Embedded Files
REFLECTIONS ON THE 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR
Despite being faced with multiple physical and mental challenges resulting from summer 2016, I was able to make it through the 2016-17 school year, have a record year and win the two top ag teacher awards for the state. I am grateful for a supportive administration that made this possible.
SLO - Student Learning Objective 2016-17
12th Grade Saline students (multi-year) will show progress toward earning their State FFA Degree and the six articulated general university credits to Michigan State University by December 31, 2016. GOAL is to increase the percentage of seniors earning the State FFA Degree and MSU college credit.
SELF REFLECTIONS ON GROWTH:
The strategy of monthly monitoring student progress using the Ag Experience Tracker to see what area each senior is missing toward their State Degree and projecting it up on the screen was effective. It gave the students an opportunity to do monthly goal setting and preventative maintenance to fulfill the requirements for the 6 MSU Credits by the December 31 cut off. This was key to achieving 100% with Saline students. The same strategy was incorporated with the Juniors working on their state Outstanding Junior Award which is the prelude to the State Degree and 6 MSU Credits. I will continue to use this strategy on a monthly basis to improve results.
GROWTH TARGETS
September 2016 - 35% Qualified - Actual 50%
October 2016 - 45% Qualified - Actual 60%
November 2016 - 55% Qualified - Actual 70%
December 2016 - 65% Qualified - Actual 80%
January 8th - 75% or more Qualified - Actual 92.3% SWWC, 100% Saline Only.
ACTUAL RESULTS AS OF JANUARY 8, 2017
12 of the 13 completer (including SWWC) Seniors earned their State FFA Degree & MSU 6 Articulated General University Credits at MSU
Final Percentage: 92.3%
Goal: 75%
+ or - Goal: Exceeded S.L.O. Goal by: 17.3%+
The 13th Senior was a SWWC (non-Saline) return Senior that lacked the hours for hands on experience and did not participate in at least 5 FFA activities above local level because of lack of effort.
Of the 11 SALINE Senior Completers of both Botany & Zoology:
- 100% Earned the State Degree & 6 MSU College Credits
- Exceeding S.L.O. Goal by 25%
NAMES OF THE 12 SENIORS:
GREENHOUSE Improvement
This year the greenhouse became self sustaining rather than relying on SWWC Budget
All consumable materials such as soil, pots, plugs, repairs under $250 and fertilizer was paid for by Saline FFA
Only electricity, heat and major repairs are the responsibility of the school as a learning lab classroom.
It has taken several years of correcting major problems to get to this point. So this I see as a major achievement.
Harvest Elementary was involved in the planting of plugs in March. Each student got a hanging basket plant to take home in May so they could see their results.
OTHER AREAS OF QUALITY INDICATORS
Domain - 1 - Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
Field Experiences
Fall Chapter Officer State Leadership Camp - Attended by 12 Chapter Officers
National FFA Convention, Indianpolis, Indiana - 18 Students
Our State Winning Agriscience Fair Team Placed National Silver at Nationals
State Broiler Contest Trip to Munsell's Poultry Processing Plant
6 Gold, 2 Silver State Awards
1,2,3,4th Place
State FFA Convention - Michigan State University - results below
State Career Development Events - Michigan State University - All students
Use of Internet Resources
All students record hands on work experiences and leadership activities in theAET.com
Saline ag program ranked #1 in Michigan, 5th in the USA
Completers earn online industry certificates via iCEVonline.com
Returning SWWC seniors take Botany online vis iCEVonline with hands on lab
Students utilize Ag Explorer through FFA.org
Professional Learning Groups & Organizations
Teacher is a member of the Michigan Association of Agriscience Educators (MAAE)
Serves on Financial & Political Advocacy Committees
Teacher was given the MAAE Del Huber Professionalism Award
Teacher was awarded 2017 Michigan Outstanding Ag Teacher by MSU
Michigan FFA Board of Directors
Teacher represents 24 high schools in SE Michigan (Region 2) on state FFA governing board.
