KINGFIELD — Selina Green Warren, a kindergarten teacher at Kingfield Elementary School in Kingfield is one of eight teachers who have been recognized nationally this year.

The National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization [NAITCO], U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture [USDA-NIFA] and Farm Credit partner each year to honor teachers in prekindergarten through grade 12 from around the country for the innovative ways they use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, science, social studies, STEM, STEAM and more.

Warren has integrated school gardens into classroom curricula for fourteen years. She has established two school gardens, engaged community partners for garden events, and mentored teachers in her county and state embarking on their school garden journey. Her passion for agriculture and education continues to bring new learning opportunities to her students and community.

“These outstanding teachers recognize that agriculture also is a perfect foundation for teaching biology, chemistry, climatology, math, and literacy, in ways that any age or level of students can understand, value and apply to their daily life,” said USDA NIFA Director Dr. Manjit Misra. “When a student makes that real-life connection to the lessons and activities their teachers share, students continue to learn and value the true meaning of those lessons when they leave the classroom. Innovative teachers like these are often responsible for awakening a student’s love of learning, nature and science.”

“National Agriculture in the Classroom is honored to recognize and celebrate these talented teachers for their innovative approach to teaching core academic concepts through the lens of food and agriculture,” said Katie Carpenter, president of NAIYTCO and director of New York Agriculture in the Classroom. “Their effort to provide authentic learning experiences for their students is critical to creating an agriculturally literate generation who understands and appreciates the source and value of agriculture in their daily lives.”

“Teachers are key partners in agricultural literacy education, helping to shape the next generation of agriculture advocates through intentional and engaging activities,” said president and CEO of the Farm Credit Council Todd Van Hoose. “Farm Credit is proud to honor these innovative educators and support their ongoing commitment to growing future leaders.”

Other teachers recognized this year are Jennifer Crosthwait, a kindergarten teacher in Oklahoma; Carrie Allord, a third-grade teacher in Minnesota; Krista Bond, a third-grade teacher in North Carolina; Laura Highbaugh, an AgSTREAM teacher in Kentucky; Amanda Stanko, a STEM teacher in Illinois; Monica Chamberlain, a sixth-grade teacher in Hamilton, New York and Amy Goodyear, a high school biology teacher in Virginia,

The eight teachers will be honored at the 2024 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference “Agriculture Elevated,” taking place June 24-27 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

USDA/NIFA provides leadership and funding for programs that advance agriculture-related sciences. It invests in and supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture. NIFA applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. To learn more about USDA/NIFA visit https://nifa.usda.gov/.

Farm Credit supports rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services today and tomorrow. To learn more about Farm Credit visit https://farmcredit.com/.

NAITCO is a non-profit organization representing Agriculture in the Classroom programs in most of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Its mission is to educate Prekindergarten through grade 12 teachers and students about the importance of agriculture by providing them with web-based materials, workshops and awards programs that demonstrate how agriculture can be used to effectively teach core subject areas. To learn more about NAITCO
visit www.agclassroom.org.