Farm Bureau Going Local grants go to two elementary teachers

Brenda Griffin of Pink Hill Elementary School accepts her Going Local grant award from Lenoir County Farm Bureau President Alton Roberson. Submitted photo.

Two LCPS elementary school teachers have won Fall 2019 Going Local grants awarded statewide by the North Carolina Farm Bureau through its Ag in the Classroom program.

Brenda Griffin, a fourth-grade teacher at Pink Hill Elementary School, won a grant for $320 and Katherine Sowers, a kindergarten teacher at La Grange Elementary School, won a grant for $199. Both grants will allow students to grow plants in their classrooms and learn about the life cycle of plants.

Going Local grants are valued at up to $500 each and help teachers provide their PreK-12 students with valuable, real-world education and experiences about farming and agribusiness, while adhering to the school system’s common core and essential standards, according to the N.C. Farm Bureau. They are awarded twice a year.

The teachers were recently presented their grant checks by Alton Roberson, president of the Lenoir County Farm Bureau.

Katherine Sowers of La Grange Elementary School accepts her Going Local grant award from Lenoir County Farm Bureau President Alton Roberson.

“I’m going to purchase a Smart Garden Console and a variety of plant pods,” Griffin said. “We will be able to grow plants in my classroom using the pods and the console. The console automatically regulates the light and the amount of water that is needed for the plants to grow. Students will be able to observe the plant life cycles as they grow and mature. Students will harvest the vegetables that are grown to use in a salad at our annual Volunteer Luncheon at the end of the year.”

Sowers’ award will go toward vegetable and herb seeds, a classroom greenhouse, seed-starting medium and a series of books that highlight the relationship between gardens, farmers and food.

“This project will help students in four kindergarten classes understand the impact that North Carolina agriculture has on our everyday lives by allowing them to experience how food is grown firsthand,” Sowers said. “I hope that through this project students will gain a deeper appreciation for our farmers.”

Grant applications are judged on the proposed project’s creativity, the number of students it would impact, the potential for Farm Bureau involvement and sustainability, among other criteria.

 “There is no more valuable resource in North Carolina than our students and the teachers charged with their education,” said NC Farm Bureau President Shawn Harding. “Through our Ag in the Classroom program, the state’s farmers are investing in the future leaders of North Carolina, as well as the future of agriculture, which is the state’s top economic sector.”