V' l
Alice Pennell, master gardener, brought in compost tor
students, who look at the life Inside, including earthworms.
Conestoga Valley Elementary Students Learn ‘Caretaking’
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Michelle Ranck led Mr. Kem
per’s fourth grade class at Smoke
town Elementary in a simple
discussion.
She asked, “Has anybody heard
of a watershed?”
Some of the fourth graders
shook their heads. One correctly
pointed to an EnviroScape model
that showed an area marked by
bodies of water that led, eventual
ly, into the Chesapeake Bay.
Ranck asked the class. “What
arc water bodies?”
Many raised their hands.
“Bays,” some said. “Oceans.”
“Lakes.” “Ponds ”
“And what are some kinds of
pollution that can end up in the
waterways?” Ranck asked.
, 9 “Trash," some said. “Oil.”
“Chemicals.” One even said,
“gFCs”
B About 75 students began to real
ize what those concerned about the
environment already know: there
arc connections between what the
fanner grows and what everybody
eats. And the message they
learned: we are all responsible for
protecting the health of the
environment
The students making up Leola
and Smoketown elementary
schools traveled to the John and
Bonnie Rohrer Farm Tuesday
morning to see a part of the “cycle”
of farm products, from producer to
The Rohrer family was host to tha Ag In tha Classroom
event at their farm. From left, Ryan, John, Bonnie, and
Jason Rohrer.
consumer, and the importance of
learning to recycle.
They learned how to be “care
takers” of the water, plants, resour
ces, animals, soils, and
community.
Rohrer, who “recycles” news-
papers in the form of stall bedding,
also spoke to the class about how
milk is produced. He explained
what it is like to take cate of his
ISO tillable acre dairy farm. Roh
rer said he milks about 60 cows
and cares for another 60 replace
ment calves.
Rohrer allowed some students
to feed milk replacer to calves
from a bottle.
One fourth grade student in Mr.
Smecker’s fourth grade class in
Smoketown considers herself a
veteran of calf feeding.
‘This is pretty good,” said
Samantha Wickenheiser after
holding the bottle to a Holstein
calf. ‘These cows are pretty
clean.” Samantha, 9, is the daught
er of Greg and Susan Wickenheis
er, Lancaster.
Samantha was petting a calf
when a friend said, “Don’t, he’ll
bite.”
“No it won’t,” she replied.
Samantha said that die was
“familiar with this,” since she
sometimes works on a farm near
York, operated by a friend of her
dad. She said she has fed calves,
done some milking, and other
chores.
Sue Martin, who helped at the
r*
Michelle Ranck allows students of Mrs. Movak’s fourth grade class in Smoketown
to see the wonders of a watershed.
Rohrer farm site, said, ‘Tor some
children, this is the only experi
ence they will have with farm life
and agriculture as a business.”
The Ag hi the Classroom field
Mr. Kemper’s fourth grade class at Smoketown Elementary with the EnvlroScape
watershed model at the “caretakers of water station at the Rohrer farm.
Students from Smoketown Elementary feed calves at the Rohrer Fann.
? * -
* * s
day allowed students to see firs
thand how what they learn about
the processes of life, including the
study of soil science and animal
nutrition, ate applied in the real
/ *
l*V
world.
Martin explained that students
can understand the role of the far
mer with animals.
(Turn to Pago Bit)