Embedded Files
Welcome to the 2024/2025 School Year!!
April Recap
Zookeeper Field Trip
⇛ Mrs. Spain’s Zoo and Exotics class visited Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro yesterday. They participated in making diets and environmental enrichment for the animals. They also got to hear from the head zookeeper about the different aspects of working in zoos.
Kennel Club Spring Match
⇛ The Annual Kennel Club Spring Match was also held and the weather held out for a beautiful day on the lawn! The Spring Match is the final exam for students taking Canine Breeds and Handling classes as well as Canine Health and Behavior classes. In addition to mandatory classes, students may also enter additional classes for continued learning or for fun! Anyone in any grade is also allowed to participate in a number of events at the Spring Match! Full results for the dog show will be released in next week’s column so stay tuned for more!
Spring Transplants
⇛ With the beginning of spring, the plant department is excited to shift things into full gear, From transplanting lettuce plants to repotting seedlings, and even harvesting asparagus, things are really starting to look alive in the greenhouse for the plant sale and the growing season!
Spring Cow Show
⇛ The Annual Spring Cow Show was rejuvenated for the first time in several years! Twelve student participants have been practicing after school several days a week for the past two months in preparation for this event. Teachers and staff dedicating their time and expertise to these students were Mrs. Lemist, Mr. Cunningham, Evan Maietta, and Mrs. Baronas. This year’s event was only open to junior and senior participants, but after this year’s success, the show plans to open up to additional grades for next year! Students participated in two events each, Fitting and Showmanship. The fitting showmanship champion was Ava Walter with Sierra and Reserve champion was Hailey Good with Fresca. The showmanship champion was Hailey Good with Fresca and Reserve champion was Johanna Barber with Cherokee. Taking the most points between the two categories and the title of the 2023 Spring Show Overall Champion was Hailey Good with her Simmental cow Fresca. In addition to student participants, there was also a staff class of Moo-sical cows! Ten contestants entered the ring in two waves. The top two winners of the first round were Mr. Lee and Mr. Stupak and the top two winners of the second round were Mrs. Green and Mr. Catania. Ultimately, Mr. Catania claimed victory and earned himself the perpetual belt buckle and a year of bragging rights! Closing out the event was the Kiss-a-Pig fundraiser that had Principal Van Rotz and Vice Principal Demoura giving a piglet a smooch! Congratulations to all participants and event coordinators for a fantastic show!! And a special thank you to Rachel Thebeau for donating time to judge the show!
Waffle and Pancake Party
⇛ Mrs. Collins and Mr. Stone hosted their annual environmental waffle and pancake party to taste our Aggie’s own homemade maple syrup! One part of the Freshmen environmental curriculum each year is to tap maple trees, collect sap, and then cook the sap off into maple sugar. This waffle and pancake party allows freshmen students to try the maple syrup that they personally helped make. Junior environmental students, some plant science students, and teachers also had the opportunity to try the maple syrup. Upon asking both teacher and students, the overall consensus was that the maple syrup was delicious!
Whale Watch
⇛ All Marine Science majors and interested marine science club members were invited to a Whale Watch with Captain John’s based out of Plymouth, MA! It was a very exciting day as several whale and dolphin species made appearances! This is an annual trip, so if you want to attend next year, be sure to join the Marine Science Club!
Animal Adventures
⇛ During X-block, the Veterinary Science club had people from Animal Adventures in Bolton, MA come in and show us some animals! Aside from the bush baby and the alligator snapping turtle, students were even allowed to touch the exotic animals! Some of the fan-favorite animals were a North American porcupine, an armadillo, a fennec fox, an albino Burmese python, a kinkajou, and an American alligator.
NCAHS Vet Club & BSAC Partnership
⇛ The NCAHS Vet Club has been working with the Bay State Animal Cooperative. The rescue currently has a large number of cats that are in long-term care. To support BSAC, the NCAHS Vet Club will share the cats that are in long-term care to raise awareness for the rescue. You can donate through the BSAC website: https://www.baystateanimals.org/.
Marine Life Training
⇛ Marine Life II students have been learning about marine mammal training. Since aren’t any marine mammals here at the school, students have been training the fishes!! They have chosen their fish, the behavior to train, and learned the steps involved in training. They have all progressed differently! At first, most fishes are scared of the forceps or pipette used to deliver the food, they are also very timid about hoops in their tank! But after a few weeks, there are several fishes that have successfully touched targets, gone through hoops, and more!! Great job seniors!!
Cleaning up Garden Pond
⇛ Mr. Lee’s Natural Resource Management Class started to clean up the Garden Pond by McFarland, they raked and scooped the leaves and junk out of the pond. The before and after photos are amazing.
Before & After!
Seeding the Aggie Abundance Garden
⇛ Spring has sprung! The Plant Science Department has begun seeding and planting the Aggie Abundance Garden. The Aggie Abundance Garden is Norfolk Aggie’s student and staff-run vegetable and herb garden. It remains functional throughout the Spring and Summer and is tended to by volunteers. The produce harvested at the end of the growing season is donated to local food pantries. Depicted below are Senior Horticulture majors seeding peas with Mr. Stone’s garden seeder.
Hardware Disease Prevention Lab
⇛ Animal anatomy and physiology students learning about the digestive system had the opportunity to complete a cattle management task to prevent hardware disease. Hardware disease is caused when cattle consume sharp metal such as a fence staple or a nail and that object pierces through the wall of their reticulum, one of the four stomach compartments. To prevent hardware disease, farmers will administer a magnet via a balling gun which will live in the reticulum for the cattle’s life and collect hardware that may be consumed. Not all of our cattle needed magnets, but those that did received them and those that didn’t received a probiotic bolus for students to still practice the skill!
Hartney Greymont
⇛ Jarod Von Ruden, a 2005 Aggie graduate came to present to Ag-Mechanic juniors and seniors about the many career opportunities available to them at Hartney Greymont. Jarod spoke in great detail about the need for mechanic technicians at Hartney Greymont who can work on anything from a weed wacker to large diesel equipment, and also the need for welder fabricators. Jared also spoke to the students about the generous salary and benefits offered by Hartney Greymont. Monday, April 24, Ag-Mechanic juniors will be attending a field trip to Local 4 Operating Engineers training center to learn about the many career opportunities available to them within the union.
Pruning
⇛ Ms. Forsyth’s 10th-grade landscape operations class took advantage of some of the nice weather recently and put their pruning skills to the test!
Crane Estate, Crane Beach,
& Wolf Hollow
⇛ Both Mr. Lee and Mrs. Butler's wildlife classes took a drive to Ipswich to visit Wolf Hollow. Before their scheduled time to see the wolves the group took a brief trip to Crane Beach to enjoy the weather. It was a nice trip for the environmental students to go and reminisce about their internship last year. With some time left before their wolf presentation, the class took the white bus and drove by the Crane Estate. The Crane Estate is a huge mansion located on the coast of Massachusetts, it is used for weddings and even some movies were filmed there – Little Women (2019) and The Witches of Eastwick (1987) for example – and the beautiful estate is owned by the Trustees of the Reservation. If you ever want to take a trip to Ipswich, make sure you swing by Crane Beach and the Crane Estate. From there, the two groups got to go to Wolf Hollow in Ipswich. Wolf Hollow is an example of showcasing animal ambassadors. Animal ambassadors are animals that are tame or habitual animals that live permanently in a rehabilitation center or zoo, these animals are used to teach the public about their characteristics and importance in the natural world. The students were able to sit through a presentation where they learned about the wolves that they had at Wolf Hollow, their roles in the natural environment, the importance of protecting the wolves, and how humans have to teach the wolves to adapt to them. Most importantly, students learned about how wolves are keystone species and that by keeping prey populations down, they actually increase biodiversity and improve habitats. Students were able to ask questions after the initial presentation where they got to learn more about the diet of wolves, how they adapt to changing seasons, how they treat the wolves that are in their care, and even got to hear stories about how the wolves ate the birds that sometimes flew into their exhibits. This was an incredible experience for the students to learn beyond the classroom about the wildlife they have studied about.
