By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
“What’s growing here?” That’s the type of question little kids might ask when they drive by a field with a crop they haven’t seen before. Educators are finding that such natural curiosity about growing things can be harnessed and utilized to enhance classroom education in a rural setting. Special thanks to Kansas Agri-Women President Jocelyn Busick, whose article told this remarkable story.
Natise Vogt is principal of Walton 21st Century Rural Life Center in Walton, Kansas. This is a charter school with a curriculum based on agriculture. It’s part of the Newton School District.
The school building has been in Walton since 1964, but most country schools have closed since that time, and budgets were tight.
Natise, a long-time special education teacher, became principal of Walton Elementary in 2005.
“Our superintendent, Dr. Morton , approached me with the idea of Walton becoming a charter school based on agriculture,” Natise said. “I told him no, I was just settling in, and besides, I’m a city girl. But we talked some more. The staff was 210 percent behind the idea. We decided to give it a try.”
They developed a proposal for Walton to become a charter school with an ag/tech, project-based curriculum. The proposal was approved in spring 2006, provided that the newly-organized school had to open that August.
“We worked like crazy,” Natise said. “We took special classes, ordered materials, and bought a greenhouse.” In August 2006, the school opened on time. It is named the Walton 21st Century Rural Life Center.
What is an agriculture-based curriculum? For example, the school hallways are decorated with buckets of wheat and soybeans. A bulletin board displays many small pairs of garden gloves.
The topic of agriculture is woven into each subject the students cover. One class learned about math and measurement units by measuring bean plants and tractor tires. Reading is emphasized through researching agriculture topics or writing letters to go with “Flat Stanley” to other children around the world.
Each class is paired with a farm family for the duration of the school year. The students go on a field trip to visit the farm, and the farmer also comes to visit the classroom.
Each class is also involved in a special project. For example, one class followed the life of three real pigs from insemination to meat on their plates. Another class raised chickens and then sold the eggs in the community. The projects vary depending on the grade. Some of the younger children did projects like “Tomato to Salsa” or “Milk to Ice Cream.” Older students applied technology in learning about wind turbines or soil testing. Their projects are summarized on display boards and featured at a spring community agriculture fair.
On the school grounds, one will find a playground plus a barn, greenhouse, vegetable garden, chicken house, and a sensory garden for kindergarteners – and Petey the goat.
The school is partnering with K-State Research and Extension - Harvey County. The kindergarten and first grade classes form their own 4-H club. This is an innovative model to provide the benefits of 4-H in new ways.
What are the results? Natise said, “It is absolutely wonderful. The kids have made incredible gains. We have met standard of excellence every year, every grade, and every subject. We’ve received the Governor’s achievement award twice for being in the top five percent of Kansas schools according to state assessment tests.”
That’s a remarkable achievement for a rural school. After all, Walton is a town of 287 people. Now, that’s rural. A town that size needs creativity to sustain a school.
“We have exceptional teachers who are dedicated to the kids. We believe hands-on, real-life learning is best,” Natise said.
“What’s growing here?” That’s the type of question that little kids might ask about growing crops. Educators in Walton have harnessed that curiosity to enhance the education provided by their school.
We commend Natise Vogt and all those involved with the Walton 21st Century Rural Life Center for making a difference with this creative curriculum. Here at this school, what’s growing is the kids and their learning.
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The mission of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development is to enhance rural development by helping rural people help themselves. The Kansas Profile radio series and columns are produced with assistance from the K-State Research and Extension Department of Communications News Unit. A photo of Ron Wilson is available at http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/news/sty/RonWilson.htm. Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at http://www.kansasprofile.com. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/huckboyd/.
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