Horticulture II students studying agricultural science convened for an educational opportunity to showcase what they know.  They will each present projects that vary from collecting dog toys for military canines to breeding bunnies and taming chinchillas.  They then received the opportunity to share their projects with several community members from the fields in which they based their research.

The symposium took place at Wakefield High School on March 16 at 6pm.  Alumni from the community  joined these students in their agricultural endeavors.  It was an occasion for people from all around the county to get together and learn something new about the passions they all share.

“I got the idea because when I was studying horticulture in college and we had a spring garden open house,” said Horticulture teacher, Jodi Riedel.  “I thought it would be great to have workshops, so we brought in garden enthusiasts and other experts.”

In the past, however, with all of the outside help, students did not ever have the opportunity to show what they know, so the event was altered to allow student collaboration.

“We shifted gears because I thought it should be more student led,” said Riedel.  “This led to myself and my students demonstrating workshops to the community members we invite.”

The projects presented by the students try to incorporate the audience, as well as the information they have learned in their agriculture based classes.

“Their projects correlate with the curriculum that we teach them and spins off of agriculture,” said Animal Science teacher, Kelly Durdock.  “They will present to people who support the program.”

The Ag Symposium is an opportunity for presenters to get creative.  They can choose many different ways to get their ideas across to the public.

“It can be a demonstration or an interactive workshop, but they have to write a paper, do some research, present their findings, and they must have a product to show,” said Riedel.

Riedel gave her own example about a project that could be presented.

“Right now I’m really into growing mushrooms off of toilet paper,” said Riedel.  “It’s a cellulose that they can eat.  That would be my presentation and I would have toilet paper rolls ready where people could try it out and take it home with them.”

Each student received five minutes to give a “lightning talk” to share their presentation with everyone involved.

“It is really interesting and fun to see the outcomes of people being sparked to create their own projects and see what happens,” said senior, Kinnidy Coley.

Previous students continue to use the information they gained through their Ag Symposium projects in their everyday lives.

“My project was about raising queen bees for profit,” said 2014 graduate, Hayden Schug.  “This project helped me to find my hobby and passion while incorporating the outdoors, which I enjoy more than anything.”

The Ag Symposium leaves an impact on everyone who attends because it gives them the opportunity to go out and create something themselves which will in turn help the environment and community.

“It is really empowering to see students invested in their own learning,” said Riedel.  The best way for you to learn is to teach other people.  I feel that they are driven in something that they are interested in.  They’re passionate about it and they’re spreading the love by going out and talking to people.  In 2016 we have to feed 9 billion people on this planet, so it helps me out  to know that we have creative problem solvers who can effectively communicate agricultural literacy.”