May 6, 2008
Three Florida Teachers Win Excellence In Teaching About Agriculture Awards
A North Central Florida elementary school teacher and two middle school agri-science teachers have won Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, Inc.’s “Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Awards” for 2008 for their efforts to educate their students about where food, fiber and landscape material come from.
Cherith Davenport of Archer Community School near Gainesville won for the elementary and overall Florida level. Susan Carpenter of Mulrennan Middle School in Tampa won for the middle school agri-science level. In addition, Brent Douglas of High Springs Community School in North Central Florida, won for the middle school agri-science level.
“These teachers exemplify what Florida Ag in the Classroom is looking for in teachers who strive to teach students about the important role the Florida agriculture industry plays in these students’ daily lives,” said Cara Martin, chairman of Florida Ag in the Classroom and assistant director of government and community affairs for Florida Farm Bureau.
As the overall Florida winner, Davenport, a teacher of gifted students in first through fifth grade at Archer Community School, competes at the national level for the National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award. Davenport, Carpenter and Douglas and administrators from their schools receive all expenses paid trips to the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference “The Most Bountiful Place on Earth” June 25-28 in Costa Mesa, Calif., and will be honored at Florida Ag in the Classroom’s State Teacher and Volunteer Workshop “Oceans of Learning: Florida Agriculture” June 12-14 at the Hutchinson Island Marriott in Stuart.
Davenport, a 30-year teaching veteran, won for her efforts to educate student’s about turn-of-the-century agriculture versus present-day agriculture by conducting scientific experiments, observing a real-life cattle drive and reading student novels.
“Children are naturally curious, and many of them find science exciting,” Davenport says, and she strives to tap that curiosity with projects using Florida Ag in the Classroom teacher grant money to grow a schoolyard garden and lessons from “Project Food, Land and People” and “Keeping Florida Green” to educate them about how plants and animals prosper and where food, clothing and other items come from.
Carpenter, a teacher for 25 years and an agri-science teacher at Mulrennan Middle School in Tampa for two years, has used Florida Ag in the Classroom curricula, materials grant money and other programs to educate her students about the commodities produced in Florida and the issues faced by farmers who produce these commodities.
Brent Douglas, a teacher for 14 years and an agri-science teacher at High Springs Community School in North Central Florida for three years, has attracted a growing number of students to his program by growing and marketing commodities grown in a schoolyard garden, conducting experiments by observing these commodities, developing marketing programs to sell these commodities using PowerPoint presentations and practicing writing skills by writing essays about these commodities.
Florida Ag in the Classroom is a Gainesville-based, non-profit association charged with educating Florida students and teachers in kindergarten through 12th grade about the importance of the Florida agriculture industry. It is funded by sales of the agriculture specialty license plate also known as the “Ag Tag.”
For more information:
Lisa Gaskalla
(352) 846-1391
gaskalla@ufl.edu
