82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 29, 1995
Milton Hershey School Stresses Ag Involvement For All
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.)
Open the door to the Milton Her
shey School agriculture depart
ment and the screech of a cockatiel
splits the air. Muffled sounds of
silkies, rabbits, mice, gerbils, and
ferrets ruffling in their nests can be
heard in between the cockatiel’s
screeches and student pleas of
“Mrs. Paterson, look at this.”
The students—some intent and
some with noses wrinkled in dis
gust at the pungent smell of for
maldehyde are dissecting pigs
during an agriculture biology
class.
It’s Marcia Paterson’s first year
on the job as coordinator for agri
culture and environmental educa
tion at the school. And, it’s the first
year for implementing the FFA
program. The school officially
received charter membership in
February.
But, it isn’t the first time that
Paterson has started an FFA prog
ram from the beginning.
Her enthusiasm for the FFA
program is one honed during her
years of growing up in Chicago
and longing to be involved in
agriculture.
“I always wanted to work with
plants and animals, but there were
no outlets to do that in the city
school while I was growing up,”
Paterson said.
Determination landed some
part-time jobs for her. She helped a
veterinarian, and during the sum
mer months, traveled overseas to
work in citrus groves and dairy
farms in Israel.
Paterson then earned a degree in
animal science and horticulture at
the University of Illinois and later
a master’s degree in agricultural
education.
It wasn’t until her college years
that Paterson first heard about the
FFA program.
Estactic to hear how FFA was
enabling students to take an active
role in agriculture, Paterson
returned to Chicago where she
helped other teachers implement
the Chicago High School for Agri
cultural Students. She watched
many of her students go on to
agriculture-related careers and one
of them become the current nation
al FFA president.
During her 10 years at the Chi
cago school, Paterson’s enthu-
ature golf project a success.
Marcia Paterson Coordinates A
siasm for teaching agriculture has
never dwindled. Now, she brings a
vibrancy and contagious enthu
siasm for the FFA program to the
Milton Hershey School.
“FFA helps focus on what stu
dents are interested in and their
strengths,” she said.
She is thrilled that part of the
legacy that Milton Hershey passed
on to the school is the deed of trust
that states that every student
should have appreciation and be
involved in agriculture and
gardening.
About 300 students are enrolled
in 4-H and 100 students are char
tered FFA members.
“The school’s goal is that every
student even non-FFA students
should have the opportunity to
be involved in at least two
agricultural-based projects each
year,” Paterson said. “FFA stu
dents are involved in many more.”
The school not only verbally
supports the agricultural program
but also provides abundant resour
ces to carry out projects and are
creative in their approach.
Some of the student’s homes are
designated as FFA homes. In
these, the house parents help stu
dents work on agriculture projects
during off-school hours, such as
restoring a pond on the grounds.
Also, Paterson coordinates agri
cultural projects with other teach
ers. One of the big FFA projects
now underway is making a minia
ture golf course inside one of the
bams on the grounds. The bam
was completely gutted.
Students designed the course
and built it to scale before tackling
the real project They built and
painted the platform holes, and are
now instilling them. The old win
dows in the bam were removed
and reglazed by students before re
installation. Some of the students
designed score cards through the
communications course. Others
chose the golf clubs, picnic tables,
or helped with pouring concrete.
Instead of numbers for the diffe
rent holes, names have been
assigned. Students chose a road
way theme and have named the
holes with such discriptive names
as dead end, U-tum, detour, cattle
crossing, and narrow bridge.
“The project involves team
planning and is only possible
because every one works
(Turn to Page B 3)
•n to teaching
son, center, coordinates projects among other teachers and the 1,200 students so
that every student has the opportunity to be involved in at least two agriculture-based
projects throughout the year.
Marcia Paterson, right, watches as students built and paint the hole platforms for
the miniature golf course.
rfOMESTEA
r'flL A project, turning this. ito an jre golf course. The
barn on the school’s grounds was used as a dairy until K was phased out about five
years ago.
Program And FFA
;sei
isses,