Cape Tech Hosts First Ag Awareness Day

CREST HAVEN – Identifying fossils, naming garden tools, and handling farm animals were some of the lessons freshmen learned at Cape May County Technical School Feb 23. 
Upperclassmen in the natural science and agri-science/horticulture programs did the instructing that day as part of the high school’s first Agricultural Awareness Day. They expect to make it an annual event.
Juniors and seniors in FFA (Future Farmers of America) came up with Agricultural Awareness Day as their way to participate in National FFA Week, observed Feb. 17-24 this year.
While browsing social media, students learned how other FFA chapters commemorated the week by holding Agriculture Olympics, so they built off the idea of “fun and educational” activities, according to natural science teacher Hanna Toft.
Freshmen in the exploratory program, which lets freshmen experience hands-on projects in each of Tech’s 22 career technical programs, rotated through a dozen agriculture stations where they potted plants, answered questions in Farmer Feud, and raced to get into insulated waders in less than a minute.
The goal was to teach students the prevalence of agriculture in their county, Toft said, because many don’t know how food gets to their tables, she continued.
“Agriculture and natural sciences are really important to everybody, regardless of whether they want to go into the field or not,” she said. “We should be more aware of where our food comes from.”
Toft began teaching natural science in 2012, taking over the role from her father Hans Toft who pioneered the program which prepares students for careers in fisheries, marine studies, and environmental operations.
Forty-five sophomores, juniors, and seniors are enrolled in the class where a day’s schooling involves learning to mend a net, maintain an aquarium, or drive a boat.
Joshua Andrewson started teaching the agri-science/horticulture program in 2016. The three-year program that prepares students for careers in agriculture, gardening, and landscaping has nine students this year.
“I’m hoping that we can get more kids in his program,” Toft said. “It would be great to see more involvement because it is so important.”
Students in Andrewson’s class maintain gardens and sell the plants they grow in their greenhouse before Mother’s Day every year. They take field trips to local farms and the Philadelphia Flower Show, Andrewson said.
“We’re learning how to foster the plant life and get it to grow, and learn the plant basics,” he said. “We basically are a farm production.”
Past students have moved onto careers in landscape design and architecture, floral design and flower shops.
One current student will start a job as greenhouse manager of a local farm next season, Andrewson said.
“A lot of these local farms are really taking off, the vineyards, orchards that are down here,” he said, calling the career field a “tremendous opportunity” for work in the area.
After the freshmen tried every station at the Agricultural Awareness Day event, they walked to the cafeteria where Advertising Design and Commercial Art instructor Susanne Sykes and her class unveiled a mural on the wall depicting natural science’s “outdoor classroom.”
The 5-by-10-foot painting contributed by art students over the past six years pictures a sunrise over the stretch of wetlands behind the school where natural science students practice the skills of their trade. Framing was built by the carpentry management class.
“Many students have contributed (to the mural) over the course of time both during and after school,” said Advertising Design and Commercial Art senior Kathleen Connolly of Upper Township. “Countless hours were spent perfecting this mural for the entire community to view.”
To contact Taylor Henry, email thenry@cmcherald.com.