harbinger Hereford
Volume V Issue IV
Hereford High School, Parkton, Maryland
www.herefordharbinger.org
February 2015
Photo by Emma Reider
Ag Department hosts dinner to discuss educational goals By Lisabeth Stewart
C
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ows. Corn. Tractors. All of these things may come to mind when you think of the Hereford Agricultural department, yet they are not all-inclusive words which can accurately describe such a vast department, one that has been threatened with elimination in the past. On Feb. 18, the Agriculture Department will be hosting a dinner for the Junior Gunpowder Club and the 3rd Gunpowder Agricultural Club. This will be the first time that Hereford High School will host the meeting. When the Ag program was in danger of elimination about 20 years ago, members of both clubs met with school officials, advocating to not only keep, but to expand agricultural programs, according to a Baltimore Sun article published Dec. 2008. Science Department chair Jean-Paul Bibaud, Agriculture teacher Chris Davis, and Principal Joe Jira attend both clubs’ monthly meetings, where they meet with farmers who stress the importance of agriculture within schools. At the dinner we are going “to show what we are doing at Hereford to
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support educational opportunities in Ag and related fields,” Bibaud said. The dinner will introduce the influential members of the agricultural community and BCPS administration to one another and inform them about the school’s continued dedication to promoting academic programs for all students within agriculture and related fields. This includes conveying how students with a desire to develop career and skillsbased educational experiences can prepare for college and/or post-secondary alternatives focused on trades and agriculture-based career opportunities. “I don’t come from an agricultural background, but I have come to find that agriculture surrounds you no matter where you come from” Emma Jacobs (’16) said. “Agriculture is about building something sustainable from nothing and allowing that project to grow into an opportunity. From the Hereford Ag department I have achieved skills that no other program in the school can give me. I have learned the importance of teamwork, I have learned how to be a leader, and most important, how to be a decent human being.” Other students such as Travis Reed (’18) said that the Ag department is so important to them be-
Inside
cause of how it can be applied to all aspects of life. “It is in everyone’s everyday life [whether it be] living on a farm, working on a farm, loving animals, or just eating every day,” he said. Superintendent Dr. Dallas Dance will attend as well as high-level administrators from the BCPS Career and Technology Education Department, including Douglas Handy, Coordinator for the Office of Career and Technology Education, Valerie Brennan, Alicia Fales, and MiVida Parham. “I was honored to be invited and to join the conversation of a group of people who are committed to farming and agriculture,” Dance said. “It will be a continued learning experience for me. Attending this dinner will allow me to meet those who are involved in and continue to promote an important aspect of living and working in our county.” Dance and the other administrators are responsible for planning school budgets, controlling teacher cuts, and allocating money to school departments. The goal of this open conversation between BCPS administrators and farmers is to encourage BCPS to continue to “provide opportunities to students in agriculture,” Bibaud said. DINNER continued on page 3.
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