Did you make it to the Isle of Wight County Fair last week? If not, you missed out on a wonderful event. I stopped by on Friday morning to see our students who were on a field trip to the fair. All of our preschoolers, first, and second graders had an opportunity to visit the fair. They visited the agriculture tent where they were greeted by one of our Agriculture students and a chicken from the Land Lab. As they filed in the tent, some stopped to touch the bird's feathers, while others gave the bird a quick study. Inside, they found more animals from our Land Lab, including goats, cows, and a donkey. Farm Manager Daniel Judkins, Agriculture teacher Jason Brittle, and more Ag students shared information with the students about the livestock and answered many questions from the curious youngsters. It seemed the most asked question was "Can I pet it?" (Of course the answer was Yes) They also saw crop plants that play an important role in the county's economy--cotton, peanuts, corn.
Opportunities like this are invaluable to our students. Many of them have never seen these animals in real life, or they didn't realize that peanuts grow in the ground and cotton comes from a plant. It is important to provide our students with exposure to these unique experiences. It expands their understanding of real world situations and increases their chance for success both in and out of school.
The fair also demonstrates the partnership between the schools and the county. IWCS was featured in one of the tents at the fair where we showcased student work from all of our schools. A big Thank You to Instructional Coordinator Kristan Formella who organized our displays and the volunteers to man the tables throughout the weekend. In addition, all of our schools decorated hay bales which were lined up at the entrance to the parking areas. Both of our high schools bands performed at the fair and entertained the students during their field trip.
I had a fabulous time at the fair. As much as I enjoyed it, I know the students enjoyed it even more.
And while it may seem like it was just a "field trip", it was a learning experience that provided students with exposure to new situations and environments. Experiences like this are what our students need to better prepare them for the future.
Here's a short video from my day at the fair. You'll see quite a few of our students, staff, and volunteers in the clip. And, of course, the farm animals make an appearance.
This has been an incredible year for Isle of Wight County Schools. That's probably an understatement. It's been amazing, accomplished, exciting, awesome, and ground-breaking (literally). Several construction projects were completed this year as part of our commitment to redesigning our Career and Technology Education programs. In October, we officially opened the new JROTC Fieldhouse at Smithfield High School. This is the first space that was specifically designed to provide the award winning Packer Battalion with the room they need to conduct drill practice and other activities inside. In December, we held a ribbon cutting ceremony for our new classroom building and barn at the Land Lab. Students in the agriculture program now have the facilities to better care for animals, and to continue their learning about plant and animal management regardless of weather. In March, we formally opened the Career Building at Smithfield High School. This heavily renovated space is now home to Nursing, Welding, Engineering and a Mechatronics Lab, Manufacturing and the MakerSpace, and Culinary Arts, which includes the student-run, on-site restaurant Turner and 10.
Now, we are extending an invitation to the community to see the facilities and hear about the different programs from the students. We are holding two Community Open House events--one is May 8 at the Agricultural Land Lab, and the other is May 15 at the Career Building and JROTC Fieldhouse at Smithfield High. Both are from 5:00--6:30. We encourage you to stop by and check out the work of our students and see how they are gaining the skills and knowledge in demand by business and industry.
The teachers and students are looking forward to showing you their new spaces and sharing with you the amazing work they are able to accomplish. I hope you will be able to join us at the Open House events on May 8 and May 15. You will leave with an entirely different opinion of what school can be.
In less than seven days, the school division was involved in two significant events that demonstrate our commitment to preparing students for a successful future.
On Wednesday, we officially opened the Career Building at Smithfield High School. The heavily renovated facility is home to five of our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, including welding, nursing, culinary arts, manufacturing and engineering. Manufacturing and engineering have access to a MakerSpace area, equipped with 3D printers, laser and vinyl cutters, and numerous other devices that allow students to take an idea from concept to finished product. Engineering also incorporates mechatronics into the curriculum, providing students with hands-on learning for mechanical, electrical and computer systems. The nursing space is designed as a mock medical facility, complete with beds, mannequins, privacy curtains, diagnostic equipment, and a nurses' station. Our welding lab uses industry standard equipment to prepare students to be highly qualified candidates for employment. The culinary arts program is soaring to new heights with a commercial kitchen and student-run restaurant.
I felt like a proud parent as I surveyed each room on our tour of the building. There were looks of amazement from our guests and faces full of joy and confidence from our students. Students, not teachers, spoke to the visitors about their programs, their
spaces, and the skills they are developing. It gave me goose bumps to
see the students not just working in their areas, but comfortably
sharing their story with all the guests on hand. They are mastering
those 5 Cs (communication, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration,
citizenship) that they need to be successful in any path they choose.