Caprese Party
⇛ Ms. Perry and Mr. Stone’s Senior Sustainable Horticulture class had a Caprese Party! They used a hydroponic growing kit to grow five basil plants. Hydroponics is a horticultural practice that consists of growing plants in nutrient-amended water, instead of soil. The students harvested the basil, which they then used to make Caprese.
US ARMY Field Maintenance Service Facility
⇛ The Ag-mech. juniors attended a field trip to the US ARMY Field Maintenance Service Facility, (Motor Pool). At the facility, students learned about the many careers available in the US ARMY. Aggie students toured the maintenance facility, where ARMY personnel service all types of wheeled military equipment/vehicles. Students also were given rides in multiple military vehicles including H1 Humvees, Freightliner Semi Tractors, and a tank retrieval/tow truck. This coming Monday, Jarod Von Ruden, an Aggie Alum will present to Ag-mech. juniors and seniors about career opportunities within Hartney Greymont.
Azuluna Farms Guest Speakers
⇛ Representatives from Azuluna Farms visited Ms. McKenna’s senior farm classes to discuss their careers and their company. Nick Miniter is the Director of Ag Operations at Azuluna Farms, but prior to that, he was the farm manager and URI’s Peckham Farm as well as a foreman at Norfolk Aggie! Ryleigh Mullens, Sustainability and Outreach Manager at Azuluna Farms, got her start by working at small animal hospitals before getting her M.S. in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. She worked a variety of jobs in the sustainable food industry prior to landing her role at Azuluna Farms. Azuluna Farms is located in Connecticut and specializes in sustainable agriculture and in their farm-to-table services. Azuluna Farms also partners with Whole Foods and Johnston and Wales University. Azuluna Farms has a store that can be visited in Connecticut as well as delivery services so be sure to check them out!
Odd Pet Vet Visit
⇛ Two veterinarians and a vet tech from the Odd Pet Vet in Weymouth, MA came in to do physical examinations on all of our indoor critters. They started in the aquatics lab to examine the fish in the tanks with a marine science class and then moved on to birds, reptiles, and small animals, being assisted by Ms. Pelletier’s veterinary science senior class and Mr. Allen’s pet shop senior class. There are a few animals that received treatment plans, but the general population was overall healthy! The Odd Pet Vet will be back again next year for the annual examinations.
Taste Lab
⇛ Mrs. Baronas’ and Mrs. Butler’s animal anatomy and physiology classes continued learning about the digestive system and processes. In this week’s lab, students learned that animals (including humans) have taste receptors to help us get a variety of foods in our diet which increases our diversity of nutrients. Taste can also lead to food aversions to help us avoid foods that have made us sick in the past, which is how wild animals know to stay away from toxic plants. Students also learned about mechanical and chemical digestion and how they are both more successful when used together.
Digestive Systems Dissection
⇛ All junior animal science majors participated in the annual digestive system dissection. The dissection took place from 8:30 am until noon and consisted of the digestive tracts of 5 sheep and 2 pigs from a local slaughterhouse. Students were able to see the structures of the digestive system from the esophagus to the anus and were responsible for cutting the mesentery that held these structures together. The final measurements for the sheep were 33 feet of small intestines, a 15-inch cecum, and 22.5 feet of large intestines. They were also able to take a look inside all the structures, including the 4 chambers of the ruminant stomach, to see different characteristics that aid in their function. In addition, students were even able to see some bonus organs such as the reproductive organs of a female pig as well as several urinary bladders and spleens.
Carpenters Local Union
⇛ The Ag-mech. juniors recently attended a steel framing class at the Carpenters Local Union training center in Millbury, MA. Students learned about the many career opportunities available within the Carpenters Union. On the field trip/class, students learned how to lay out walls from basic straight walls to complex radius walls. Students also learned steel framing techniques and the benefits of steel framing construction vs wood frame construction.
Norfolk DPW
⇛ On Monday, March 27th, Blair Crane from the Norfolk Dept. of Public Works came into the Aggie to speak to Ag-mech. juniors and seniors about the many career opportunities available to them at the Norfolk DPW. Mr. Crane spoke about the great salary and benefits that come with working for a DPW. The Norfolk DPW has Co-op and other employment opportunities available for our Ag-mech. students.
March Recap
Environmental Lab Upgrades
⇛ The environmental lab and soil labs in the plant science building are being upgraded. The labs are still undergoing upgrades, however, classes are able to use the labs again. Here is a picture of a senior student in the upgraded environmental lab using some of the new equipment. In the photo below, the student is working with the new pipettes bought using the grant money. Additionally, here is an article that elaborates on the lab upgrades, the grant that allowed this lab, and how this project will help advance the Environmental Science program here at the Aggie!
Spring Show Update
⇛ Spring Show practices have been continuing and animal science club students started using the blowers on the cows to help train the hair to grow to appear fluffy and remove any debris deep in the coat! As a reminder, the Spring Show will be held the Wednesday after the break and classes will be invited down to watch the show!
Arbor Day
⇛ Arbor Day is an annual event held at Norfolk Aggie which allows students to network with companies in the green industry, as well as learn something new about tree care and management. Nine tree care companies and seven other agricultural schools were in attendance. Arboriculture, Horticulture, and Landscape Management majors were excused from vocational and academic classes to help run the event. The tree care companies gave demonstrations to students about different plant health care services such as air spading, pruning, stump grinding, limb cabling, soil aeration, deep root fertilization, and aerial rescues. A big shoutout to Ms. Forsyth for all her work to help make this event a success!
MassEquine
⇛ Senior equine majors signed out of all their afternoon classes to get a good look at what it’s like being a vet, specifically caring for horses. Our school recently partnered up with MassEquine as our school vet and they came to perform vaccinations and dental floating, which students have been learning about in class. It is imperative that horses get their teeth floated to maintain good health and students were able to get an up-close view of the procedure and learn from the veterinarians. An interesting part of this visit was that Buck, the Aggie’s newest horse, was being tested for soundness. The veterinarians viewed his walk and trot several times and performed a flexion test. This is where individual limbs are isolated to see how the horse will recover, and that can indicate if the horse is sound. Buck seems to have some loose stifle joints, back pain, and unsoundness in his front legs. The veterinarians took radiology in an attempt to diagnose the stem of his problem, but everything on the x-ray looked normal. They suspected his recent castration could have caused an imbalance with the new lack of testosterone. This opportunity through MassEquine was such an amazing experience for all students who were involved!
4-H Horse Judging
⇛ Three Aggie students, Brooke, Gabby, and Kaelyn, competed in the State 4-H Horse Judging, Hippology, and/or Horse Bowl Competitions. The horse judging competition was held on Saturday at Peter Whitmore's It's a Pleasure Training in Orange. Competitors judged three in-hand classes and two riding classes. Horse Bowl and Hippology were held on Sunday at Athol High School. Horse Bowl is just like Jeopardy, where there are questions and buzzers. Hippology is a horse knowledge exam. All three did very well. Kaelyn will be going to 4-H Nationals in Kentucky, so make sure to congratulate her!
