4 Farmers Named Ag in the Classroom Volunteers of the Year

Illinois classrooms took center stage at Illinois Farm Bureau's Annual Meeting, as IFB recognized farmers and teachers for their dedication to Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC).

Volunteer of the Year Award
In the last school year, nearly 3000 men and women offered their time and talents to teaching school children where their food, fuel, and fiber come from. But this year, four volunteers stood out.

Martha Cripe of Fayette County
Since 2006 MarthaCripe has been a mainstay in Fayette County, working with 1st to 5th graders across the county. In fact, many thought Cripe was a paid staff person. But she is a true volunteer, taking the time to bring the message of Ag in the Classroom to students and teachers across the county. Cripe organizes classroom presentations and community outreach, as well as fundraising to provide supplies for the program. Since reinvigorating the Fayette County AITC Program over 5 years ago, Cripe has impacted the lives of over 3,000 students. 

Andy and Katie Pratt of Lee County
Andy and Katie Pratt are active Young Leaders from Lee County.  Although Katie has been the coordinator of the annual Lee County Ag Expo for several years, Andy is often found in the background setting up and tearing down what Katie has organized. They have been familiar hosts to the teachers participating in the Bureau, Lee and Whiteside County Summer Ag Institutes. The Pratts have also been active in the Adopt a Classroom Program and last year Katie participated in an interactive video exchange with a Chicago classroom. Katie competed in the Discussion Meet earlier today, and participates as an active blogger with the Illinois Farm Families outreach effort, a natural extension of her adopt-a-classroom efforts.

Linda Whitney of Mercer County
Linda Whitneyhas been an active member of the Mercer County AITC program for more than 20 years. Her monthly presentations on various commodities have been counted on by teachers. Whitney makes sure that the students she works with understand the importance of knowing what happens on the farm. She has been discussing animal care for many years using hogs and poultry to demonstrate how farmers have to take care of all animals. Whitney has also been a main part of the Mercer County Agriculture, Conservation and Environment (ACE) Camp for 2nd graders since its inception over 15 years ago. 

Teacher of the Year Award
Illinois Farm Bureau also named Sarah Fine-Koukol as the Illinois Agriculture Teacher of the Year. Koukol is a teacher at St. Vincent Ferrar in River Forrest, Cook County. Koukol has been actively incorporating agriculture into her classroom since she saw a presentation by our AITC Staff when she was student teaching. She is also an active participant in the Adopt-A-Classroom program and conducts video exchanges with our volunteers Katie and Andy Pratt. Her students, along with a group of parents, were fortunate enough to visit the Pratt's Lee County farm to see firsthand what happens on the farm. Most surprising to all the volunteers on that visit was how much the students knew about the farm and agriculture, and even more shockingly, how little the parents knew.

In her 4th grade classroom, students focus on Illinois agriculture and the impact our commodities make around the world. Her effort came full circle when one of the parents, who works at the Chicago Board of Trade, was able to speak to her students and make the connection to buying and selling commodities from the farm. Koukol works to show students how agriculture has been a part of all people throughout history.

As the IAITC Teacher of the Year, Sarah will be the Illinois nominee for the 2012 USDA AITC Teacher of the Year.  She will be competing in June in Colorado for this honor. 

IFB's runner-up for Teacher of the Year is Mr. Carl Erbsen from Eastland Elementary School in Lanark, Carroll County.

Erbsen teaches first grade, and he, his wife and sons assist on the dairy farm operated by his mother and brother. Erbsen works to immerse his students into the agriculture that surrounds them in the county, but that most of them are unfamiliar with.  In his classroom, Erbsen brings 'Farmville' to life by helping his students create their own farm and earn opportunities to purchase buildings, animals, land and equipment.  Erbsen and his classroom also 'adopt' a local beef calf and correspond with a local farmer about growth, development and care associated with animals. Erbsen integrates agriculture throughout his curriculum while insuring that students are working to master reading, writing, spelling, math, and science.

Illinois Farm Bureau would like to thank everyone who helps make our Agriculture in the Classroom program undoubtedly the premier program in the nation. Whether you support the IAA Foundation, your local AITC program, or help adopt a classroom, we couldn't reach the students and teachers that we do without you.