JACKSON CENTER – Jackson Center High School is the recipient of a DuPont Pioneer $5,000 grant, which will be used toward the agriscience education and FFA program as part of the Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) program.
This grant is part of the DuPont Pioneer sponsorship of the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) CASE grant program. CASE offers grants of $2,500 to $5,000 to help train teachers and supply equipment and resources to prepare students for careers in agriculture and food. The goal is to support elimination of three cost barrier areas that have limited implementation of the program in their schools: teacher training, equipment and materials, and end-of-course assessments.
“Ensuring that we have enough safe, affordable food for all will require that more students understand agriculture and become leaders in food production, said Michelle Book, director of Community and Academic Relations for DuPont Pioneer. “We know that we cannot do this alone and are working with others in agriculture and education to give teachers the best resources to encourage youth to understand agriculture and consider careers in the industry.”
“The CASE program provides the opportunity to provide hands-on, differential instruction to the students enrolled in the agriculture courses at Jackson Center High School,” said Lindsey Whetstone, an instructor at Jackson Center High School. “By providing our students with this unique program, students will move up the ladder of Boom’s Taxonomy from Level 1, Knowledge to Level 3, Application and Level 4, Analysis. By incorporating this gift into our program students will receive up-to-date, 21st century instruction that can aid in their mastery of understanding science concepts as well as agricultural concepts. Moreover, students will acquire knowledge and skills that cross over to a variety of different applications including those found in the world of work today.”
The Jackson Center FFA Chapter is a satellite of the Upper Valley Career Center.
Whetstone is in her fifth-year of teaching Agriscience Education and serving as the FFA adviser at Jackson Center High School.
CASE is a multiyear approach to agriscience education with rigorous educator training requirements and hands-on, inquiry-focused learning activities. The collaboration between DuPont Pioneer and CASE is a special project of the National FFA Foundation. This is the third year of involvement for DuPont Pioneer. Learn more about the program and grant schedule on the CASE grant website.
Pioneer makes contributions to community-based organizations on behalf of the business and employees. Consideration for outreach grants are given to communities where Pioneer representatives, employees and customers live and work and that support quality-of-life initiatives to create an improved, sustainable lifestyle for people worldwide.
DuPont Pioneer is the world’s leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, providing high-quality seeds to farmers in more than 90 countries. Pioneer provides agronomic support and services to help increase farmer productivity and profitability and strives to develop sustainable agricultural systems for people everywhere. Science with Service Delivering Success®.