Flori-Design
⇛ Ms. Perry and her floriculture classes have redesigned their lobby display to reflect the upcoming spring season! The theme for this display is “Bee Yourself, Honey”! Sophomores in Ms. Forsyth's class also created some St. Paddy’s day themed spring arrangements!
Spring Show
⇛ The Animal Science Club has started practicing for the revamped annual Spring Show! Spring Show has been an instrumental part of the Aggie for decades, but COVID and a decreased interest put a halt on it for the past several years now. However, the Animal Science Club is thrilled to say that it is back in action this year with 18 new participants and the help of Ms. Lemist, Mr. Cunningham, and Evan Maietta (herdsman). Spring Show is an opportunity for students to learn about beef and dairy showmanship which includes clipping, grooming, and preparing them for the showring. Students will enter the showring with their cattle in similar groups (dairy vs beef and experience) and a judge will evaluate the cleanliness of the cattle, the handling skills, and the general knowledge of the animal, breed, and species. Spring Show practices twice a week for the show held at the end of April! More details on the show itself will be forthcoming!
B.C. Murphy Landscape & Design
⇛ Brad Murphy from B.C. Murphy Landscape & Design came in to talk with sophomores in landscape operations classes about how he got started in the industry and to showcase some of his work. Fun fact, Ms. Forsyth also works for this company during non-school hours and summer vacations!
Soil, Soil, Soil!
⇛ In Mr. Lee’s Junior Natural Resource Management class, students dug holes in the woods. Their mission was to find the different layers of soil in our school's fields. They were rich in top soil measuring around 14 inches!
Respirator Fit Tests
⇛ In Mr. Lee’s OSHA 40 class, the students have been practicing how to put on respirators properly and make sure they are working the way they are supposed to by doing a fit test. The fit test consists of students reading “the rainbow passage”–when the passage is read aloud, it tests breathing, and forms different speech patterns– while a paper towel in essential oil was next to them. If they could smell the oil the mask was not on properly, and they would need to readjust and try again. Then Mr. Lee took the students on a walk around the plant building for the students to understand how the masks feel when they are on for a long period of time.
Borderlands State Park
⇛ The senior park management class has been learning about State Parks and they were able to take a trip over to Borderlands State Park in Easton, MA. The students got to explore the grounds and see the Ames family mansion, which they were able to afford by making shovels that helped build the transcontinental railroad. The students were also able to see the disk golf course that is on the property, sadly, they did not play a game. The students had a lot of fun and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
RAT Lab
⇛ Beginning their Research Animal Technology (RAT for short) unit, Mrs. Butler’s Sophomore Small Animal and Marine class visited the RAT room in the Animal Science building. Senior RAT majors gave the students a tour around the room and explained the use of the various pieces of equipment that were employed to monitor the health and well-being of the animals housed there. During the tour, the students had to wear special coats to keep any outside agents held on their clothes contained within the coat to keep potentially harmful substances out of the air that might affect the animals' health. The animals kept in the lab included rabbits, zebrafish, rats, gerbils, and hairless mice. To end the tour, the senior tour guides took questions from the students about the field and answered them to their best ability. The students all seemed very intrigued with the lab environment and many even wanted to eventually major in this field!
Cow Skeleton
⇛ It was reported that Juniors in animal anatomy and physiology studying the skeletal system drew skeletons on horses. Other classes followed up that lab by drawing skeletons on the cows instead! These activities helped prepare the students for a skeletal quiz as they had to reinforce their knowledge of the placement of the bones as they drew them in.
Farm to Table
⇛ Farm to Table club and the Sustainable Horticulture class visited Volante Farm in Needham and Wilson farm in Lexington this week. Wilson Farm has been practicing sound environmental conservation methods consisting of composting, recycling, and conserving water since they started operations in 1884. Instead of chemicals, they use biological controls to aid them in pest management as well as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) at their farms. Volante Farm has been operated by the same family since 1917. They cultivate 15 acres of land as well as utilize a 16,000-square-foot high-efficiency greenhouse. Not only do they sell their own produce at their farm stand, but also meat and dairy products from all over the northeast, including ice cream from Crescent Ridge in Sharon. They even have a deli and an onsite bakery! Students were able to tour and learn more about the industries, how they have evolved, how COVID impacted them, and discussed their future plans/goals. Both farms talked about their business models and how important it and community outreach is. Volante is transitioning to organic farming so they talked about that process and what it involves. Both farms talked about different advancements in farming technologies and how they can help aid in sustainability. Volante farm owners are even interested in hiring our students for COOP and potentially jobs after graduation!
Lamb, Goat, and Yearling Weighing
⇛ Mrs. Coogan’s Sophomore Farm Management and Equine class weighed the new lambs that were recently born, as well as the yearlings and the two goats; Moira and Alexia, housed in the Livestock Barn. Students were able to halter the goats and yearlings and hold the lambs until they were weighed. Using a scale also found in the barn, the animals were all weighed and all of them seemed very healthy! To end off class, students hung out with Butch the Guard Llama and the yearlings, some even were able to hold the lambs again! Overall, students had a great time working with the many animals that day!
Arbor Tree Cutting
⇛ Mr. Kennedy’s Sophomore Urban Forestry and Arbor class took a trip out to the woods with lots of machinery. Their job? Chop down a small tree and get firewood for the Arbor Expo coming up! The students were decked out in chainsaw chaps to prevent any leg injuries and their safety glasses to keep wood from getting in their eyes. After a short trip through the woods, the students made it to the clearing and located the tree. While Mr. Kennedy cut down the tree with a chainsaw, the students were made to stay back at a close distance as well as mark their escape routes in case anything went wrong. After the tree fell, two students, one operating a Kubota with a claw attached, and the other using a chainsaw, cut the fallen tree into many pieces and hauled them to the firewood stash. The students all did a great job and learned a lot in this class!
Puppy Temperament Testing
⇛ Seniors in Ms. Baronas’s Animal Behavior class are learning exactly what the class sounds like—animal behavior! This class has traditionally incorporated puppy temperament testing into the curriculum and per students’ requests, Ms. Baronas (the newest Aggie teacher) provided a litter of puppies to test. She got in touch with GOFI, Golden Opportunities for Independence, an organization in Walpole that trains golden retrievers to be therapy dogs. So what exactly is temperament testing and why do we do it? Temperament testing is necessary for breeders to place their puppies in the best possible home. Their score will indicate which type of family they belong with; kids or no kids, inactive or very active people, etc. The seniors, with the help of Ms. Pelletier, tested a litter of GOFI’s English Cream golden retrievers and scored them accordingly.
Some of the tests include testing sight, sound, restraint, social dominance, and more. Below you can see a test that scores the puppy’s willingness to be restrained, and the other shows the puppy’s reactivity.
Seniors loved this lab and got to have great puppy time! Thank you canine science teachers and GOFI!
Drill Team Performance
⇛ The Drill team, coached by Ms. Doleksi, had their final performance this week for admissions. All senior riders attended, as well as several underclassmen from the team. This year, the Drill team consisted of Taryn Powers (captain), Ella Ryan (captain), Michaela Ibrahim, Teagan Powers, Rylee Colleary, Anna Conway, Emma Conway, Isabelle Fitzpatrick, Adelina Arevalo, Kiki Yolen, Jennie Aldridge, Bridget Desautelle, Grace McCosker, Caroline Beckman, Amy Dolecki, Claudia Chambert, Julia Looney, Caroline Murphy, and Keira Walorz.
Christie Dustman & Co.
⇛ Christie Dustman, owner of Christie Dustman & Co. landscape company came in to give the students a hands-on conceptual exercise to make them think about the placement of plants and features while designing a landscape.
