Two Royalton Hartland teachers were recognized Tuesday with the national Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award for including agricultural projects and speakers in their curriculum to help teach core skills like math and language arts.
Shelly Budziszewski, who teaches 4th grade, and Susan McLaughlin, who teaches 6th grade, were honored as New York’s Agriculture Teachers of the Year, but learned during the awards presentation at Roy-Hart Middle School that they won the national level award as well.
Katie Carpenter, state director for Agriculture in the Classroom, said the teachers would receive their additional honor at the national Agriculture in the Classroom conference in June in Providence, Rhode Island. McLaughlin will present a workshop at the conference on the project “If You Get An Acre” that she developed, which involves students creating a model agricultural operation in another state or country, and planning for the soil type, energy source to be used, crops, and animals raised.
“As we begin to thank the many people behind this honor, it will quickly become clear that this award isn’t really about Shelly and me — it’s about the village that has walked alongside us to build a legacy of connecting the classroom, cafeteria, and the community through science and clubs, and agriculture,” McLaughlin said to an assembly room full of parents, students, and faculty.
Carpenter said the statewide nominations committee selected the local teachers for the many ways they gave their students practical experiences in agriculture and exposure to ag careers. This included bringing in speakers like Jeanette Kreher to discuss poultry egg production, Jeremy Veratti to talk about dairy farming, and author Peggy Thomas to talk about her children’s books with agriculture topics.
Students also had virtual visits from a Texas beef rancher and a Maine blueberry grower. School projects included raising brown trout, exploring tapping maple trees, growing Arbor Day trees, and growing produce.
“They were able to make these connections with how the work they’re doing in the classroom was applied in the real world,” Carpenter said. “They work together for the after-school Green Team, which is a group that meets, they prepare a snack and learn cooking and a hands-on learning experience where they take the concepts of what they learn and work on a project that is the theme of the day. Shelley and Susan created the Green Team to encourage children to understand the origins of food. That’s what makes this so special.”
“I love the questions I get and interacting with the kids,” Veratti said. “I was speaking about what it’s like to be a farmer and the day-to-day. A lot of them center on the animals and how you take care of them. In elementary school, they’re not as much business focused. So that’s really fun. I was telling them how much pride we take in taking care of the animals.”
The Agriculture in the Classroom organization helps non-agriculture teachers use agriculture in the classroom, Carpenter said.
“We’re encouraging the teachers to use it as an application in their core classroom. They might measure the circumference of a maple tree to decide how many taps to add for harvesting syrup. We recognize teachers who are doing that exemplary work outside of what they have to be teaching.”
After asking her students and club members to stand, McLaughlin said, “You are our why. You are our motivation, and you are our mission. Our purpose is to use our gifts and talents to help future adults discover theirs within a safe, joyful, and challenging learning environment. And we see that happening in you every single day. We are inspired by the work that you do and … opportunities you have embraced. Especially our clubbers, you always come with a spirit that is ready to work and get the job done! Thank you for your hard work, your dedication to learn and grow, your wonder, and for intentionally putting the ‘heart’ into Roy Hart!”
