May 2016
       Mike Smith Awarded      Agricultural Teacher of the Year
Mike Smith of Mascenic High School was recognized as NH Ag in the Classroom's 2016 Teacher of the Year at the recent Granite State Association of FFA Convention.  Mike's passion for horticulture is evident all around the school. His students have landscaped both the high school and the elementary school, added a large greenhouse and outdoor garden which provides vegetables for the Family and Consumer Science foods class along with a place to cultivate plants for the North East Chili Pepper Institute.  Students have learned to develop planting schedules, taken on plant
propagation, grown cold weather crops and experimented with seed propagation from unconventional sources. Mike’s innovative ways to incorporate agriculture into his classroom serve as an inspiration to all of us.  Congratulations to Mike Smith and Mascenic High School!   Watch for the 2017 Teacher of the Year application coming soon!
Kindergarten Students Visit Dover High School Farm
Arbor Day festivities came to the Dover High School Animal Science Program with a visit from over a hundred kindergarten students. The high school students prepared different activities such as coloring with Chuck the Cow, singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" with the sheep, and hopping with the bunnies to name a few. The students in the animal science classes enjoyed showing off the animals to the kindergarten students and sharing a some basic information.
CLASSROOM CONNECTION
Thanks to Dan Smith at Sanborn Regional High School, we have two new resources from the National Gardening Association available in our lending library:

GrowLab: Activities for Growing Minds
"A hands-on K-8 curriculum guide for use with an indoor classroom garden. Activities draw on students' own experiences, encourage open-ended questioning and help students then turn their own questions into active investigations."

GrowLab: A Complete Guide to Gardening in the Classroom
"All you need to know about indoor gardening in this comprehensive book, from planning and planting an indoor garden to tackling pests and other challenges"
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Grants awarded to classrooms for project-based, student performed activities with environmental outcomes.                                               

Help students implement environmental improvement projects including school gardens and outdoor classrooms.

AGRICULTURAL LITERACY PROGRAM
There is still plenty of time to participate in our Annual Ag Literacy Program!  Contact us for a copy of "How Do Apples Grow?" by Betsy Maestro, schedule a time to read in  your local classroom, add an activity from the Educators' Resource Guide, donate the book to the school, and you have just helped to increase the agricultural literacy of an entire class of students! Books with the Educator's Resource Guide are $5 if picked up at the Farm Bureau in Concord.  We can mail it to you for an additional $2.50 per copy.
NHAITC OUT & ABOUT
Merrimack County School to Farm
May 12, 2016        Carter Hill Orchard, Concord

Grafton County Ag Awareness Days
        May 27th     Woodsville Elementary School
       June 8th       Haverhill Cooperative Middle School
       June 10th     Warren Village School

Rockingham / Strafford County School to Farm 
June 7-9, 2016       University of NH

National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference 
June 21-24, 2016       Phoenix, AZ
Registration for the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference is now open.
June 22-24, 2016 in Phoenix, AZ
Information and Registration
CONTACT US

Debbi Cox,  State Coordinator               nhaitc@nhfarmbureau.org         (603) 224-1934
      295 Sheep Daivis Road   Concord, NH  03301
Deb Robie, Grafton County Coordinator           wehunt4@myfairpoint.net