Watershed Management
⇛ Freshmen environmental classes are currently studying watershed management. They used a model of a town and subjected it to multiple experiments to learn more about watershed management.
Course Selection Presentations
⇛ Coming up soon for Sophomores is the big decision! What course will they choose to embark on for the next 2 years? While many have their ideas set in stone, some are a bit apprehensive. Luckily for everybody, the Sophomores were able to attend 5 different presentations about each of the 4 majors and their courses provided. The majors outlined, Animal Science, Plant Science, Agricultural Mechanics, and Environmental Science, all offered many interesting and exciting opportunities for students! Teachers and Seniors of these respective majors all provided insight into the many different options available for the Sophomores in the future through well-prepared slideshows detailing the course outlines. Not only did these presentations provide insight to the students unsure of what majors to pick, but they also helped those who had an idea of what to choose a better look into what classes they wanted to take!
Fairholm Farm Field Trip
⇛ Juniors livestock majors attended a field trip to Fairholm Farm led by Ms. Coogan. Ms. Quinn and one of our foremen, Evan, attended as well! Erica, a 4th generation dairy farmer, gave students a tour of the farm. The group started by viewing the newborns and calves where Erica talked about the precautions you need to take within the first 30 days of birth as it can determine their milk production for the rest of their life. Then students went to see some of the heifers and she talked about how the nutritionist set up the heifers’ diet with corn and hay. Then the most important part; the robots! A few years ago it used to take the staff 17 hours per day to milk 400 cows. The robots were a great investment—they provide feed and the robots have lasers that scan where the cows’ teats on the udder are to allow for milking. Students got to see the computer behind these robots, showing the development and steady process in each cow. There was yet another barn visit to see where the cows waited to be milked. After that, the tour was over and students were brought into Fairholm Farm’s store where they have tons of their meat products available for purchase!
Iron Injections & Needle Teeth
⇛ In Ms. In Pelletier's senior Vet class, the students gave the new piglets iron injections and clipped their canine teeth to prevent them from injuring their mom while nursing. The piglets are only a couple of weeks old and are naturally born iron deficient. In the wild, they would get iron from eating dirt, but since they live in captivity without dirt, they need supplemental iron. This is where the students came in!
Animal Behavior Guest Speaker: What Can You Do With an Animal Behavior Major?
⇛ Ms. Baronas’s Animal Behavior class had a virtual meeting with guest speaker Ambar Hammond. Ambar is an Aggie alumnus working in the animal behavior field. She detailed her career path (which currently has her stationed in Scotland!), the opportunities she was able to experience, and the interesting career goals she has now. She helped to explain the importance of studying animal behavior and the opportunities available to those who are interested in entering the field.
Reptile Club Enrichment
⇛ The members of the Reptile Club were able to create enrichment for the animals in the reptile room. Using egg cartons, felt straps, sand containers, and wooden pegs, the members created fun pieces of equipment for the snakes and other reptiles to enjoy! Along with this, the members also were able to see the reptiles play with it and they all seemed to enjoy the toys!
Log Cutter
⇛ Mr. Kennedy’s Sophomore Urban Forestry class worked with a log cutting machine. The machine worked by pushing down on a lever that would force the logs into a log splitter, dividing them into two manageable pieces. The students then took the logs and put them in a holding area where they would be used for firewood in the following months. Students had to be super careful operating this machine, as it was hard to hear over the engine and the pieces moved quickly. The students did a great job operating this machine on their first go!
Horse Skeleton
⇛ Juniors in animal anatomy and physiology are currently studying the skeletal system. To help them review for their upcoming quiz, students drew skeletons on horses and watched their bones and joints moving in action! The picture below features Liberty, a Morgan, one of our horses on campus looking beautiful as he perfectly demonstrates the movements to students.
Landscape Design
⇛ Sophomores and Juniors in Ms. Forsyth’s classes have started their unit on Landscape design. Their first step is to understand how to work with measurements and scales. The classes will continue work on Landscape design throughout the term.
Snowblower Repairs
⇛ In preparation for the snowstorm earlier this week, the AgMech students in Mr. MacNamara’s class worked on tuning up and repairing snow blowers during classes.
Aggie Student in the Boston Globe
⇛ Mr. Lee's park management class went into Boston Common for the day, and while they were there ice skating, a photographer from the Boston Globe was there taking pictures. One of the students, Evan McLellan, was lucky enough to get a photo taken that is now published on the Boston Globe website and was the front page of the printed version of the newspaper! Click here to read the article and see the photo of Evan below.
Massachusetts Nursery Landscape Association
⇛ A group of plant science students from all grades attended the Mass Nursery Landscape Association winter forum. They competed against 4 other schools in a scavenger hunt and plant and tool ID in teams of 5. The Aggie won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the different contests! Their winnings earned them $125 in Dunkin Donuts gift cards. Jack Collins bought Dunkin’ for all plant science students Friday with the winnings!
February Recap
Girl Scout Program
⇛ On February 12, about 30 Aggie students came to volunteer their time to teach Girl Scouts about our animals. 78 Brownies came in the morning to earn their Pet badge and 83 junior Girl Scouts came in the afternoon to earn their Animal Habitat badge. The students did such a great job, the scouts and their leaders couldn’t rave enough about the program. Thanks to all who helped to make it a success.
Aquascaping
⇛ Juniors in the Marine and Freshwater Biology class were working tirelessly to aquascape their tanks. They learned about the requirements of the fishes’ swimming areas, hiding spots, and more. They completed some water changes and even cleaned the filters. The tanks are looking amazing if anyone wants to come by and admire their work!!
Spring Lambs
⇛ Not only has the weather been telling us that spring is just around the corner, but so are the animals on the farm! We welcomed our first set of lambs and they were triplets! These spring lambs will be an integral part of the animal science curriculum as students have an opportunity to process the lambs, monitor their growth rates, and eventually, they’ll get to halter break them!
Who Can Live Here?
⇛ Mrs. Butler’s wildlife class went out to the woods and fields to evaluate the land. Students located various habitat elements to assess the site’s potential as a suitable habitat for specific species. The habitat elements were also assessed for the viability of the reintroduction of various wildlife species. These are important skills for someone working in the field of wildlife management as land acquisition is instrumental in the preservation of land and species and the evaluation of the land is a crucial component.
Boston Common Field Trip
⇛ Mr. Lee’s park management class was able to take a trip to Boston to visit the Boston Common on the beautiful 60-degree day. The class spent their time enjoying the park where each student got to learn about a specific part of the common – a statue, a cool location, or even the state house – and they got to present it to the class as they were at their location. The class then got to go ice skating on the infamous Frog Pond, grab some lunch, and head back to the Aggie. The class had so much fun spending the day outside and with each other and would recommend that everyone takes the opportunity to visit Boston Common on a beautiful day.
Cityscapes Boston
⇛ Plant science students visited Cityscapes Boston Operation. They are a company in Boston that specializes in interiorscapes, green-walls, green furniture (tables with succulents under the glass), and moss walls in commercial buildings around Boston. They showed the students their warehouses and workshops. They have a whole warehouse just of Christmas stuff that two people work full-time all year setting up creating, and breaking down commercial building Christmas displays! In their other warehouse, they create container designs and living walls to deliver and install to commercial buildings in Boston. They even have a food truck they converted into a mobile plant shop where they sell houseplants at festivals and events from all around the city! Proceeds from this go to charity!
