It’s with vision and excitement that our Farm continues to develop and engage students in learning. TUSD’s commitment to create a universal learning lab for all students has taken center stage with a focus on agriculture, STEM, and energy conservation. A newly established Beef and Dairy Unit, expanded gardens and crops, a greenhouse, and arrival of livestock have brought TUSD’s Farm to life for students in grades TK-12. Our TUSD community is looking forward to providing rigor and enrichment to students’ learning as we prepare them for college-career readiness and life beyond TUSD.  

Dana Salles Trevethan

Superintendent

The purpose of the Farm Management course is to provide an opportunity for students to apply the skills they have gained throughout their Agriculture Education while in high school. This year, students have been able to hone their skills in metal fabrication, orchard management, and horticulture practices while being exposed to the reality of working in the business world. This year has provided students with many educational opportunities and hands-on skills that will prepare them for their future careers. This year we have worked with District Farm stakeholders in order to get a fully functional garden producing various crops and getting the dairy/beef barn up and running. The students have also spent time focusing on IPM practices for the fruit and nut orchards and learned how to prune all varieties of trees we have on the farm. This class has prepared our Farm Management students not only for a career in the agriculture sector but has helped build job skills they can apply no matter where their future paths may lead. Most importantly, students have learned the importance of agriculture and hard work that will last a lifetime. 

Pitman High School head of Maintenance and Operations Damon Coelho is working closely with Pitman High School volunteer Laura Brem to develop our District Farm Garden. As part of this development, dirt is being removed from the future pasture area which will ultimately double as our retainage basin for storm water from the front half of the property.

Crops that were planted in the Fall and Winter months are now ready for harvest: lettuce, collard greens, cabbage, onions, garlic, Swiss chard, and broccoli. The Farm Management classes will pick the produce and deliver them to the culinary arts classes; truly a Farm to Fork experience!

 

Spring is a time for planting at the Farm. Peppers, tomatoes and eggplants, that were planted in the greenhouse in February, are now being transplanted into the garden. With the help of the first graders, sunflowers, zinnias, and cosmos will create a haven for bees, butterflies, and ladybugs come mid-summer. The fruit and almond trees are thriving, and irrigation will begin within the week as the temperature starts heating up. A favorite for many come fall – pumpkins – will be planted the first of May. Stay tuned for updates on the giant pumpkin growing contest!

The TUSD Farm has hosted several elementary students this year, but the weeks of April 16-30 may have set a record! Nearly 1,000 first graders from our nine TUSD elementary schools visited the TUSD Farm for a fun and educational day. Ag students from Pitman and Turlock High School took shifts teaching at the following six stations:

·      Pig Barn

·      Composting Worm Beds

·      Seed Planting

·      Fruit Thinning

·      Beneficial Flower Garden Creation

·      Tractors

We are thankful our TUSD Farm was the setting for a fun-filled day that allowed students to get their hands dirty while learning the benefits of farming. Rumor has it that as students left the farm it whispered, “Ya’ll come back now, ya hear.”

Pitman High School is very grateful for the District Farm. Culinary Arts students had the opportunity to harvest fresh, seasonal produce throughout the school year. They then brought harvested items back to school and learned how to properly clean, store and preserve our locally grown bounty. The students next created delicious food to share with the Pitman staff. They made amazing salsas, jams, chutneys, salads and pies with students experiencing a true “Farm to Fork” experience. This opportunity also helped our students develop a sense of pride in the products they produced from the fruit of their own labors. Students also learned a new level of respect for agriculture and local farming. Pitman High School Culinary Arts looks forward to our continued partnership with the District Farm! 

Seventy-six local business representatives attended our Second Annual Business and Education Partnership Symposium on March 21. TUSD has received incredible support from many outstanding industry leaders over the past two years, and this event was used to recognize them for their work with TUSD. It also served to further demonstrate an ongoing need to sustain our partnerships to more effectively prepare our students for college or a career. Gallo Winery's Workforce Development Division shared how that company partners with local school districts to recruit and train high school graduates through their internship program. Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Heidi Lawler also shared our District's theme-based approach to learning. As a result, sixteen new business partners have expressed interest in creating opportunities for our students through paid or unpaid internships. Additionally, ten new business partners are interested in partnering with one of TUSD's theme-based schools. We look forward to making this event even better next year!

A big TUSD welcome to Bret Theodozio, our new Director of CTE and Program Equity for 2018-2019. Bret comes to TUSD with strong experiences related to agriculture, CTE, community and public service, and 8 years as Principal at Hilmar High School. Additionally, Bret was instrumental in developing a new School of Agriculture at Madera South High School that included a 20-acre school farm laboratory and mechanics shops. Bret’s connections within Stanislaus and surrounding counties is quite extensive. We are excited for Bret to join the TUSD team and we wish David Lattig well in his new gig as the TUSD Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources!