The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has recognized 10 educators for their exceptional efforts to encourage agricultural literacy. Those recognized will each receive $1,500 scholarships to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Portland, Maine, June 26-29. The Foundation, through the White-Reinhardt Fund for Education, sponsors the scholarships in cooperation with the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee.
This year’s recipients are: Kimberly Blevins, Bluff City Middle School, Piney Flats, Tennessee; Julie Cates, Linwood Elementary School, Exeter, California; Tara Dukanausk, North Andrews Gardens Elementary School, Tamarac, Florida; Lisa Liss, Woodlake Elementary School, Sacramento, California; Tiffany Malecha, Greenvale Park Elementary School, Dundas, Minnesota; Linda Massie, Mt. Erie Elementary School, Mt. Erie, Illinois; Josey Miller, Lenoir City High School, Lenoir City, Tennessee; Sarah Nichols, Mansfield Elementary School, Mansfield, Georgia; Karen Parrino, North Live Oak Elementary School, Denham Springs, Louisiana; and Megan Thorson, University of Minnesota Extension-Freeborn County, Glenville, Minnesota.
The conference helps educators from across the nation learn how to incorporate real-life agricultural applications into science, social studies, language arts, math, and nutrition lessons. Scholarship recipients were judged on their past use of innovative programs to educate students about agriculture as well as plans to implement information gained at the NAITC conference in their own lesson plans and share the information with other teacher and volunteer educators.
The American Farm Bureau Federation and state Farm Bureaus also support and participate in the program’s efforts. The White-Reinhardt Fund for Education honors two former American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee chairwomen, Berta White and Linda Reinhardt, who were leaders in early national efforts to educate about agriculture and improve agricultural literacy.
