MONTICELLO — Local students with an interest in agriculture, who are considering careers in farming, veterinary care, environmental science and more, will soon have some new course options at Monticello High School.
During its most recent meeting on Monday, June 17, the Monticello School Board gave it unanimous approval to four new classes for the 2024-25 school year.
Comprising a brand new agricultural-education department at MHS, the courses are Intro to Agriculture, Companion Animal Science, Energy and Natural Resources Science, and Unified Agriculture.
MHS Co-Principal Lori Hanson explained that a recently hired teacher will be leading the agricultural programming.
“We’ve hired Jacob Wilts, who is a very excited and dynamic young professional who wants to roll up his (sleeves) and build an ag program with us,” she said.
With the courses now approved, Wilts will spend time over the summer developing the curriculum and requirements, the principal said.
The new agriculture program was specifically designed to meet the needs and wants of students, Hanson said, with youths surveyed about their future career aspirations.
“We got to the ag world because we have two years of data that said agricultural education is in the top five in our high school students’ interest, under that career cluster model,” she said. “We know it’s an area that we want to start to tap into.”
More information collected just recently, during the last week of classes before summer break, only served to reinforce this.
“We were able to collect some data from our students right at the end of the school year … that helped us identify four courses,” she said. “We do have student data also that says these are high-interest areas. So we are coming to you knowing that these can be filled with current ninth- through 11th-graders.”
Three out of the four courses — Intro to Agriculture, Companion Animal Science and Energy and Natural Resources Science — will align with Minnesota Department of Education Career and Technical Education Framework, Hanson said.
The fourth course — Unified Agriculture — aligns with the school’s Unified program, which mixes special-needs students with general-education students.
“We feel like we’ve got some nice introductory options and know that these are options that our kids are looking for,” Hanson said.
Course descriptions
The Intro to Agriculture class, an elective open to all four grade levels, would likely be the first course to be offered, with the administration rolling it out in the fall, Hanson said.
“It gives a very foundational baseline exposure,” she said.
In this course, students will study the scope and makeup of agriculture and agribusiness.
Since there are more than 300 careers in agriculture, a considerable amount of time will be spent exploring career opportunities.
Students will also spend time learning about plants, animals, natural resources and food production, with hands-on activities to explore the many areas of agriculture.
The Companion Animal Science class, also open to all grades, is geared for those interested in careers like veterinary science, training, nutrition sales or research, as well as pet owners.
It will focus on the companion-animal industry, which includes the study of dogs, cats, fish, birds, rabbits, exotic animals and pets. Guest speakers will be incorporated into the class, and students will also have the opportunity to bring in their own pets.
In the Energy and Natural Resources Science course, open to grades 10 through 12, students will plan for the efficient use and preservation of land, water, wildlife and forests. There is a requisite for this, as students will have to have taken biology or honors biology, or else they may take one of these concurrently.
It will focus on topics like hunting or fishing preserves, safe usage initiatives, forest production and management, wildlife preservation and commercial use of natural resources.
Lastly, in Unified Agriculture, part of the school’s popular Unified program, general education students in grades 10 to 12 will be paired with special-education students in grades nine through 12.
In this course, students of all abilities will participate in developmentally appropriate activities focused on animal, plant and natural-resource topics. Students will work together to increase competence and confidence both individually and as a group, engaging in fun activities while building relationships.
Members of the Monticello School Board expressed excitement about the new agricultural programming.
“I think it’s great,” said board member Jeff Hegle. “I think it’s a group of students that we probably aren’t meeting some of their needs and some of their interests. I think it’s important. I mean, every school used to have this 15 to 20 years ago.”
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