The National Association of Agricultural Educators, Inc.
300 Garrigus Building Lexington, KY 40546-0215
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –December 2012
Providence Grove High School Agriculture Teacher Selected for Educator Award
ATLANTA – Amy Kidd,agricultural educator at Providence Grove High School in Climax, N.C., is one of only six individuals nationwide who received the National Association of Agricultural EducatorsNational Agriscience Teacher of the Year Award on November 28 at the NAAE annual convention in Atlanta.
Kidd has been teaching agriculture for 15 years. Kidd has been the agriscience teacher at Providence Grove since its opening in 2008. She currently teaches over 200 students aboutagriscience, animal sciences, environmental/natural resources, biotechnology, and ag.mechanics.
Students in Kidd’s program use their leadership skills and agriculture knowledge to teach local third graders about the food process through the Food for America program, a nation-wide initiative designed to educate youth, peers and communities about the world of agriculture with the goal of increasing agriculture literacy.
“Agriscience is more than teaching about agriculture, it is developing leaders for tomorrow,” said Kidd.
This past year Kidd worked with the National FFA task force to develop the new Veterinary Science Career Development Event. She also worked with the North Carolina FFA Association to get the Vet Science CDE approved at the state level. To connect the CDE to classroom material, Kidd put together a team of teachers to write curriculum for a Veterinary Assistant course. This course will align with Veterinary Assistant standards from the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. Students who take this course will be qualified to obtain Veterinary Assistant certification.
“I feel that we have to constantly evolve as teachers in order to reach today’s students,” said Kidd. “We strive to include in our lessons new and emerging studies and applications to scientific principles of agriculture.”
Each of the six National Agriscience Teacher of the Year Award winners receiveda plaque, expense paid trip to attend the NAAE convention in Atlanta, and a $1500 grant to purchase agriscience supplies and equipment. National Agriscience Teacher of the Year Award winners were also recognized at a general session at the National FFA Convention in October. PotashCorp sponsors the National Agriscience Teacher of the Year Awardas a special project of the National FFA Foundation.
NAAE isthe professional association for agricultural educators. Its mission is “professionals providing agricultural education for the global community through visionary leadership, advocacy and service.” The NAAE office is located in Lexington, Ky.
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