Toothpick Skeletons
⇛ Students in animal anatomy and physiology class started learning about the skeletal system. To start off the unit, students are learning the bones of the body! The skeletal system is divided into two main parts; the axial skeleton (the main trunk) and the appendicular skeleton (the limbs). Each day, students have been learning a section of the skeleton and then building that section out of toothpicks. This will help reinforce their new knowledge and help them with the memorization of all the bone names and locations.
Squid Dissection
⇛ During Mrs. Spain’s Marine life II class, seniors performed a squid dissection to learn about squid anatomy. They learned about the external and internal anatomy of squid and the importance of each organ. Dissections are always incredibly helpful when learning about any type of anatomy because it gives you a real-life view of the diagrams you constantly study.
Heifer Weighing
⇛ In Mrs. Coogan’s Sophomore Farm Management and Equine class, students were able to observe the weight of the heifer cows. After completing the chores they were tasked with, students led the heifers to the weighing benches and had them stand on the scale. From the measurements, all of the heifers seemed to be healthy and fit. After being weighed, the heifers were rewarded with grooming done by the students. In the end, the students got in a good workout trying to pull the reluctant heifers and the heifers themselves got a fun spa day!
Chainsaw Safety
⇛ To begin their unit on chainsaws and how to operate them, Mr. Kennedy’s Sophomore Urban Forestry and Arbor class viewed the safety features of chainsaws and the protection you need while operating them. Students were taught how to turn on and safely handle the chainsaws, as well as how the necessary personal protective equipment will potentially save your life. One highlight of the class was when Mr. Kennedy cut through a pair of chaps! Chaps are specially designed pants with a rough outer layer covering threads that are made to stop the chainsaw from spinning and cutting the operator. The students watched as the chainsaw miraculously stopped after a single cut into the chaps, covered in the threads of the underlayer. The students all seemed to learn a lot from the demonstration and had a fun time watching the effects of the chainsaw.
Lamb Jam
⇛ Seniors in Mrs. McKenna’s Livestock Management class took advantage of some of this week’s nice weather and took the fall lambs out for a stroll! These students worked on some halter-breaking skills and leading skills as the lambs were not always the most cooperative! Along for the walk were the two resident goats, Moira and Alexis.
Flori Tools
⇛ Sophomores in Ms. Forsyth’s Floriculture class started off the semester by learning about tools of the trade. The tools used in Floriculture, also called hard goods or mechanics, are essential to creating beautiful arrangements of flowers. Some hard goods include floral tape, floral wire, floral frogs, pipe cleaners, wire cutters, and floral shears, to name a few. Identifying them is important to create well-constructed and aesthetically pleasing designs.
Coffee Break Connection
⇛ The Coffee Break Connections opened to juniors and seniors in the Plant Science department, Carrie Martin from Massachusetts Arbor Association and Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals came in to talk about the benefits of professional industry associations and certifications.
Ag Mechanics Guest Speaker Series- United Ag
⇛ This week's Ag mechanics guest speaker was Greg Cory from United Ag, Turf, Construction, and Forestry. United is the largest retailer and service provider for John Deere equipment. United has 37 locations in the Northeast region. Greg spoke to Agmech juniors and seniors about United and the many career opportunities available to them including co-op possibilities at their Raynham location. Greg also brought in a few pieces of John Deere equipment for students to see. Next week's guest speaker will be Dan Duhn from Monroe tractor Case New England. Agmech juniors were also busy this week interviewing for internships at both Milton Caterpillar and Advantage Truck Group.
Discover SCUBA
⇛ The Marine Biology Club sponsored a Discover SCUBA night on February 3rd at the Adirondack Club in Franklin. Nine students came and had a fabulous time!! They learned all about the SCUBA equipment, reviewed the basics of SCUBA, learned some hand signals, and then took the plunge!! They all learned very quickly and were all able to stay underwater for their whole session! Almost every dive shop offers such an event for anyone to give SCUBA a try without committing to lessons right away. Give it a try!! The instructors were very patient and really enjoyed teaching the students.
4-H Horse Judging
⇛ Five Aggie students helped to organize and sponsor the Norfolk and Worcester county 4H Horse judging event on February 5th. They presented two riding classes and two halter classes. This allowed the 4H kids' classes to judge and give oral reasons. We even had some Aggie students who were also the 4H kids judging!! Congratulations to all who volunteered and participated!!
Watershed Management
⇛ Freshmen in Ms. Collin’s Intro to Environmental Science classes conducted an experiment to learn about watershed management. The students used the watershed model; they poured cinnamon on it to represent fertilizer and molasses to represent oil. Then they made it rain! This showed how oil leaking from cars and fertilizer on grass can flow into our streams, rivers, ponds, and wetlands and contaminate the water. This experiment portrayed the importance of stormwater management and protecting our watersheds.
Moving a Body
⇛ Seniors in Mr. Lee’s OSHA 40 class had to learn how to properly move a body in case of an extreme emergency. Getting the person up on their shoulders and running is the most effective way to make sure someone can be safely moved. Everyone in the class had to practice how to do it properly so they would be able to succeed if something were to happen. Then to have a little fun, Mr. Lee created a challenge, who can move the dummy, which was approximately 80 pounds, down the plant hallway the fastest? They could carry the dummy any way they wanted to try and win. The class had times from 8 seconds up to 30 seconds with kids trying so many different techniques!
Floral Crowns
⇛ Ms. Perry’s Advanced Floral Design class created beautiful flower crowns as an intro project to practice floral taping skills. Floral tape, when stretched, becomes sticky and is perfect to conceal floral wire that is often used for decorating projects. With these flower crowns, a base of floral wire came first and the students used floral tape to conceal and build up around the wire with the flower samples.
An Im-peck-able Lesson on Poultry
⇛ Ms. McKenna’s Ag-Marketing seniors were able to spend their class period with some chickens! The chickens, brought in by student Peyton O’Connor (in the photo below) in class were a bonus to learning the importance of raising chickens, which are fairly easy to raise. Chickens are the gateway barn animal that will give you a better understanding of owning more different livestock like cows and sheep. The animal science department has requested to add chickens to the school for quite a few years now to better teach students about welfare and the poultry industry.
AgMechanics Guest Presenter Series
⇛ One of the Agmechanics guest presenters this month was Jason Hockman of J. Hockman Excavating and Septic Services. Jason is a 1995 Aggie graduate, advisory board member, and member of the Aggie Foundation. Jason came in to speak to Agmech juniors and seniors about careers in Excavation. Jason went over various site drawings of past and current projects. His company specializes in septic services, excavation, water, sewer, drainage services, and snow removal services. Jason told the students about his experiences as an Aggie student and how he got to where he is today along with available co-op positions and described what he is looking for in an employee. Jason has employed many Aggie students in both co-op and permanent positions over the years. Stay tuned for next week, as the Agmech students will be busy hearing from more guest speakers and field trips! Monday's guest presenters are representatives from United Ag & Turf Northeast Construction Equipment, followed by a field trip to the Pile Drivers union training center for an underwater welding demonstration.
Sheep Ultrasound
⇛ Mrs. McKenna brought in a specialist in the sheep industry named Nancy Miniter to show students in farm management classes how an ultrasound examination is performed and how to read a sonogram. Currently, four of the Aggie sheep are pregnant and expected to give birth in the spring. Some students taking Breeding and Genetics were also invited down to the sheep barn to witness the ultrasounds. Nancy did a wonderful job, thank you for visiting our school!
January Recap
Salinity
⇛ Seniors in Ms. Collins Marine Ecology class conducted a water density lab. By mixing water with different amounts of salt and at different temperatures, they were able to pour each colored mixture into a tube to form five separate layers. The experiment is designed to show how salt water is more dense than freshwater, and how hot freshwater is less dense than cold freshwater.