Michigan State University Professional Development Institute
Teacher trains in-service ag teachers at Fall & Summer PDIs for MSU/MAAE
Teacher stays current by attending inservice training offered by MSU
Domain #2 The Classroom Environment
Organization & Recycling
Teacher spent a minimum of 1 hour per week organizing, rearranging by season and recycling outdated materials
25% more space was liberated in the storage loft
This is an ongoing effort.
The Greenhouse was rearranged, leaks fixed and irrigation system/injection system reprogrammed for full production
100% of irrigation sites were utilized to produce apx 350 hanging baskets of petunias
40 baskets were donated to elementary school groups touring the facility.
Students conducted 2nd Annual plant sale after school and weekends for 8 days
Domain #3 - Instruction - Engaging Students in Learning
Students utilizing online resources and evaluation methods to engage learning in agriculture
9 desktop computers were maintained with MS Office and online access
Improved Wireless access was established in the classroom for BYOD
Students were required to journal a minimum of 8 hours and skills developed at least once per month for hands on work based experiences.
All students have built a resume using theAET.com
All students have identified an ag career of interest utilizing Ag Explorer via FFA.org
All students are accessing iCEVonline to access multimedia and online assessments to supplement learning.
All 2nd year and up students developed an online portfolio and submitted a state proficiency award application to the state.
1st year students started their portfolio to submit to the state in December 2016
All students submitted an online portfoilio by April 30, 2017 for judging locally by the ag advisory council.
Domain #4 - Professional Responsibilities
Communicating with Families - Establish multiple ways to communicate student progress and achievement to families
The SalineFFA.com website is updated each term
A Saline FFA Facebook page has been established and has become the the #1 way to get the word out to members, parents and the Washtenaw County agriculture community.
Postings are updated at least weekly by chapter officers and teacher
Members and ideas are showcased.
A monthly email or text message goes out to students and their parents who are not keeping current with their AET record keeping.
Grades are updated at least weekly on Power School.
Phone calls and emails are returned by the end of the next business day.
80th Annual FFA Banquet hosted apx 300 community members...a record
A Saline FFA video was created by Ethan Hoelzer,posted on our webpage and on social media.
The Saline Post, publishes at least one news article per term.
The Washtenaw Ag Boosters Ag Advisor Committee met 4 times. Twice the minimum of 2 required by the state.
2016- 2017 SALINE RESULTS DATA
NATIONAL LEVEL
WYATT GORDON – AMERICAN FFA DEGREE
DAISY LUPA & COURTNEY LUCAS – SILVER – NATIONAL AG SCIENCE FAIR
RYAN LUCKHARDT – BRONZE - NATIONAL AG SCIENCE FAIR
STATE LEVEL
MICHIGAN ZERO TURN MOWER SAFETY & OPERATING CONTEST
RICHARD POET – STATE WINNER, JACOB RINGLE 4TH
MICHIGAN POULTRY IMPROVEMENT BROILER CONTEST
GOLD: RYAN LUCKHARDT-STATE WINNER
CARSON SCHUON 2ND, CODY ROEHM 3RD, CHRISSY POLZIN 4TH,
