Linda Chase, agriculture instructor and FFA advisor at Wellington High School was recognized as one of four Fellows by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture.

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture teamed up with Grow with Google to bolster agricultural education curriculum through the Farm Bureau Foundation Fellows Program, a unique fellowship that allows educators in rural or agricultural regions to teach students where their food comes from.

“Digital skills are increasingly becoming a prerequisite for jobs in today’s economy, yet students in rural areas in particular often don’t have access to the resources that will set them up for success, such as broadband access and program instruction,” Daniel Meloy, executive director of the Foundation, says. “We hope this program empowers teachers to introduce their students to the exciting world of agriculture, while also teaching them an array of technical skills.”

Over the course of the eight-month program, Fellows developed place-based curriculum that incorporates agriculture, technology and key digital skills into Applied Digital Skills lessons.

“It’s an honor to be a Fellow,” Chase says. “I was able to take a project that’s important to our area, the Kansas Wheat Festival, and create a lesson plan around marketing the festival.”

Chase’s lesson plan can be viewed at https://applieddigitalskills.withgoogle.com/c/en/rural.

“She’s an amazing teacher and her students are always engaged,” Adam Hatfield, USD 353 superintendent, says. “She’s been here for 13 years and continues to grow the ag program.”

In addition to helping the Fellows develop the curriculum, Grow with Google provided 35 Chromebooks and accessories for Chase to use in her classroom. “These can be used as a laptop or a tablet,” Chase says. “So students can use them in the classroom and on the shop floor.”

To learn more about the Fellows and fellowship, go to https://www.agfoundation.org/projects/fellowship.