‘Discover Agriculture Day’ For All RSS 4th-Grade Students
By Victoria ‘Tori’ Cardea
West Rowan High School FFA Advisor
For two days in April, nearly 1,600 fourth-
grade students traveled to the Piedmont
Research Station in Mount Ulla to learn
about agriculture during Rowan-Salisbury
Schools’ first ever Discover Agriculture Day.
Every elementary school in the county was
represented, and students learned about
n
n
n
n
animal science
plant science
agriculture mechanics
natural resources
that they know how.”
Multiple teachers and students raved about
the workshops and the hands-on experience
for students.
Sponsors: Discover Agriculture Day was
organized by agriculture programs at West
Rowan High School, South Rowan High
School, East Rowan High School, Carson
High School, and the research station staff.
It was sponsored by Rowan Carolina Farm
Credit, Rowan Farm Bureau, Goodnights,
Chick-Fil-A of Salisbury, Gary’s Bar-B-Que
and Food Lion.
Organizers said the day was a major
success and plan for it to become an annual
program. “We wanted to provide every
student the opportunity to learn about
agriculture and be immersed in it — even
if just for a few hours,” said West Rowan
High School FFA adviser Tori Cardea. “It is
amazing to watch our high school students
be able to teach the younger generations and
work with the great staff at the research station to put on such a large event.”
Teresa Herman, superintendent of Piedmont Research Station, agreed. “It’s
imperative that people know where their food comes from,” she said. “One
day we will have to rely on the next generation to feed us, and it’s important
World War Day at RCEC
By Theresa Pierce, Rowan County Early College
World History Teacher
What do you do when your students are going on a field trip that includes the World War exhibit at the
North Carolina History Museum in Raleigh? The answer for the Rowan County Early College freshmen
team is, plan individualized projects that align with the trip and curriculum. The students were presented
with project options ranging from Archduke Franz Ferdinand to Dunkirk. Each student had creative
license to present their topic with one catch; They first had to write a research paper and dig deep into
their topic. They were told to expect questions from Veterans, parents and the community. The early
college students rose to the occasion and presented their projects publically on Friday, April 6 to a varied
audience which even included school board members and former teachers.
The World War Day projects were on display along with their research and one additional literary
element. They were required to write a letter to or from the “homefront” as if they were living during the
time of the war. Many cited that this really made them think creatively about what it must have been like
to write letters that might take weeks to travel back and
forth. This was an eye-opening experience for students used to instantaneous texts and emails.
Parent Teacher Magazine • May/June 2018 • 3