AG BIOLOGY CLASS-16TH TIE, KAITLYN HIGGINS 16TH TIE
SILVER: AMANDA JEDELE & DUSTIN DRAKE TEAM 32ND
STATE LEADERSHIP CONTESTS
KRISTIN KLAGER-PUBLIC SPEAKING – GOLD
MICHIGAN FARM BUREAU YOUTH DISCUSSION MEET
KRISTIN KLAGER – STATE WINNER
STATE PROFICIENCY AWARDS
AG MECHANICS: JACOB KINGSLEY-SILVER, JACOB RINGLE –SILVER, CARSON SCHUON- SILVER
AG SALES:REBECCA SMITH-SILVER, BEEF PRODUCTION: RYAN LUCKHARDT-GOLD, DEREK HOELZER-SILVER, KRISTIN KLAGER-SILVER, SHELBY COMPTON-BRONZE, MAKENZIE MARION-BRONZE, MICHAELA MAYNARD-BRONZE, DAIRY PRODUCTION ENT: MASON HORNING-GOLD, DAIRY PRODUCTION PLACEMENT: MASON HORNING-GOLD, CHRISSY POLZIN-BRONZE, DIVERSIFIED LIVESTOCK ENT/PLACEMENT: MASON HORNING-GOLD, RICHARD POET SILVER, SOFIA ROSE-BRONZE, EQUINE SCIENCE ENT/PLCM: MAGGIE FINN-GOLD, COURTNEY LUCAS-GOLD, FOREST MANAGEMENT: EAN GEERING, LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT: ETHAN HOELZER-SILVER, TAYLAR GUINDON-SILVER, POULTRY PRODUCTION: MATTHEW COLEMAN-GOLD, ABIGAIL ACKLING-SILVER, CHRISSY POLZIN-SILVER, SHEEP PRODUCTION: CODY ROEHM-GOLD, MAKENZIE MARION-BRONZE,
VETERINARY SCIENCE: ELI MARSH-BRONZE
STATE DEGREES & 6 MSU COLLEGE CREDITS
SILVER OUTSTANDING STATE DEGREE – DEREK HOELZER, KRISTIN KLAGER, JACOB RINGLE
REGULAR STATE DEGREE – MAKENZIE FREEMAN, EAN GEERING, TAYLAR GUINDON, JACOB KINGSLEY, ELI MARSH, MICHAELA MAYNARD, HAILEY ROOF, ALLIE SMITH, REBECCA SMITH
STATE OUTSTANDING JUNIOR AWARD
ABIGAIL ACKLING, MORGAN BERGREN, MATTHEW COLEMAN, MAGGIE FINN, COURTNEY LUCAS, DAISY LUPA, MAKENZIE MARION, RICHARD POET, CHRISSY POLZIN, CODY ROEHM, SOFIA ROSE, CARSON SCHUON
STATE ARTHUR BERKEY AGRISCIENCE FAIR PARTICIPANTS
ANASTASIA FREDERICK – STATE WINNER - PLANT RESEARCH 9TH GRADE
DUSTIN DRAKE & AMANDA JEDELE TEAM – STATE WINNER - ANIMAL RESEARCH 9TH GRADE
STATE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARDS
SILVER: MORGAN BERGREN, MATTHEW COLEMAN, KRISTIN KLAGER, COURTNEY LUCAS, DAISY LUPA,
CODY ROEHM, BRONZE: MAKENZIE MARION, MICHAELA MAYNARD
STATE AG SKILLS CONTESTS
VET SKILLS TEAM
SILVER: COURTNEY LUCAS, MORGAN BERGREN, KATHLEEN ROLESON, JOCELYN CHAMPAGNE
DAIRY FOODS JUDGING TEAM
SILVER: MICHAELA MAYNARD, MATT COLEMAN, SAMANTHA STURT, ELAINA DUNN
ENVIRONMENTAL SKILLS TEAM
GOLD: REBECCA SMITH, EAN GEERING, JESSE HILDEBRANDT, SHELBY COMPTON, ALLIE SMITH
FOREST MANAGEMENT SKILLS TEAM
SILVER: JACOB RINGLE, DEREK HOELZER, MAKENZIE MARION, ABBY ACKLING, AMBER RICE
POULTRY JUDGING TEAM
SILVER: HANNAH EVERS, NICHOLAS SIGLER, COLIN MITCHELL, CHRISSY POLZIN, COLE PELTON
2017 MICHIGAN - STATE OUTSTANDING AGRICULTURE EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR
MR. DAVID MELLOR, SALINE - SWWC
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REFLECTION ON THE 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR
Saline is ranked 1st in Michigan out of 120 Michigan schools by The Ag Experience Tracker (www.theAET.com) for Student Supervised Ag Experience Programs in:
Number of AET Badges (Quality of SAEs)
Number of Hours of Experience Journaled
Number of SAE's per student
Saline is ranked 7th in the Nation out of more than 5,000 ag programs in the USA for SAE-AET program records and won a $1,000 Grant from TheAET.
Saline won 35 State Proficiency Awards, more than any other school in Michigan.
