Launched in 1999 by USDA's Office of Higher Education Programs (HEP), the Secondary Agriculture Education Challenge Grants program, under the authority contained in section 1417(j) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended (7 U.S.C. 3152(j)), awards grants to eligible public secondary schools to strengthen education in the broad areas of agriscience and agribusiness.

Proposals may be submitted by any public secondary school that has made a commitment to teaching agriscience and agribusiness in order to help ensure a qualified workforce to serve the food and agricultural science system, to promote excellence in education, and to encourage more young Americans to pursue and complete a baccalaureate or higher degree in the food and agricultural sciences.

For the FY 2000 award cycle, $500,000 was appropriated. Of that amount, $469,267* was available for project grant awards after subtracting administrative costs.

A total of 80 proposals from 30 states requesting $1,560209.13 were received for funding consideration.In May 2000, a 15-member peer review panel evaluated these proposals.Based on the deliberations of the panel, 24 proposals from 19 states were recommended for funding.The following tables present information on the FY 2000 awards.

 

Table 1.FUNDS REQUESTED/AWARDED BY EMPHASIS AREAS - Secondary Agriculture Education Challenge Grants - FY 2000
TARGET ACADEMIC EMPHASIS AREA	NUMBER OF PROPOSALS		AMOUNT OF FUNDS
	REQUESTED	AWARDED	REQUESTED	AWARDED*
Agriscience	45	11	$ 870,227.87	$ 167,317.00
General Food and Agricultural Sciences	19	6	$ 371,751.26	$ 132,024.00
Agribusiness Management and Marketing	13	6	$ 266,480.00	$ 139,926.00
Other	3	1	$51,750.00	$30,000.00
TOTALS	80	24	$ 1,560209.13	$ 469,267.00

* Not all programs request the maximum funds allowed per institution under this grant ($20,000 - Regular proposals, or $30,000 - Joint proposals). These amounts represent the total Federal dollars awarded to each lead institution, including the funds that will be subcontracted out to collaborating institutions for joint projects.No single institution will receive more than $20,000 (Regular proposals) or $30,000 (Joint proposals) under this program in FY 2000.

 

Table 2. FUNDED PROJECT INFORMATION and DESCRIPTIONS - Secondary Agriculture Education Challenge Grants - FY 2000
PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03929	PROJECT TITLE	Pioneer Agriculture Curriculum, College, and Careers Project
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Mary Lou Geneway
FUNDS AWARDED	$18,252.00	INSTITUTION	Pioneer Central High School, Yorkshire, NY
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project will develop three new curricula, a career awareness video, and website enhancements.Collaborations with Physics and Health teachers will lead to modules incorporating new curricula in Applied Physics, Food Science and Animal Science into non?agricultural courses.Animal and Food Science material will be offered as part of the Distance Learning Program including five other schools.Ties with two agricultural and technical colleges will facilitate college placement.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03976	PROJECT TITLE	Suitcase Lessons for Agriculture
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Roger Alfred King
FUNDS AWARDED	$14,450.00	INSTITUTION	Holmen High School, Holmen, WI
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
With the development of two/three identical suitcase lessons for multiple teaching sites (lesson materials, video, worksheets, lab manuals and supplies), this project will culminate in agriculture lessons integrated into the subjects of math, science, social studies and language arts that are easily transportable to remote sites for distance education as well as for regular classroom instruction.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03958	PROJECT TITLE	Collins Career Center Aquaponics Project
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Steven Crawford
FUNDS AWARDED	$19,956.00	INSTITUTION	Collins Career Center, Symmes Valley High School, Willow Wood, OH
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
A learning laboratory will be established that incorporates scientific principles to produce aquaculture and aquaponics crops combining hydroponic vegetables and yellow perch.A team comprising Ohio State University and Collins Career Center educators, students and farmers will use Internet technology to record and share project data and results.This will increase student experiential learning in aquaponic and hydroponic techniques and increased computer literacy.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03917	PROJECT TITLE	Agricultural Bioscience Laboratory
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Teresa Cummings
FUNDS AWARDED	$19,900.00	INSTITUTION	Heritage High School, Vancouver, WA
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Heritage High School will begin construction on a specifically designed laboratory dedicated to agricultural research at the secondary level.The agricultural bioscience?learning laboratory will be used to raise food products for genetic experiments and nutritional analysis trials.This will allow incorporation of agricultural subjects into secondary instructional programs (especially science, history and English).

