we had con nections with agriculture. We have found through the years that kids really don't understand where their food comes from," said Norman Miller, director of the new agricul tural science program at Milton Hershey School. Because of this, the school has recently undertaken a major enter prise in all its courses across the board integrate aspects of agri culture in not just one course, but all the courses, including English, Math, History, and other subject areas. The new program is spear headed by Miller. It helps tie in academic and residential programs into a seamless web to promote the understanding of agriculture and related fields in all aspects of learning. The program, which uses ele ments of ag science, includes the use of approximately 500 acres next to the centralized campus, according to a memo distributed in mid-July to all Milton Hershey School employees from Robot L. Sloane, vice president of operations. Kindergarten through 12th graders will be actively learning, through hands-on experience, how important agriculture is to their daily lives. The existing curricu lum will not be altered, according to Miller, but will be enhanced by using aspects of agriculture to teach basic concepts of science, math, and communication. Centers will be able to assist KING CONSTRUCTION CO. - Specializing In Free-Staii Bams! 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The many working aspects of the large array of vegetable operations and fruit orchards, including some aspects of the Agway Northeast Research Center and the research involved in a variety of plant,gene tics, will be examined. • Farm and Technology Center. This center will serve teachers and students as a way to leant about the mechanics of agriculture, from fix ing and maintaining machinery to other types of "shop” work. Many of the concepts that the program is modeled on came as a result of the experience in the national Ag in the Classroom instructionalprogram and teaching at Penn State the last two years in summer sessions. This week-long program ran five separate weeks to accommodate teacher schedules, from July 11-15 and July 25-29, according to Beth Moore, work shop coordinator. According to Moore, 76 teach ers participated in the program, which focused on the important issues in agriculture and ways teachers can successfully integrate aspects of agriculture into the classroom. This was the second time the workshop, made available through the Pennsylvania Founda tion for Better Living, was held. "We work as closely as possible with Milton Hershey. share pro jects andreceive some of their les sons,” said Moore. Last year, two teachers attended from Hershey, and one came back this year as a presenter. The program involves kinder garten through fifth grades, said Moore. She has received positive feedback from teachers about the program. * ‘New York has an ag in the cur riculum program from K through 6 that’s integrated,” said Miller. “They’re already established in that. Pennsylvania has been behind. And it’s our intent to move that forward, not only in our school system, but in the schools of Pen nsylvania and also to coordinate that through the nation.” Miller said that plans are under way at the school to develop a nationwide curriculum for schools to incnporate this model of a program. “This thing will grow,” he said. “It’s the idea of planting the seeds fIWF THINK AHEAD... Rn 4 Futures Markets on 9. in teachers’ minds to show them that there are different alternatives to teaching kids how you can relate a subject with a hands-on applica tion of an agricultural concept.” As an example, one course, for fifth graders, is called "egg peo ple.” Students cut the top of a fresh egg open, make scrambled eggs out of the raw material, and then draw a face on the shell. Dirt is placed in the egg shell, and grass seed is planted on top. The grass seed grows, and students cut the SHIRK EXCAVATING, INC. _ Fleetwood, Pa. 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