2 National FFA $1,000 SAE Grant Recipients - Derek Hoelzer and Sydney Gordon
2 State Finalists for Star State Degree in Placement and Entrepreneurship
1 State Winner in Grain Production Placement, now competing in the Eastern Region for 18 states Garrett Marion
7 State Gold $100 Awards for Proficiencies
2 State Winning Projects in the Arthur Berkey State Ag Science Fair Going to Indy in October
O'Hara Chrysler sponsored a $1,000 National FFA Scholarship - Alyssa Luckhardt
Diuble Equipment sponsored a $1,000 AGCO National FFA Scholarship - Cassidy Polzin
Bill Brown Ford Truck National Scholarship $1,000 - Carl Tighe
Domain - 1 - Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
Field Experiences
Fall Chapter Officer State Leadership Camp - Attended by 12 Chapter Officers
National FFA Convention, Louisville, Kentucky - 18 Students
Our State Winning Nursery Landscape Team won National Bronze
State Broiler Contest Trip to Munsell's Poultry Processing Plant
9 Gold, 2 Silver State Awards
District Leadership Contests - LVT - Results above
Regional Leadership Contests - Saline - Results above
State FFA Convention - Michigan State University - results above
State Career Development Events - Michigan State University - All students
Use of Internet Resources
All students record hands on work experiences and leadership activities in theAET.com
Saline ag rogram ranked #1 in Michigan, 7th in the USA
Records now transfer to state 7 National award and scholarship forms
Completers earn online industry certificates via iCEVonline.com
Returning SWWC seniors take Botany online vis iCEVonline with hands on lab
Students utilize Career Cruiser through FFA.org
Professional Learning Groups & Organizations
Teacher is a member of the Michigan Association of Agriscience Educators (MAAE)
Serves on Financial & Political Advocacy Committees
Michigan FFA Board of Directors
Teacher represents 24 high schools in SE Michigan (Region 2) on state FFA governing board.
Michigan State University Professional Development Institute
Teacher trains in-service ag teachers at Fall & Summer PDIs for MSU/MAAE
Teacher stays current by attending inservice training offered by MSU
FDA-CFSAN - Food & Drug Administration Center for Food Safety & Nutrition
Teacher conducts inservice training for teachers in Science & Our Food Supply" Curriculum
Domain #2 The Classroom Environment
Organization & Recycling
Teacher spent a minimum of 1 hour per week organizing, rearranging by season and recycling outdated materials
25% more space was liberated in the storage loft
This is an ongoing effort.
The Greenhouse was rearranged, leaks fixed and irrigation system/injection system reprogrammed for full production
100% of irrigation sites were utilized to produce apx 350 hanging baskets of petunias
50 baskets were donated to elementary school groups touring the facility.
Students conducted first ever plant sale after school and weekends for 8 days
Domain #3 - Instruction - Engaging Students in Learning
Students utilizing online resources and evaluation methods to engage learning in agriculture
9 desktop computers were maintained with MS Office and online access
Improved Wireless access was established in the classroom for BYOD
Students were required to journal a minimum of 8 hours and skills developed at least once per month for hands on work based experiences.
All students have built a resume using theAET.com
All students have identified an ag career of interest utilizing career cruiser via FFA.org
All students are accessing iCEVonline to access multimedia and online assessments to supplement learning.
All 2nd year and up students developed an online portfolio and submitted a state proficiency award application to the state.
1st year students started their portfolio to submit to the state in December 2016
All students submitted an online portfoilio by April 30, 2016 for judging locally by the ag advisory council.
Domain #4 - Professional Responsibilities
Communicating with Families - Establish multiple ways to communicate student progress and achievement to families
The SalineFFA.com website is updated each term
A Saline FFA Facebook page has been established and has become the the #1 way to get the word out to members, parents and the Washtenaw County agriculture community.
Postings are updated at least weekly by chapter officers and teacher
Members and ideas are showcased.
A monthly email or text message goes out to students and their parents who are not keeping current with their AET record keeping.
Grades are updated at least weekly on Power School.
Phone calls and emails are returned by the end of the next business day.