Hatching Madagascar Hissing Roaches (Adoption alert!)
⇛ The pet shop classes have been monitoring the enclosure of Jarod and Eve, the Madagascar Hissing Roaches, and are proud to announce that they have hatched over 30 offspring! These Madagascar Hissing Roaches are available for adoption through Mr. Allen. Please contact him if you are interested!
Blood Slides
⇛ Students in animal anatomy and physiology class are learning about the circulatory system. For this week’s lab, they refreshed their microscope skills and looked at various species to compare the blood cells. Students learned that mammal red blood cells have no nucleus while the red blood cells of birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians are nucleated. They were also able to view the oval-shaped red blood cells of camels which is an adaptation for their ability to withstand severe dehydration and rehydration.
Wildlife Tracks
⇛ The snowfall on the first day of the semester gave Mrs. Butler’s wildlife class the perfect opportunity to start the semester off with a bang! The class was brought outside to look for wildlife prints and tracks in the snow. A print is a single-foot impression while a track is a series of prints. The class was able to find all the major wildlife resident prints; Canada geese, white-tailed deer, Eastern coyote, Eastern cottontail rabbit, and grey squirrel!
Ice Core Graph
⇛ Environmental students have started a new mural! A graph showing CO2 emissions and their correlation with temperature. All the data was collected through ice cores and data goes back 800,000 years! Temperature and CO2 have a very obvious convention, as the CO2 line rises so does the temperature. Ice ages occur every 10,000 years, in a cycle. Since the 1900s CO2 emissions skyrocketed and the temperature has plateaued. This is troubling for our environment.
Ag Mech Power Washing
⇛ After learning about all the machines in the equipment garage this year, Mr. Gendron’s sophomore equipment op class ended their semester off by power washing all the equipment the get them squeaky clean for the next semester.
Flori-Final
⇛ Juniors in Ms. Perry’s Flori-Design class wrapped up the class with a funeral floral arrangement for their final exam. Seen here is Kylie Collazo with her final project! It was a fitting way to end the term!
Thigmotaxis Rats
⇛ For the last day of Research Animal Technology II classes, students were able to paint with rats to better visualize their thigmotaxic nature. Rats and other rodents are thigmotactic, which means they will seek contact with objects, specifically walls. This behavior helps keep rats safe since they are prey animals and they cannot be attacked from the side against the wall. To visualize this, students filled large totes with small amounts of non-toxic/hypoallergenic paint and set the rats free. The rats primarily stayed along the edges of the containers and students were able to take home some rat paintings after the experiment was completed! All rats received baths after the class.
Exploring Energy with Convection Currents
⇛ Freshmen environmental classes continued their energy unit by exploring convection currents. First, the students went outside and filled tubs with snow and ice. These tubs were then placed on top of three styrofoam cups. The middle styrofoam cup was filled with hot water. Once the snow and ice in the tub melted into cold water, students got to observe a cool reaction! The heat from the hot water in the styrofoam cup caused a convection current! The heat warmed the water at the bottom of the tub causing it to flow to the top since hot water is less dense than cold water. At the top of the tub, the water cooled off becoming denser, and sank back down to the bottom. This cycle continued creating a convection current. In the picture below you can see that the students used food coloring. This was so that they could see the water moving.
Tree Specialists
⇛ Ian and Dave from Tree Specialists came in to talk to the senior Plant Health Care class about plant healthcare techniques and introduced them to upcoming pests that will soon be an issue. They also showed them their rigs and trucks that they use to perform plant health care tasks on client properties which cover everything from insecticidal applications to disease mitigation, and preventative care.
Exploring Energy
⇛ Ninth-grade environmental classes have had their students exploring energy. Did you know that you can use fruits and vegetables as a power source?? A battery is something that uses chemical energy and converts it into electricity. This reaction occurs between electrodes (two pieces of metal) and electrolytes (a liquid or a paste). The moisture from, say a potato, can work pretty well as an electrolyte! So by adding two metal wires acting as electrodes, you have a battery!
INDUS
⇛ Guest speakers, from INDUS, presented to Ag-Mech juniors and seniors. The speakers were people who specialize in Pavement, Bridge, and Airport Runway pavement preservation. INDUS spoke to Agmech students about; cold-in-place recycling, micro surfacing, crack sealing, asphalt pavement repairs, bridge deck repairs, and airport runway paving and pavement repairs. Reps from INDUS also spoke about the many career opportunities available at INDUS, including salary and benefits. INDUS, like many companies, are looking to the Aggie for future employees due to their training and skills in many trade areas like welding, equipment operations, and repair.
Woody versus Herbaceous Plants
⇛ Mr. Thompson’s freshmen compared woody versus herbaceous plants in class. Woody plants are plants that produce wood as their structural tissue, making the plant have a hard stem. Woody plants are able to survive in colder climates. However, herbaceous plants or plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground, die and come back each spring.
Coffee Break Connection
⇛ Steve and Cailley from Harrison McPhee came in to talk with plant science juniors and seniors about tree preservation. They took the students outside to look at some trees that needed evaluation and helped them to develop a plan to preserve them.
Owl Pellets
⇛ In wildlife class, students were able to dissect owl pellets after learning about Great Horned Owls in class. While collected owl pellets are typically from barn owls, all owls and many other birds of prey produce these pellets. Birds do not have teeth, so they swallow their food whole and cannot digest all parts of their prey. The flesh is broken down and chemically digested in its chemical stomach called the proventriculus. Things like fur or feathers, bones, and teeth then move into the mechanical stomach called the ventriculus or gizzard and get compacted into a solid mass and regurgitated up. Pellets can often be found on the ground near their hunting grounds or by their daytime roost site. Owl pellet dissections can reveal the bird’s diet by exposing the skeletal remains of its prey.
Vet Club Meeting
⇛ Veterinary Science Club met during X-block and was visited by two alumni that shared their experiences since they’ve graduated in 2019. MaryAnn Trudeau is currently an undergrad at Tufts University and is looking into veterinary schools. MaryAnn spoke of her experiences during her undergrad and said the MGH internship her junior year at the Aggie was a huge help in her successes at school. Katelyn Putvinski just recently graduated from Caroll University in Wisconsin for Animal Behavior. During her time at school, she was able to bring her dog from home and train it during classes. Katelyn currently works for Invisible Fence Inc. and does everything from marketing to installation and training. Katelyn is currently looking into real estate for training space to open her own training business. Both MaryAnn and Katelyn earned their American Farmer Degrees from FFA earlier this year!
Field Trip to Xavarian Missionaries
⇛ On January 4th, Mr. Lee’s Sophomore Forestry class and Mr. Kennedy’s Senior Community Forestry class took a field trip to Our Lady of Fatima Shrine — Xaverian Missionaries in Holliston, MA. They went to see a slab from an ancient Giant Redwood tree, which germinated in 400 B.C.E. and was cut down in 1917 C.E.
Wool Merchant Field Trip
⇛ Mrs. McKenna’s senior Agricultural Marketing class took a field trip to the R.H. Lindsay Wool Merchant in Canton Massachusetts! They were able to take the wool from our sheep here at the Aggie with them and learn about how the fleeces will be processed into other goods. Many students purchased wool of their own to start making their own projects!
Arnold Arboretum
⇛ Mr. Lee surprised his seniors with a brief trip to the Arnold Arboretum before going to the Waterworks Museum. The class got to travel through one section of the arboretum. It was a nice surprise for the seniors who wanted to go visit last year to get a chance to take a brief trip before the main part of the field trip.
