The 2017 Education Leadership Series brought together teachers, students and industry to identify real-world problems in agriculture, such as misinformation about GMOs, and to brainstorm solutions. The PAST Foundation’s Kat Deaner led the group conversations. PAST partners with local business and industry to provide student learning in several academic areas, and their Growth lab was the focus of this meeting.
FTW alumni educators gathered with high school students and leaders from related organizations such as the Ohio Department of Education, OSU, the Ohio Farm Bureau, the USDA, and the EPA for these conversations.
PAST Project Manager Jim Bruner said, “We need better ag programming that resonates with urban areas, rural ones, and everything in between. Food issues are so important.” FTW alumni educator Ashley Thompson from Marysville HS said, “This was an amazing opportunity to creatively address current issues in my classroom while providing a supportive venue to collaborate with others in developing strategies to actually accomplish my goal of promoting ag literacy.”