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July 2025 | Issue #166
*make sure to click "View entire message" to get access to the full newsletter!*
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2025 Virtual Conference - Coming Soon!
Thursday, July 17, 2025
Keynote Speaker, Shannon Anderson followed by three elementary and secondary sessions.
We will post a link to registration to our social media page as soon as it is available!
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Our good friends at Monmouth Memorial school are at it again! In the month of May, the third graders at Monmouth focused on lobsters and lobster fishing for their 'Farm Fridays' unit.
They learned about the life cycle of a lobster, the history of lobster fishing in Maine, and how lobster traps work!
| Third graders were fortunate enough to have a parent (and fellow Monmouth teacher) who is currently working towards obtaining a commercial lobster fishing license bring in a real lobster trap for them to see, touch, and use for inspiration. Teacher Kimberly Brown says this was another of her students' favorite units and she can't wait to make it even better next year! | | |
Some of the culminating projects included designing a lobster trap and testing it out on their own in robotics, and designing their own buoys in tinker cad and working with the technology coordinator to 3D print them into keychains. How cool!
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Maine FFA Announces 2025 National Officer Candidate | | | | | |
The Maine FFA Association is proud to recognize Delaney McKeen as its 2025 National FFA Officer Candidate!
McKeen, a nineteen-year-old recent graduate from the University of Maine at Presque Isle, is no stranger to the leadership opportunities within FFA. As a past Maine FFA State Reporter/Sentinel and State Vice President, she helped lead the organization through various challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Her leadership skills don’t only shine within the FFA Organization, but in the classroom as well. Upon her recent graduation, McKeen received a degree in agricultural science & agribusiness. When asked about her experience with agriculture both in and out of the classroom, she was quick to speak, stating “Being able to work in agriculture as my career has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. I’m so grateful that I had the experiences I did in FFA that led me here”.
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If elected to a national office, McKeen will relocate to Indianapolis in order to begin prep for her upcoming year of service. Once elected, the officer will undergo months of training to learn how to properly host workshops, practice their speech-writing skills, and learn about all current agricultural issues and policies. The officer team will spend the year traveling to different states throughout the country attending state conventions, taking industry tours, and connecting with FFA members nationwide!
Maine’s last National Officer was Malcolm Ellis who served in the role from 1952-1953. If Delaney is elected, she would become the first national officer from Maine in over seven decades.
Congratulations, Delaney!
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Grades K-2
Freshest Fruits
Students determine where fruits grow and their nutritional value by completing an activity to observe the size, shape, texture, and seeds of various fruits.
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Grades 3-5
Bunches of Berries
Students synthesize what they know about soils, plants, and the environment to plan a garden, present their plans, and explain why they made the decisions that they did.
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Grades 9-12
Melons, Mitosis, and Meiosis
Students apply the steps of mitosis and meiosis to learn about the production of both seeded and seedless watermelon.
| | Looking for more? Explore the Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix HERE | | Rosa and her family live in a house in the country where an apple tree grows. With short stanzas, interspersed with occasional vocabulary in Spanish, we journey through the year and witness the tree as it changes and develops fruit. We discover what makes the tree grow strong and how the flowers are pollinated. Eventually the apples are fully grown and ready to be picked. On a warm late summer afternoon we join Rosa and her family for a celebratory picnic where a specially-made apple pie takes center stage. | |  | Linh is having a picnic in her rooftop garden for all of her friends, and she needs help searching for blueberries to finish preparing her dishes. What do we know about blueberries? They're small, blue, and grow on bushes—and, just a second, is that a blueberry? No, that's. gooseberry. Where, oh, where could those blueberries be? Can you help Linh find them in time for her picnic? | | | |
Funding from this plate impacts up to 200,000 students annually with lessons, materials, volunteers and teacher training. Additionally, up to $60K is distributed annually in grants to schools, FFA, 4-H and other Non-profit programs for Ag education initiatives by the Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Council.
Learn more about the Ag plate here.
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The MAITC Association is organizing a fundraiser for materials and teacher scholarships this year. Hats and T-shirts with the MAITC logo and a picture of the agriculture specialty license plate are available to order for a small donation.
For more information contact Nancy Wright at dnwright191@gmail.com
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Our Mission Statement
"To promote the understanding of agriculture and natural resources among students, educators, and the general public"
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28 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
(207)287-5522
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