Union County students get hands-on lessons at Wake Up to Agriculture event

Union County Public Schools and the Cooperative Extension Office hosted the Wake Up to Agriculture experience at the Simpson Event Center at Jesse Helms Park for elementary, middle and high school students, organizers said.

The program, aimed primarily at third graders, pairs high school and middle school agriculture students with younger pupils for hands-on activities tied to science standards. "So today, we're here at the Simpson Event Center at Jesse Helms Park for the Union County Public Schools Wake Up to Agriculture experience," a staff member with Union County Public Schools said. Activities observed included force and motion demonstrations, plant life cycles and plant parts, and stations on body structures.

Organizers said the event gives students exposure to animals and agricultural processes not present in every part of the county. "Many of these students, come from, sections of the county that doesn't have a very strong agriculture presence, and so many of them have never touched a chicken or seen a sheep in person," a staff member said. The program also provides leadership and public-speaking opportunities for older students who run the stations. "Probably one of the best things that we do throughout the year ... It provides leadership opportunities for our students. It provides public speaking opportunities," a student volunteer said.

School staff described the event as a partnership that coordinates with third-grade teachers and the district transportation department so the experience is uniform across the county. "This is kind of a partnership between the Cooperative Extension and our agricultural programs," a staff member said, adding that transportation coordination is one of the biggest logistical lifts.

Students who ran or attended stations described the variety of agriculture-related careers and skills showcased. "I feel like it's very important to know where so many different resources come from," a student participant said. A third-grade student at the event said, "I learned the life cycle of the plants and, like, the different types of seeds." Organizers said the Wake Up to Agriculture program has been hosted at the Simpson Event Center for four years and that the Wake Up the Ag day itself has been held since the 1980s.

No formal decisions or votes were made during the event; it was presented as an educational program rather than a policy action.