Christina Littlefield, Lanie Buskin, Greg Hung, and Michelle Dutton

The team’s innovative teaching idea, “AG Based Learning Environment,” focuses on engaging the students at Molly Ockett School in a cross-curricular approach to learn in a nontraditional educational setting. With the Voya grant, the team’s goal is to increase educational outcomes through experimental learning. Agricultural-based learning was first introduced as a trial period in which students visited local farms, learned about soil, grew vegetables, observed changes and transplanted the plants to an outdoor location. This program was very well received, and the students flourished in this hands-on environment. With the Voya grant, the school’s district has granted permission to create a full curriculum out of this concept. This newly founded Agricultural Based Learning Environment (ABLE) curriculum will enable students to learn the fundamentals of plant, earth and animal science through a practical and hands-on experience.