Waterworks Museum Field Trip
⇛ Mr. Lee's water management class took a trip to the Waterworks Museum in Boston. The museum has two different exhibits, one is the great engine hall that holds three different engines. These three engines are three original coal-powered, steam-driven engines. These engines are monumental to 19th century technology. Two of the engines they have stand taller than 3 stories. There is also another section of the museum that has changing exhibits. The students were able to read about the Great Fire of Boston that happened back in 1972. The exhibit features remains found from the aftermath of the fire, and even a letter that Lousia May Allcot wrote to her Nan after the fire. The students had a blast learning about the different engines and wandering the museum.
Bird Projects
⇛ As a final project to close out the semester and current unit, Mr. Allen’s Sophomore Avian and Herpetology classes were assigned a project involving birds. Students were tasked with creating a report about any legal bird to own in Massachusetts in a fun and interesting way. Some ideas tossed around were clay sculptures, paintings, wood sculptures, and slideshow presentations. Along with creating beautiful artwork, they are also tasked with writing a mini report about the type of food they eat, the cages they live in, their habitats in the wild, and their behavior. The project will be due next week as a form of a final project to end the term they are on. We cannot wait to see the masterpieces students will create and present!
(Example Project Made By A Student)
Franklin Park Zoo Trip
⇛ Mrs. Spain's Zoo & Exotics Class traveled to the Franklin Park Zoo on Jan 3rd. Although it was a bit rainy, the students had a great time. They participated in 3 different educational programs. They learned about the Conservation efforts for the wood turtle hatchlings, the training methods used for zoo animals as well as a trip to the commissary! The commissary is where the 130 daily diets are made. The students received an in-depth tour and even prepared some of the animal diets! Additionally, students had to evaluate habitats at the zoo using the knowledge they have gained in the class so far. It was a great trip for everyone.
Computer Parts
⇛ Mr. Allen’s Freshmen Introduction to Careers and Technology classes are on their computer unit. As part of this unit, they had the opportunity to assemble some of the school's old computers to become familiar with computer parts & functions.
December Recap
Happy Paw-lidays
⇛ At the Aggie, even the dogs are getting into the holiday spirit! Set up in the AKC room is a holiday corner photo booth that students have been using all week!
Turfgrass Management
⇛ Seniors in Ms. Forsyth’s turfgrass management class were doing a seed mix/blend lab. They had to first research different turf grasses and then make their own blends to germinate in the greenhouse. This will take a few weeks to monitor germination rates to determine who came up with the best blend!
Campus Wildlife
⇛ Wildlife students worked on Aggie campus species projects. Each student selected a different animal that is known to be found on campus. Students had to create a poster project to highlight the animal characteristics, habitat & range, life cycle, diet, behaviors, roles in the ecosystem, and population status. Students tried to gather evidence of their animal’s existence on campus which came in the form of an actual sighting or track, scat, or den evidence. Student posters will be displayed in the animal science building.
Freshman RAT Unit
⇛ Mrs. McKenna’s freshman classes have started their Research Animal Technology (RAT) and small animal unit. For this unit, students are learning the basics about our small animals (rodents, rabbits, ferrets, & hedgehogs) and learning how to properly handle them. They are also being introduced to the RAT industry where these animals are used often as human models.
Wildlife Cameras
⇛ The animal science Wildlife class set up a trail cam on campus and later retrieved it. The camera was set up on a game trail, a pathway that was formed by animals over time. The class first looked for signs of it being an active game trail and found tracks nearby as well as fresh deer scat on the trail. It was definitely a success! The camera captured over 80 still photos & video clips of multiple does, a buck, and at least one active coyote!
MassWildlife
⇛ On the 16th, Bert Comins from MassWildlife, came in to talk to seniors taking Wildlife class. Bert is part of MassWildlife’s education department and specializes in angler classes. However, he spoke about all the different divisions of MassWildlife and their roles. MassWildlife has some exceptional programs to get involved in, including hunter education courses, youth camps, and Outdoorswoman classes. They also employ over 200 people spread out throughout their divisions. MassWildlife’s main goal is to educate the public in order to preserve our wild animal & plant populations.
Lyons Greenhouse Field Trip
⇛ Ms. Perry’s Senior Greenhouse and Interiorscapes class took a field trip to the Patrick Lyons Greenhouse in Foxborough, MA. The students were led by Alan, a Stockbridge graduate and experienced horticulturist, who showed them the seasonal Poinsettias that the greenhouse has been growing since July! They learned about commercial greenhouse practices, such as pest management, temperature control, and the process of growing stem cuttings into mature potted plants.
Iron Workers Local 7
⇛ Paul Landerholm the Apprentice Coordinator from the Iron Workers Local 7, came into the Aggie to present to the Ag-Mechanic Juniors and Seniors. Mr. Landerholm spoke in great detail about what the Iron Workers do, some projects that they are currently working on, as well as upcoming projects. Most of the work IronWorkers do involve erecting new structures, demolition, decommissioning, and rehabilitation of older buildings and bridges. Structural iron and steel workers erect, place, and join steel girders, columns, and other pieces to form structural frameworks. Iron Workers have a large part of the Gillette Stadium End Zone project that the Ag-Mechanic students toured last week. Some upcoming projects are the demolition of the Sagamore and Bourne bridges and the construction of the new bridges as well as the offshore wind projects. Paul also went over the apprenticeship program, member benefits, and pay scale.
Brown University- Research Greenhouse Manager
⇛ Nick Vasques, Research Greenhouse Manager for Brown University, came in to talk to the junior plant science students about working for Brown University and how his manager position involves working with graduate and undergraduate students on various research projects involving plants. He also spoke to the Senior Plant Health Care students about greenhouse pests and diseases and how to scout and control them. Nick attended Stockbridge School of Agriculture with Ms. Forsyth!
Diesel Diagnostics
⇛ Mr. Lemist’s Advanced Diesel Diagnostics class had the opportunity to use scan tools. These tools helped to find diagnostic issues with the diesel engine models and showed how to solve them. Mr. Lemist programs the systems to have issues before class so the students have to figure out what the issues are!
Flori Club- Bouquet Sales
⇛ Flori club sold wrapped bunches at the greater Milford ballet companies' production of the nutcracker. The ballet was at Bellingham high school. Students helped to plan, create, and sell bouquets! They even got to see a little of the show!
Energy Efficient Models
⇛ The freshmen environmental classes put their new knowledge of energy-efficient homes to practice by designing, building, and testing energy-efficient homes made out of cardboard and other recycled materials.
National Energy Education
⇛ The National Energy Education Development Project came to the Aggie! Outside on the quad, they set up a blowup house to teach the students about energy efficiency and energy auditing. Freshmen Environmental Science classes along with some Sophomore and Junior environmental science classes participated in the energy house activity. Each student was given a tablet and as they walked through the house they were to scan different appliances such as an oven. A question would then pop up on the student’s tablet asking about how that appliance could be used in a more energy-efficient manner. Each class had about 15-20 minutes to go through the house. At the end of each session, the student who got the most questions correct won a $10 amazon gift card while second and third-place students received a $5 gift card! This activity teaches students energy-efficient practices that they can take home, share with their families, and implement at their houses to improve their energy efficiency. Additionally, the energy house teaches students what an energy audit is and how to perform one. Energy auditors perform house and building scans to determine a building's energy usage and find places where energy efficiency could be improved. According to the students, the energy house was an educational and fun experience!
Candle Making
⇛ At last the Aggie's Pop-Up store, the Beekeeping Club had a candle-making station! Students paid $5 to make a candle. Pictured below is Sophia Hall, grade 10, showing Jeffery Laflamme, grade 9, how to properly roll the beeswax.