79th Annual FFA Banquet hosted apx 300 community members...a record
A Saline FFA video was created by Ethan Hoelzer,posted on our webpage and on social media.
The Saline Post, publishes at least one news article per term.
The Washtenaw Ag Boosters Ag Advisor Committee met 4 times. Twice the minimum of 2 required by the state.
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REFLECTION ON THE 2014-15 SCHOOL YEAR
The program passed it's 5 year TRAC evaluation by the state MDE with flying colors
Articulation was developed with Michigan State University for 6 credits for program completors with the State Degree.
A record number of in-school and post secondary active FFA members (80) resulted in 3 voting delegates and 3 teams per Career Development Event expanding potential for student hands-on experience in leadership and skills.
17 skills teams were trained and entered in state level skills contests.
1 State Proficiency Award winner - Equine Science - Stesha Payne - Lincoln
1 American FFA Degree - Bill Poet
12 officers were elected for the 2015-16 school year
O'Hara Chrysler sponsored a $1,000 National FFA Scholarship - Erica Drake
Diuble Equipment sponsored a $1,000 AGCO National FFA Scholarship - Kelsey Olberg - Chelsea HS
TSC National FFA Scholarship $1,000 - Adam Roehm
Botany Plant Science
Students from the Botany Plant Science Class won the Michigan Nursery Landscape Contest which will result in training a team to represent Michigan in October 2015 at National FFA Convention
A USDA Grant was used to purchase 9 Tower Gardens to utilize vertical space for student hands on experience in growing food. These replace the aging drip system mentioned last year.
Saline FFA won the March National Hunger Heros Challenge for efforts to provide fresh produce and non perishable food to culinary arts and Food Gatherers.
Adam Roehm became 1 of 7 students in the state to become CGIP certified by the MNLA
Grounds was able to repair the greenhouse drip system. However we had to wait to put plants in the greenhouse because of a late spring and lack of propane to heat the greenhouse.
Zoology-Animal Science
A new feed was tested for the Broiler project resulting in11 state trophies.
A student won the state proficiency award in Equine Science
After TRAC evaluation, a plan was developed to use iCEVonline to insure SWWC schools coming to 2nd and 5th periods could complete the Botany class and become completors for the new 6 MSU Credits.
Ag Biology
Sponsorship of the safe tractor operation course was continued by Diuble Equipment.
REFLECTION ON THE 2013-14 SCHOOL YEAR
Botany Plant Science class made incredible strides in working as independent teams to accomplish management of several simultaneous plant growing projects and equipment.
New for this year was the purchase of a Gorilla brand 5' x 9' grow tent where students grew cherry tomatoes for the Culinary Arts Program in a system designed and built by Stealth Hydroponics of Milan, Michigan. Each day they monitored water chemistry such as pH and electroconductivity of the nutrient solution and made management decisions based on the data collected. The tent allowed students to control the length of photoperiod and color of light to maximize flowing and tomato production. In addition students learned how to control temperature within the unit using HID-HPS lamps donated by Pittsfield Township Police.
New for this year was the donation of a Vortex Brewer ($2,000 value) which makes a live organic fertilizer rich with beneficial bacteria and fungi. For it to work properly, we needed Chlorine free water to allow the beneficial biologicals to grow. A high volume Chlorine filter was leased from American Aqua in Saline to accomplish this purpose. The result was students could grow organic produce and compare it to produce grown with syntheic fertilizers and Chlorinated water.
The Greenhouse produced it's 2nd crop of hanging baskets, but the long hard winter delayed planting to keep heating costs within budget. The week of May 15th we were invaded by aphids which caused a loss of half the crop. Limited by what could be applied to control the problem and still be non-toxic, this will have to be a topic of research this fall to make some pro-active management decisions in the plan for 2014-15 by my advanced students.
The drip system hydro systems have made it 10 years by patching them together and will need to be replaced to produce lettuce and basil.
A pair of students from this class won the engineering division of the state ag science fair.
A $6,000 grant was won from the USDA for the 2014-15 school year to teach students about growing fresh produce.
