Editor’s Note: Community Comment is a feature of The Mount Airy News, presenting commentary from community leaders in Mount Airy and Surry County.
Tucked between the campuses of Surry Central High School and Surry Community College lies an unassuming plot of land that has the power to grow into a powerful educational tool.
The site is the future location of a new Live Animal Lab, further solidifying the partnership between Surry County Schools and Surry Community College. The facility will be used by teachers at Surry Central High School in the Animal Science program and instructors at Surry Community College in the Animal Science degree program to offer hands-on instruction on raising calves, goats, piglets, and other small animals. Students from the high school and college will receive valuable training in the field of animal science in this cooperative lab.
While at the groundbreaking, I had the opportunity to speak with students from both programs and the excitement was immeasurable. The Surry Central FFA attended in their corduroy jackets and regaled me with stories about their classroom lessons, and how they will be further enriched by having the opportunity for additional hands-on instruction. One student, in particular, Morgan Hodges mentioned that students will get to experience the “real-world scenario of operating a farm which is going to be crucial to lifelong career success.”
This statement struck me. Though Morgan will be graduating this year and not get to experience the lab for herself, she was passionate about the project. She understood the impact this lab will have on future students and help shape their career aspirations. Other students felt the same, most emphasizing the opportunity for hands-on learning and putting concepts learned in class into practice.
It is my belief that this facility will serve as an inspiration to our students and future farmers. This facility will give them the chance to test concepts, gain real-world knowledge, and expose them to career opportunities they may not have thought about previously. Agriculture is still the number one industry in Surry County and the state of North Carolina, which makes this project an investment in the future of the industry.
I’d like to thank Dr. David Shockley and everyone at Surry Community College for their shared vision on this project, along with our team at Surry Central High School. The hard work of everyone involved in this project is going to truly make a difference in the lives of students and our community.
Surry County Schools is seeking additional funding to complete the agriculture barn project. If you would like to get involved to help make this vision a reality, please contact Ashley Mills, managing director of the Surry County Schools Educational Foundation at 336-386-8211 or by email at millsa@surry.k12.nc.us. The agriculture barn will undoubtedly mean a great deal to both agriculture programs at Surry Central High School and Surry Community College, the FFA, and the community.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
Be First to Comment