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03971	PROJECT TITLE	Agricultural Education/FFA Agriscience Technology Laboratory
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Michael Earll
FUNDS AWARDED	$20,000.00	INSTITUTION	Sibley-Ocheyedan High School, Sibley, IA
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Sibley-Ocheyedan High School will further incorporate agriscience/agribusiness concepts into secondary education by acquisition of computer?aided modules of instruction to enhance phase two of the agriscience technology computer laboratory.Activities will center on improving exposure to distance learning opportunities, animal and plant sciences, farm business management, hydroponics, natural resources, and agricultural literacy.This will be accomplished with the addition of hydroponics, environmental technology, landscape design, natural resources, plant science, soil science, and welding educational modules.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03925	PROJECT TITLE	Multicultural Green Connection
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Talmadge Gray
FUNDS AWARDED	$30,000.00	INSTITUTION	Golden Strip Career Center, Hillcrest High School, Simpsonville, SC
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Multicultural Green Connection is an integrated approach to recruit a diverse population of agricultural education students into higher education careers through the use of horticulture.This program articulates the efforts of several high schools, a two?year technical college and a university.This will result in specialized training in multicultural strategies to impart techniques in landscaping to a core group of 20 educators who will then target the Hispanic community.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03950	PROJECT TITLE	Technology-Aided Instruction for Agricultural Education
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Kay Smith
FUNDS AWARDED	$30,000.00	INSTITUTION	Payson High School, Payson, UT
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project establishes an on?going instructional development program for agricultural instructors to receive training in using presentations software, the Internet as a teaching resource, and the use of CD-ROMS and LCD projectors to enhance classroom learning.The acquisition of training, computer equipment and software for agriculture teachers will be used to develop their expertise to use computer?aided technology to improve educational delivery techniques.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03973	PROJECT TITLE	Agribusiness for At-Risk Youth
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Myron Graber
FUNDS AWARDED	$20,000.00	INSTITUTION	Smoky Hill Education Service, Salina South High School, Salina, KS
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
"Agribusiness for At?Risk Youth" promotes agricultural literacy and hands?on agribusiness experience at multiple levels of student education, career exploration, community awareness and economic contribution.The greenhouse construction and horticulture instruction will permit hands?on experience for at?risk students.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03915	PROJECT TITLE	Secondary Agriscience Collaboration Project
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Jon Wehde
FUNDS AWARDED	$10,000.00	INSTITUTION	Kuspuk High School, Aniak, AK
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project serves entry?level employment demands by incorporating employer?recommended agriscience skills into the secondary education curriculum through a properly equipped training laboratory. This project will provide instructional materials, agriscience laboratory equipment, student safety equipment, and consumable laboratory supplies.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03937	PROJECT TITLE	Technology Integration for the Future of Agricultural Education
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Gina Boster
FUNDS AWARDED	$20,000.00	INSTITUTION	Norco High School, Norco, CA
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Norco High School will provide a supplement to traditional teaching methods by incorporating computer?assisted instruction in the agricultural sciences, agricultural mechanics, and horticultural sciences.This produces an increased capacity of the school's computer workstation facility resulting in improved computer literacy (software and technology) and proficiency in agriculture education.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03912	PROJECT TITLE	New Opportunities: Aquaculture Research Freshwater Shrimp Farming
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Charles Chandler
FUNDS AWARDED	$19,422.00	INSTITUTION	Tattnall County High School, Reidsville, GA
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Agriscience and agribusiness education is promoted and strengthened through student experiential learning by raising and marketing freshwater shrimp.Science, math and marketing teachers will collaborate to integrate this project into the curriculum.Student interest in postsecondary careers will be broadened by procurement of materials for aquaculture study (prawns, feed, aerators, scales, nets, ...etc.), partnering with postsecondary institutions, and sharing research findings with local, regional, and national constituents.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03965	PROJECT TITLE	Modeling and Simulation: High School Students Analyzing and Improving Agribusiness