Animal Science -Zoology classes
Completed installation of 4 bat houses purchased as kits locally from the Bat Conservation Society in Bloomfield Hills on the south main pond to help cut down the mosquito population. Students had to research position, height to mount them and make management decision about what materials to purchase to mount and erect them. Student who had never held a tool before, learned how to assemble the kits and worked as teams to get the 20 ft tall 4" x 6" into the ground with cement as ballast.
Completed installation of 8 bluebird houses purchased as kits locally from Junga Ace Hardware on the south main pond to help improve wildlife diversity. Students had to research position, height to mount them and make management decision about what materials to purchase to mount and erect them. Student who had never held a tool before, learned how to assemble the kits and worked as teams to get the 10 ft tall 4" x 4" poles into the ground with cement as ballast. Because of the loss of 9 snow days it was decided to purchase them pre-assembled, rather than build them from scratch
About $2,500 worth of power tools were purchased locally from Junga Ace Hardware using the RYD-USDA Living to Serve Wetlands Grant. These tools allowed students hands on life skill experience in safe operation and fabricate a number of animal and plant projects.
Students researched broiler chickens and discovered that there was research that linked Chlorinated water to congestive heart failure in chickens. They made a management decision to immediately put all 50 chickens on filtered water to prevent this possible issue. A management decision was made to switch feed companies next year to see if the Ross 708 birds respond better than the brand we have used at school based a superior results other students are getting using the same birds and another brand feed.
Ag Biology class
Again Diuble Equipment has provided a tractor and trailer to help certify 14-15 year old students on Tractor Operation & Safety for employment on farms in the area.
Two students won the plant science research division at the Michigan FFA state convention.
Reflection on the 2012-2013 School Year
See file below: Our Students had a $38,421 economic impact of volunteer hours improving the environment for 2012-13
Teaching has become very data driven and part of our evaluation. Because of this I chose to start pre and post testing of students based on state curriculum criteria to gauge learning of core components and industry standards.
Ag Biology Data was measured by testing for what biological knowledge students were entering the classroom with from their middle school and what they were exiting with by using a version of the Saline standardized biology final exams.
Botany Data was measured using the MNLA (Michigan Nursery Landscape Association) Certified Nurseryman Exam to gauge learning of employable skills and knowledge based on industry standards.
Zoology Data was measured using questions from the Michigan Veterinary Skills Career Development Event Exam to gauge learning of employable skills and knowledge based on industry standards.
The Results of this Data are posted at the bottom of the: "About This Program" Page. The numbers speak for themselves.
New for 2012-13 School Year.
Based on requests from the Ag Advisory Committee, I have reintroduced safety training on Tractor Operation & Equipment Safety. There is a shortage of 14-15 year old youth in the community properly trained to operate farm equipment and green industry equipment.
I piloted the new National "Gearing Up for Safety" for the State of Michigan developed by Purdue University and the US Department of Labor
22 - 14-15 year old students in the Ag Biology class completed the 3 week curriculum, passed the certification written exam and the tractor obstacle course.
They were issued US Department of Labor Certificates of Training for successfully completing the course. This certificate allows them to legally work on farms besides their family farm operating Class I & II equipment tasks on the farm or green industry like nursery, garden centers and landscape businesses. Employers are able to submit these certificates to their insurance agent for discounts on their policies.
In addition, 35 - 16 year old and older students were trained on the Tractor Operations Obstacle course.
One 16 year old youth was immediately hired by Pittsfield Parks & Rec Department for the summer because of this training and another by Lodi Farms Nursery.
The Greenhouse - I fired up the greenhouse with about 100 potted plants and hanging baskets to work out the bugs before going into full production. I discovered only the overhead lines of the irrigation system were working. Hopefully we can trouble shoot this problem this fall in-house or hire an expert in the community to assist us before November.
Hanging baskets were given out as door prizes at the FFA Banquet
Botany students got to take home some plants to parents and the rest of the plants were given out to staff as a good will gesture.
Agriscience Fair - Ag students were encouraged to enter the state agriscience fair. Seven entered with two entries being named state winners which will go to nationals in October.
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