A place for students to pursue their passions and make a
difference in their community in agriculture and construction studies.
A place for students to pursue their passions and make a
difference in their community in agriculture and construction studies.
This is who we are: a family of innovators who are running in pursuit of impact. Within the public school system, project-based learning opportunities are limited; however, agriculture schools are different. Through this program, we can grasp what we would have never thought was possible. Life change is indeed possible when students begin to reach out. The relationships that have developed because of this program are strengthening our school and the community as a whole. Outreach is a priority in project-based learning, for when we branch out, our knowledge and character are challenged and enhanced.
Our class is made up of four teams: construction, microgreens, bees, and mechanics. Students, at the onset of the year, created their teams based on interest. Mr. Casazza, our instructor, lets us decide what we learn, and whether or not we have the immediate resources or knowledge to make the vision a reality.
Through this agriculture program, we are able to create and run businesses. For example, we are currently producing and selling microgreens, and our 4th & Pine Mercantile is in operation during the spring, summer, and fall seasons.
We work with the community both as employees and as project operators. We are filling a job need in the community by working for local businesses during their work internship period where we are able to leave the school campus and go to work.
High-school graduates are also being taught how to be successful in the trades and teach the next generation. A teacher can impact 3,000 students in their career, and we hire future trade teachers outside of the high-school class who are looking to receive their teaching endorsements.
Mr. Casazza
The work internship program focuses on helping students to learn to persevere through rough seasons in life, and to solve problems. If students don't know how to do something, they reach out to people in the community who can act as their mentors or they conduct their research online. The students have been taking charge of their learning beyond the program.
In the photograph above, one student, Ryan Economy shared with the class what it took from him to change the engine on his family's Cessna 206 airplane. He put in a turbocharged Lycoming 520 engine, and the complexity of this task was daunting, yet it taught Ryan to be extremely patient and to take it to step by step.