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Oklahoma Agriculture in the Classroom

Teachers


2024 National Excellence in Teaching Agriculture Award Winner

JJennifer Crosthwait

Congratulations, Jennifer Crosthwait, 2024 National Excellence in Teaching Agriculture Award.
Jennifer Crosthwait Jennifer Crosthwait was selected as the 2024 National Excellence in Teaching Agriculture Award.

Jennifer Crosthwait, a kindergarten teacher at Skyline Elementary in Stillwater, has been selected for the 2024 National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award. Crosthwait is one of eight teachers across the United States who received the honor.

The National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization (NAITCO), U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), and Farm Credit partner each year to honor teachers in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (Pre-K-12) from around the country for the innovative ways they use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, science, social studies, STEM, STEAM and more.

Jennifer shares some aspects of agriculture that she incorporates in her classroom, "I did research on the benefits of animals at school for education and emotional support; then started the process to bring chickens to our Skyline School Farm. We began with a small farm. We had a raised bed garden and cistern watering system that had been vandalized, so we cleaned it up and secured it for use with a donation of a privacy fence that can be locked. Now, we house our three hens on our farm, and our students care for them daily. An invitation was extended to the whole school to be involved in the care and maintenance of the chickens. My class makes sure all jobs have been completed for the day. We check for eggs, make sure our hens have water and feed, and their coop is clean and secured for the evening. By doing these tasks, the students are learning responsibility, animal husbandry and what animals need to survive. This is also one of our state science standards. I continually work to gather what we need for our farm by acquiring donations and grants for the items needed for the farm to flourish. This includes tools for our garden, such as wheelbarrows, composter, bins for planting, work gloves, shovels, hoes, potting soil, a rain barrel and vermicomposting bin with worms. It also includes materials for our hens such as a coop, feed pans, water pans, and bedding , and shovels for cleaning. These needed items for the farm were bought through funds from the Oklahoma Pork Council Grant, Donors Choose, Whole Kids gardening grant, and Stillwater Public Education Foundation. Our class has been blessed with community members donating time to mow and help clear the weeds in our farm over the summer. We also sell some eggs to make money to keep our hens fed. The students drop off full cartons in the teachers lounge and check for money or empty cartons at the end of the week. The students are in charge of counting and adding the money and delivering the money to the office to be added to our Farm account."

"We are so excited Jennifer was chosen as a 2024 National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award winner," said Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom State Coordinator Emily Ague. "Jennifer's passion for agriculture shines in her classroom and throughout her Ag in the Classroom experience."

Crosthwait is also the 2023 Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year.

"Jennifer is constantly creating new experiences for her students," said Ague. "She has incorporated a garden and chickens into her classroom, while also teaching her students the importance of giving back to their own community."

To learn more about Ag in the Classroom curriculum, visit https://oklahoma.agclassroom.org/ or contact Emily Ague, an Oklahoma AITC coordinator, at (405) 885-1851.