South Central Junior-Senior High School is proud to announce that we have been selected to receive a $25,000 grant for our Agricultural-Collaboration-Education (ACE) program through America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. Our application was first reviewed by math and science teachers from ineligible schools, then by the America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education Advisory Council, a group of 26 prominent farmers from across the country. Because of our demonstrated dedication to students and our innovative ideas for improving their educational experiences, the Advisory Council chose our school to receive the grant, which will be used to build and maintain a greenhouse at South Central Junior-Senior High School.
South Central’s ACE Project involves building a greenhouse on campus and using it as a hands-on station where all students in the school corporation can apply math and science concepts to practical, every day agricultural activities. The greenhouse will also provide Agriculture students with living examples of class concepts as well as providing the opportunity for inquiry-based learning projects. The greenhouse will also be used by FFA members during their Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs), during which students will be given responsibility of short-term entrepreneurial ventures where students will develop a plan, grow plants, and sell them for profit. Additionally, the greenhouse will serve as an integral part to South Central’s Farm to Table program, which will take fruits and vegetables grown in the new school garden and serve them in the school cafeteria’s fruit and vegetable bar.
South Central Community School Corporation extends heartfelt gratitude to the many individuals who invested time and energy into writing the grant application and planning for the use of the greenhouse. Those individuals who played an integral part of the grant application process include: Rick Gregg, former SCHS principal, Mark McClenning, former SC Agriculture teacher, Kyle McCallum, current SC Agriculture teacher/FFA sponsor, and the entire FFA advisory board.