Latest / Illinois Valley - Shaw Local / La Salle-Peru opens agriculture center

Transcript

La Salle-Peru opens agriculture center · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Lasal Peru opens agriculture center written by Emily BB. This
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: article is being read by an automated voice brought to
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: you by Everlett. La Salle Peru Township High School gave
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: community members a first look inside its new Agriculture Center
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: during its sneak peak event Thursday evening, a two story
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: facility that school leaders say will give students hands on
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: skills they can carry into any career while strengthening ties
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: to the region's agricultural roots. The program launched with roughly
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: thirty students less than a year ago. It has since
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: grown to one hundred and two enrolled students. Agriculture touches
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: every part of our life. Agricultural educator and FFA advisor
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Riley Hinscha said, without agriculture, we wouldn't have the clothes
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: on our back, and we wouldn't have the food in
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: our stomach. The building, at the corner of sixth Street
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: and Creefker Street, features a full commercial kitchen, a headhouse
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: for floral design, a greenhouse for plant production, and a
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: shop area with hands on learning equipment. The second floor
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: houses classrooms, a community development workspace, and individual FFA officer desks.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: Hinscha said. The program offers courses in animal science, veterinary Science,
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: Introduction to agriculture, and horticulture, with any student able to
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: enroll at any level. The school plans to eventually organize
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: courses into a pathway where freshmen start with introductory courses
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: and advance through the program. What used to be agriculture
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: is students would come to their agricultural classes to learn
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: to farm or to learn to take care of equipment.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: Hincha said, now it's transitioning to how does agriculture impact
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: your daily life. Funding came from private donations, grants, the
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: school district, and a five hundred thousand dollars donation from
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: Eureka Savings Bank. LP Superintendent doctor Clayton Thasinger said the
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: Agriculture Center fits into the school's broader mission of helping
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: students find their next step while staying connected to the community.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: It's about giving them the tools the skills to go
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: do whatever they want, but with the hope that they
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: can return to this community, Feesinger said, LP's FFA President
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: Junior Molly Thompson's family has a generational connection to FFA.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: Her grandfather served as chapter treasurer in the nineteen sixties,
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: and her father was chapter president from nineteen ninety three
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: to nineteen ninety five. Being president has definitely taught me
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: a lot of leadership and learning to work with others
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: and making sure everyone is heard and it's not just
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: one person doing everything, Thompson said. Thompson, who plans to
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: become a large animal veterinarian, said agriculture gave her opportunities
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: she would not have found elsewhere, including speaking at board
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: meetings and meeting with state legislators. The program is not
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: yet offering certifications, but Hinsha said that is a goal.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: Community access to the building outside school hours is also
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: a possibility, though guidelines are still being developed. Hinscha said
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: even students who do not pursue agricultural careers gain practical skills.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: He teaches a three week electricity unit where students learn
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: basics like how to change an outlet. You don't have
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: to be the master of it, but you should still
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: at least know how to do it. Hinscha said The
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: school plans to hold a formal grand opening later in
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: the fall.