Classroom Visits Wrap Up for 2019-19 School Year
Our Agriculture in the Classroom Program just wrapped up its 32nd year of visiting classrooms in Cook County. The vision that began with Mrs. Gail Petersdorf (who worked many years as the Ag in the Classroom Coordinator) continues today with some of the same schools and teachers, but a whole new set of students who are excited to learn. Enough cannot be said or written about our team of presenters who are second to none in their dedication to our program and to Gail’s original mission. They travel far and wide through our county and each has a unique way of captivating young learners.
Our focus continues to be with 4th grade classrooms; however, we are now providing more customized lessons to connect to teacher requests who are studying some aspect of agriculture in their curriculum at other grade levels. We do not base our impact solely on numbers as they don’t always represent the difference we make in a young life. We are proud, however, that our numbers show a continued demand for our program. Our presenters visited over 1,200 classrooms this school year reaching more than 30,200 students during those visits. We are excited to see our program reaching across grade levels while maintaining our presence at over 300 elementary schools each year.
Every summer, our classroom programs are reviewed and revised to reflect the ever-changing face of agriculture and education. Students are intrigued by the increasing use of technology, new methods of growing food and career opportunities connected to our industry. We thank the teachers who invited us into their classrooms and look forward to reaching many new educators during the 2019-20 school year. Requests for visits can be made via email at [email protected] or by calling 708-354-3276.
(Bottom Row) Jim Bloomstrand, Toni DeLaurentis, Diane Merrion, Jill Drover
(Top Row) Valerie Jones, Sarah Koukol, Kathy Lesser, Linda Schaeffer, Amy Toth, Linda Dunn