Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Agriculture topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Berkshire students unveil new Agribusiness pathway after major family donation
Summary
Berkshire High presented a new Agribusiness and Production Systems pathway — year one of a career-focused program — made possible by a substantial donation from the Preston family and tied to local industry partnerships and internships.
Berkshire High School officials and students presented a first-year Agribusiness and Production Systems pathway that school leaders say will give students hands-on experience in agriculture, food science and related career tracks.
The program presentation, led by teacher Mike Ard, highlighted foundational courses in agriculture, food and natural resources and student-directed projects under a ‘‘Berkshire Farms’’ initiative. Ard said the pathway is intended to broaden students’ options: “So, I'm Mike Ard, the teacher of the agricultural education classes.” He described supported agricultural experiences and partnerships with local industry as central to the plan.
The program was explicitly tied to a recent gift: a member of school leadership invited Jackie Preston forward and thanked the Preston family for a ‘‘huge donation’’ that let the district purchase a facility intended to become a future workforce development campus. A district official said the donation allowed purchase of a facility that “will become the future workforce development campus, and will give students hands-on experience in auto collision repair and auto and diesel,” enabling additional technical options for students.
Students spoke about classroom work and a recent field trip to Great Lakes Cheese, which they described as exposing them to manufacturing, packaging and quality-control operations. One student said the trip showed ‘‘farm to manufacturing to table’’ connections and stressed the range of nonfarm careers available, from technicians and supervisors to scientists. Another student, describing why the program matters, said the curriculum can give youngsters who cannot keep animals at home a way to learn responsibility and hands-on skills: “...that gives the kids that live in Burton or live where they can't afford to have the animals... those responsibilities have taught all of us to be very responsible.”
School staff emphasized the program’s early stage and plans to add courses over time, including internships and community partnerships such as a forthcoming field trip and an internship with a local log cabin operation to support maple sugaring and food-science modules. Officials noted the teacher role was repurposed to staff the program without increasing district payroll.
The presentation closed with an invitation for community involvement; staff said they are pursuing grants and philanthropic support to expand the pathway while also seeking ways to limit taxpayer impacts. The board did not take further formal action on the program during the meeting.
The board moved on to other agenda items after the presentation.
