Kentucky state officials joined students and staff at Creekside Elementary School Monday to kick off the inaugural Ag Education Week, which runs now through March 21.
According to the Kentucky Department of agriculture, Ag Education Week “delivers an all-encompassing learning experience for students, equips educators with ready-to-use resources and lessons, and fosters community involvement to create dynamic, hands-on learning focused on the diverse world of Kentucky agriculture.”
Hardin County Schools says Creekside’s Agstream initiative, which launched in 2021, is one of the first, if not the first, elementary agriculture curriculum programs in the state, so Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman said it was appropriate to launch Ag Education Week there.
“We’ve got a public school system that has been underfunded and undervalued for far too long and we have a farming population that feels the same way, and so knowing how dependent we are on education for the future of Kentucky and knowing how dependent the entire world is on agriculture and growing this sector, there’s no better way to make sure that we value both by bringing them together and highlighting them and the work that’s being done,” Coleman said.
Creekside Elementary School Principal Brooke Custis said the Agstream initiative was born out of conversations with parents, staff, and students following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After listening to all those things from families and staff and the community, it seemed that what seemed to resonate the most was that they wanted their children to have less screen time and more social interaction,” Custis said. “They wanted them to have fresh air and sunshine and feel their hands in the dirt and the sun on their face.”
Kentucky Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher said the Agstream initiative fits well into the three main pillars of the Department of Education’s decision making: innovation, collaboration with community, and vibrant learning.
“How much more relevant can your learning in the classroom be than if you’re going straight out of your classroom into your community and applying what you’re learning in the classroom?” Fletcher said. “And that’s what you’re doing with agriculture. There is so much learning that’s going on day to day that is vibrant, that is relevant as it relates to agriculture.”
Learn more about resources being promoted during Ag Education Week at kyagr.com.
