East Baton Rouge Schools are getting ready to establish an agricultural curriculum with hopes to help students with a future in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Several school system leaders from the EBR Parish School System, LSU and Southern University united to tour and get a glimpse of an aquaponics program at Westdale Middle School.
"This is a type of program that allow our students to learn more about careers in agriculture. My hope and desires that we're able to expand this program through our partnership with Louisiana State University, as well as Southern University," said Superintendent LaMont Cole. In attendance was also USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service Administrative, Daniel Whitley, who said he was impressed about the initiative and students of the program.
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"In this instance, we were looking at aquaponics. And these kids knew that in and out. They knew the expertise, they knew the science," Whitley said. One of the students that impressed Whitley was eighth grade student, Miles Johnson, who loves the program and the impact it has for the future.
Ramona Remble, principal of Westdale Middle School, said she is excited for leaders to see the aquaponics lab and how its teaching the students. "In addition to Aquaponics, we also have agroscience here and they partner, and they work hand in hand." Mathew Lee, vice president of agriculture and dean of LSU College of Agriculture, even announced a 4H partnership he would like to do.
"I would like, today, formally to propose that we establish a 4H partnership with West Elm Middle School. We're going to get it off the ground and we're going to give these young people the set of tools to augment what they're learning here and really establish a curriculum where natural resource management meets high-tech cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence," Lee said.
Source: BRProud Daily News via MSN