The other event occurred on March 1 and, while it didn't receive the same level of coverage as the ribbon cutting on Wednesday, I consider it equally significant. Last Friday, the Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Betting Ring, visited our Land Lab to see how we are teaching Ag through authentic learning experiences. She was impressed with new barn and classroom as well as the variety of animals and plants located at the farm. But she was most impressed with the students. They showed her around and explained to her what they've learned by being part of the program. It was all student driven. She was not there to celebrate the opening of a facility, but rather the way we are providing our students with real-world learning opportunities. This was an important part of the redesign of our CTE programs. Having leaders at the state level acknowledge our work and consider it a model for other programs only reaffirms our mission.
Both events would not have been possible without the support of several key groups and organizations. We are grateful to Smithfield Foods and CEO Ken Sullivan, and the Smithfield Foundation, for donating $3million to establish
the Smithfield Legacy project. The project supports our commitment to
preparing students to be college, career and life ready. The Legacy
Project funded the construction of a dedicated facility for JROTC, and
the renovation and installation of a state-of-the-art MakerSpace
facility in the Career Building, and will support a global logistics program slated for 2020. We also appreciate the financial commitment from the Isle of Wight Board of
Supervisors, who believed in our vision and understood the importance of
providing opportunities for all of our students, not just those going to
college after high school. Because of the support of our School Board,
the Board of Supervisors, the business community, and Smithfield Foods,
our students will be sought-after candidates for high skill, high wage, high
demand jobs.
I've included a round-up of media coverage from both events. I'm also posting a few pictures below. The images capture the remarkable accomplishments we had only envisioned a few years ago. While the journey isn't over, I know that the pathways we are creating will equip our students with the skills needed for a successful future. Links to the Career Building Grand Opening
December 5 was a memorable day. Not just because of the snow we saw in Isle of Wight County, but because we hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new barn and classroom building at the Land Lab. I was unfortunately under the weather and on doctor's orders for bed rest. It was incredibly difficult to not be there, but I'm extremely proud of everyone involved for putting together an outstanding event.
The ceremony took place inside of the barn, complete with stalls of goats and piglets, and even some boxes of rabbits. The event included remarks from our School Board Chairman, Vicky Hulick, and the Vice-Chairman for the Board of Supervisors, William McCarty. Gracie Owney, a senior from Smithfield High and a student in the Agriculture program, also spoke to the guests about what the program means to her. Mike Lombardo, our Assistant Superintendent, shared the following on my behalf:
Three years ago the division embarked on an ambitious
journey to redesign the CTE program to better meet the needs of our
students. The Agriculture program has
been a part of the IWCS curriculum for decades, but we knew it needed to be
updated. In the 2016-2018 school year,
we established a working farm (Land
Lab) to expand the existing agricultural program. The land lab was constructed
on existing division property behind Windsor Elementary School. We hired a full-time farm manager for the
Land Lab. The farm manager and agriculture
teacher collaborate to provide authentic real-world learning in the areas of
agricultural business management and mechanization, along with plant, animal,
and soil science. Since opening in September of 2017, the students have
transformed the Land Lab from six acres of uncut grass, to four fenced
pastures, a vegetable garden, and housing for chickens, rabbits, goats, and, as
of yesterday, pigs. Students receive real world experiences through the Land
Lab, such as participation in “farm to table” marketing from the sale of farm
products to the public and to the division’s culinary arts program. The
lab has welcomed groups of elementary students as teachers introduce science
standards in their classes. The working farm has made agriculture come to
life for students throughout the division. And now we have these two
beautiful buildings to further enhance learning opportunities for our students.
The strides we
have made with this program, many of our CTE programs, would not have been
possible without the support and involvement of several key people and groups. The Isle of Wight County School Board had the courage and foresight to see the
need for a redesign our CTE program. The Board of Supervisors listened to our
proposal and publicly supported our vision for our schools with 7.9 million
dollar investment. Our Farm Manager,
Daniel Judkins, and Agriculture teacher, Jason Brittle, and the leadership at
our two high schools, Principal Laura Sullivan from Windsor High and Zachary
Haney from Smithfield High. We emphasize
the importance of collaboration with our students. The success of our new
CTE model would not have been possible without this collaboration and I wanted
to acknowledge their contributions this morning.
All of the speakers, along with Jason Brittle, Daniel Judkins, Zachary Haney and Laura Sullivan, joined together to cut the blue ribbon, officially opening the barn and classroom building for use. As guests toured the facilities, they were able to enjoy refreshments provided by the IWCS Culinary Arts students and instructor Kyle Cousins.
This was really a milestone for our CTE program. We are redesigning our courses to provide students with authentic learning experiences. In order to meet that goal, we have to include facilities that realistically simulate those work environments. These new buildings at the Land Lab do just that and continue to support our vision of ensuring students are college, career and life ready.
I encourage you to click on the link below to watch a video of pictures from the event.
