Meaghan Porritt, a fourth-grade teacher at Lewiston Elementary, has been selected as Utah's recipient of the 2022 Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award.

As a recipient of three Utah Agriculture in the Classroom $500 awards, Meaghan has infused her curriculum with embryology and aquaponics. Her students' love for embryology has spread throughout the school and has now become a yearly tradition for all 4th graders at Lewiston Elementary. This year, her current $500 classroom award will educate students about food production and the variety of ways in which food can be grown throughout the world.

Through additional funding from the Utah STEM Action Center, Meaghan has developed and incorporated "STEM Starts" which take place each school day before the opening bell rings. Her students each read an "Ag Challenge" and use a variety of materials to create solutions. Her students then learn about the current solution(s) to the problem and explore ideas to improve the practice.

"Agriculture opens opens up a world of opportunities for my students. When experiencing agriculture as the context for learning, students achieve so much more because they are invested."
Utah Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) awarded ten $500 awards to Utah pre-kindergarten through 12th grade core education teachers whose innovative classroom projects use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, healthy lifestyles, science, or social studies. 

The purpose of the Utah AITC Classroom Award is to encourage teachers to use agricultural concepts to teach core subject areas. It is designed to fund projects that will educate Utah Pre-K—12 students about the importance of agriculture.

Utah AITC 2021-2022 Classroom Award Recipients:
  • Meaghan Porritt, Lewiston Elementary, "Feeding the World"
  • Carla van Oene, Windridge Elementary, "Growing with the Greenhouse"
  • Tiffany Porter, Crimson View Elementary, "Growing Cotton"
  • Jen Kool, DaVinci Academy Elementary, "School Sharing Garden"
  • Faria Shao, Uintah Elementary, "What do plants need to grow?"
  • Jayden Beagley, Westlake High School, "High School Produce Garden"
  • Kathryn Smith, Layton Elementary, "The First Step in Ecosystems-Sunlight Transfers Energy to Plants"
  • Jana Maw, Hooper Elementary, "Mr. Zuckerman's Farm"
  • Malinda Broadbent, Manila High School, "Reclamation Station"
  • Nicole Hopkins, Viewpoint Middle School, "Embryology"
Registration is open for three NEW nutrition workshops in February!

The Crops in the Classroom workshops are developed for 3rd-5th grade teachers in Utah. Each workshop includes instruction and hands-on learning activities that use Utah's specialty crops to teach Utah's Core Standards in health and nutrition.
Each attendee will receive USBE relicensure hours and a resource box (worth $150) filled with lessons, kits, books, and specialty crop samples. Lunch is provided, and the cost of a teacher's substitute will be reimbursed. There is no cost to attend the workshop.
Utah Agriculture in the Classroom's Summer Agriculture Institute will take place June 8-9, 2022. This institute is open to teachers of all grade levels. Join us as we trek across northern Utah and discover the farm-to-table journey of Utah agriculture products!
Join us in New York! The National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference will be held June 28-July 1, 2022, in Saratoga Springs, New York.

For more information on upcoming registration, click on the link below.
Help us continue providing programs and materials that promote awareness and understanding of agriculture among Utah's educators and students.