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Jeffrey Schroeder
FUNDS AWARDED	$19,982.00	INSTITUTION	Pine Island High School, Pine Island, MN
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project integrates computer?based modeling and simulation into agricultural and industrial technology issues to help students analyze systems and determine alternative solutions through experiential learning.This project will support computers, modeling software, and faculty salaries as well as student stipends to meet with area businesses to enable students to collect data and to analyze solutions.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03928	PROJECT TITLE	Agriculture and Environmental Learning Center
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Clarence Righteous
FUNDS AWARDED	$30,000.00	INSTITUTION	George Washington Carver Senior High School, New Orleans, LA
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Environmental Learning Center will be an outdoor classroom where inner?city students can study elements of agribusiness, agriscience and environmental science in a natural setting through hands?on activities, inquiry labs, and work?based and cooperative?learning experiences.This fenced outdoor classroom will consist of nature trails and five learning stations maintained by interdisciplinary coordinators.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03944	PROJECT TITLE	Mt. Hood Regional Natural Resources Horticulture Education Enhancement Project
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Albert Jacobson
FUNDS AWARDED	$30,000.00	INSTITUTION	Reynolds High School, Fairview, OR
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Building on a successful 2+2+2 regional model, this project involves Oregon State University and Mt. Hood Community College interns.These interns will mentor and train 11/12?grade horticulture/natural resources students in five surrounding high schools who will then provide horticulture demonstrations to students in the fifth grade.This delivers hands?on horticulture instruction to students by trained student interns from upper grades. This project will incorporate agribusiness and agriscience subject matter into secondary education curricula and promote career opportunities.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03951	PROJECT TITLE	Learning Laboratory in Aquaculture/Bioponics
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Raymond Caviness
FUNDS AWARDED	$12,560.00	INSTITUTION	Eastern Randolph High School, Ramseur, NC
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project will establish an Aquaculture/Bioponics Learning Laboratory where collaborative classes in horticulture, animal science, chemistry, biology, engineering, and environmental sciences will establish, monitor and report on a combined tilapia/vegetable?growing system.Students will receive experiential learning in a laboratory setting that will provide expanded career opportunities as well as increased skills and abilities in aquaculture and bioponics.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03966	PROJECT TITLE	Agri-CORP (Collaborative Outreach and Recruitment Program)
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Margaret Stannard
FUNDS AWARDED	$20,000.00	INSTITUTION	Duncan Polytechnic High School, Fresno, CA
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project supports an outreach, recruitment and mentoring project that targets Hispanic students and their families to increase awareness of agricultural career opportunities through interaction with representative industry leaders, parental meetings, postsecondary institutions, and a week?long summer bridge program.The Summer Bridge program (collaboration between Duncan Polytechnic High School and Fresno State University) encourages high school students to prepare for postsecondary educational opportunities in the agricultural sciences.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03975	PROJECT TITLE	Creating a Bridge for 9-12 Graders to Pursue a BS Degree in Agriculture at FAMU
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Nyree Washington
FUNDS AWARDED	$29,944.00	INSTITUTION	Coral Reef Senior High School, Miami, FL
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Funds will support nine monthly seminars and a Summer Agriculture Program to increase the awareness of agriscience in 9?12 grade students in the Miami area through educational activities, while strengthening the partnership between the collaborating high schools and Florida A&M University.This project will promote awareness of agricultural opportunities and linkages between secondary schools and postsecondary institutions.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03916	PROJECT TITLE	Littlerock High School Agricultural Research Station
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Joel Briggs
FUNDS AWARDED	$19,800.00	INSTITUTION	Little Rock High School, Lancaster, CA
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
A hands?on learning laboratory research orchard will be developed to grow and study fruit and nut tree crops in the high desert rural farm area of Antelope Valley California.Irrigation, trellis, and shade systems will be installed.Students will collect weather data and monitor growth patterns, water usage, fertilizer applications and evidence of pests.This project will result in a functioning research orchard used by students and teachers with updated curriculum and experiential learning.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03948	PROJECT TITLE	Biotechnology – The New Agriscience
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Gail Thomas
FUNDS AWARDED	$30,000.00	INSTITUTION	Pasco High School, Land O’ Lakes, FL
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Two traditional high school agriculture programs will be converted into plant biotechnology programs.The conversion will involve facility renovation, new equipment purchase and staff and standards?driven integrated curriculum development.Agriscience will be incorporated into other academic subjects through integrated units called "Learning Communities."A curriculum guide will be disseminated through the professional association networks.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03921	PROJECT TITLE	Going “The Distance” with Aquaculture
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Dewey Stewart
FUNDS AWARDED	$30,000.00	INSTITUTION	Area 30 Career Center, Cloverdale Community School,  Greencastle, IN
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project will develop an existing mobile aquaculture laboratory display unit into an interactive learning laboratory for use in regional schools.In addition to a fully functioning aquaculture system, video microscope and water test equipment, the lab will incorporate distance education programs and internet access via satellite transmission.Project results will include aquaculture multimedia presentations and teacher resource materials on CD-ROM to rural and inner city schools through a mobile laboratory.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03980	PROJECT TITLE	Energizing the Lowndes High Agriculture Education Program with Agriscience for Science Credit
PROJECT DIRECTOR	James Corbett
FUNDS AWARDED	$5,658.00	INSTITUTION	Lowndes High School, Valdosta, GA
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project is part of a three?phase development cycle to install a viable agriscience education program as part of the agriculture department.The project will begin with implementation of two state?approved agriscience courses, Plant Science and Biotechnology, and Animal Science and Biotechnology.These courses will allow students to earn both science and vocational/agricultural credits.The project will incorporate agriscience into the curriculum, promote agricultural career opportunities, and promote articulation agreements between the secondary and postsecondary institutions.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03909	PROJECT TITLE	Agriscience Under Glass
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Denise Reeser
FUNDS AWARDED	$6,448.00	INSTITUTION	Brainerd High School, Brainerd, MN
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
With this project Brainerd High School will construct a greenhouse and update and expand the agriscience curriculum to meet the needs of the horticultural industry.A 2+2 partnership with Central Lakes College's Environmental Horticulture will help promote advanced education and meet local labor demands.The greenhouse construction and update of curriculum will expand and broaden the agriscience curriculum to encourage students to pursue advanced education in the horticulture industry and create partnerships with community and industry stakeholders as well as with local institutions of higher learning.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03964	PROJECT TITLE	Agriscience Advanced Credit via Learning Enrichment and Distance Education
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Paul Heasley
FUNDS AWARDED	$6,448.00	INSTITUTION	State College Area High School, State College, PA
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project will review existing learning enrichment modules between State College Area School District and Penn State University in the areas of science, math, English and social studies resulting in the development of a specific module that targets students interested in animal science, horticulture or agronomy.Anticipated results include career development activities and the opportunity for high school students to receive advanced college credit for their work while in high school.Students studying agricultural sciences at the State College Area High School will be able to enroll in courses at the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State.

 

PROPOSAL NUMBER	2000-03939	PROJECT TITLE	Acquiring Knowledge Through Integrated Agriculture and Science Education (AKIAS)
PROJECT DIRECTOR	Samuel Smith
FUNDS AWARDED	$6,447.00	INSTITUTION	Stratford Public School, Stratford, OK
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project is a cross?curricular, multifaceted experiential model that will leverage local community and regional resources to increase science skills among secondary students and increase the postsecondary vocational and educational successes of those students.This gives the school an increased academic capacity and establishes linkages with two research facilities (Samuel Roberts Noble Research Foundation and Kerr Research Laboratory) and with the Oklahoma State University.