RAT Projects
⇛ Juniors in Ms. Garrett’s Research Animal Technology I (RAT I) classes got a crash course on the anatomy of rats! For this unit, students had to create a rat model with a specific list of anatomical parts to identify. This is an annual assignment from Ms. Garrett, as it gives students the opportunity to creatively learn anatomy and see the similarities between other species, like humans and dogs. As you can see from the pictures, the students added their own individual creative touch to each of their models. Last week, a story was shared regarding the RAT II class dissecting rats in preparation for teaching freshmen about anatomy. This is just another step in the full-circle education RAT students receive!
Lung Projects
⇛ Juniors in Animal Anatomy and Physiology class have been studying the respiratory system. To better understand the mechanics of respiration, students had to construct a fully functioning lung model. Breathing in mammals works by increasing the size of the thoracic (chest) cavity with the contraction of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles which causes a negative pressure and air flows in. The lung models worked in a similar way by being completely airtight with a moving diaphragm and a tube from the external environment into the lungs (balloons) inside!
Energy-Efficient Homes
⇛ The 9th-grade students in environmental classes learned about energy-efficient homes. They toured Mr. Kane’s net-positive home and this week, students are working on creating their own energy-efficient home models!
End Zone Renovation Project at Gillette Stadium
⇛ On December 12th, Mr. Brol and Mr. Gendron took a group of Ag-Mechanic juniors to Gillette Stadium to tour the End Zone Renovation project being constructed by Suffolk Construction. The project consists of constructing the largest outdoor video screen in the country and also constructing the largest lighthouse in the country. When touring the site, students were able to see many trade unions in action including; Local 4 Operating Engineers, Local 7 Ironworkers, and 103 IBEW to name a few. Members from Suffolk spoke to the students about the trade positions and also engineering, project management, safety officer, and superintendent positions. Next Monday's Ag-mech guest speaker will be from Local 7 Ironworkers.
Reptile and Bird Handling Project
⇛ Beginning the reptile and bird handling unit, students in Mr. Allen’s Sophomore Herpetology and Avian classes were assigned a project which tasked them with handling an assigned selection of birds and reptiles in the correct way the students were taught. If unable to handle the animals correctly, Mr. Allen kindly demonstrated the proper way to hold the creatures. After demonstrating handling the creature correctly, Mr. Allen signed his signature next to the animal you handled to signal that you had handled the animal correctly. We all wish the students in Mr. Allen’s class good luck in their project and hope for them to correctly learn to handle them all safely.
Winter Reindeers
⇛ As the holiday season settled in, Mr. Ruvich’s freshman classes built their own reindeer made out of pine wood. They have learned how to properly use the equipment in the wood shop while also making something for themselves or as a present for others for the holidays! Here’s a joke; “How much does it cost to fly Santa’s sleigh? About eight bucks, nine during bad weather!”
In the photo to the right is Claudia Chambert with her reindeer!
Botany & Soils Class
⇛ Juniors in Ms. Forsyth’s Botany & Soils class performed a soil water lab. This lab helped them determine how much gravitational, capillary, and hygroscopic water soils can hold. The students later practiced their compound microscope skills to look at plant structures. Seen below are root cells!
Rat Restraints & Injections
⇛ Juniors in Ms. Garrett’s Research Animal Technology class learned about rat restraints and injections last week. Students have learned to properly handle syringes one-handed while restraining a rat at the same time. In Friday’s lab, students performed mock injections using a syringe without the needle attached.
Department of Public Works
⇛ This past guest speaker for the Ag-Mechanics students was Jake Standley, the Assistant Superintendent at the Water and Sewer Department for the Town of Franklin. Jake is an Aggie Alumnus who was a member of the class of 2008. Jake presented to both Ag-Mechanic juniors and seniors as well as to Mr. Lee's junior and senior Environmental students. Jake discussed the workings of Franklin's Department of Public Works and Water and Sewer Departments. Jake also covered the many career opportunities available to Aggie students within the DPW. The town of Franklin is also interested in future Co-op and Internship options for Ag-Mechanic students within the DPW. This coming Monday, Ag-Mechanic juniors will be traveling to Gillette Stadium with Mr. Brol and Mr. Gendron to tour the End Zone Renovation Construction project as guests of Suffolk Construction.
Inflatable Lungs
⇛ In animal anatomy and physiology class, juniors learned about the respiratory system. Students had the opportunity to look at preserved pig lungs hooked up to a pump apparatus which allowed them to watch the lungs inflate with air. They also compared them to dried pig lungs and a lung model. Did you know that the surface area inside your lungs is roughly the size of a tennis court??
Swags
⇛ Mr. Thompson’s freshmen classes got into the holiday spirit by making swags to bring home! This is a great activity to learn the basics of working with greenery for holiday decor! Ms. Perry’s sophomore classes also made swags, but they were made for the Pop-Up store and sold for profits to help the flori club!
Mower Blades
⇛ The seniors in Ms. Forsyth’s Turf Management class learned how to sharpen and maintain mower blades in class. Dull mower blades can cause more harm than good as they often tear the grass instead of providing clean cuts. This can lead to disease and infestations as the grass often has a longer recovery period in between mowing and can end up turning brown! Sharpening your blades is way more cost-effective than replacing them completely. Students used grinders to sharpen the blades at school.
RAT Dissections
⇛ The seniors in Ms. Garrett’s research animal technology (RAT) II class were preparing to enter the freshmen biology classes to teach them about anatomy. They are taking their time working on rat (the animal— not the RAT program) dissections to make sure they’re ready to demonstrate for the freshmen next week! This is a wonderful collaboration between the vocational and academic departments!
Plant Health Care
⇛ Seniors in Ms. Forsyth’s Plant Health Care class discussed the cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of the Potato Blight (famine), Dutch Elm Disease, and Chestnut blight! It is crazy to think how a pathogen can destroy an entire ecosystem of plants and have a huge impact on culture and the environment! The Aggie has been a partner with the American Chestnut Foundation and currently has over 100 American Chestnuts planted to help bring this species back from the brink of extinction!
Canine Restraint Lab
⇛ Sophomores in Ms. Doleski’s Canine, Feline, and Vet classes participated in a lab focused on dog restraints. Restraints are used to keep the dogs from moving during examinations done by veterinarians and also to protect the handlers from any biting or scratching. The students demonstrated the various different restraint techniques on the staff dogs and learned more about how to use equipment such as muzzles and the many types of collars. While some of the dogs were skittish at first, they slowly got used to the different restraints and allowed them to be used on them. The students all enjoyed the lab and learned so much more about why restraint is used and how to safely use restraints on dogs.
Coffee Break Connections
⇛ Kyle Correia from Landscape America came in to talk to junior and senior plant majors. Kyle spoke about landscape snow and ice management and how companies handle that aspect of the business and how they manage to keep people employed all winter.
Soils Lab
⇛ Juniors in plant science participated in a soils lab. They looked at the physical properties of soil and performed ribbon tests to determine the soil textures.
Outdoor Leadership Fishing
⇛ Mr. Stone's outdoor leadership class learned how to properly fish, find bait, and set up a hook out at the director's pond. Despite the cold weather the students had a blast learning about fishing and even getting to fish a bit, sadly nothing was caught.
Livestock Veterinarian
⇛ The Aggie welcomed a new livestock veterinarian to campus, Dr. Rosario Delgado. Dr. Delgado is not only a veterinarian but also a farmer herself! Dr. Delgado came to campus for routine vaccinations but also spoke on how to properly care for livestock to ensure they are happy, healthy, and productive. She demonstrated and then supervised proper vaccination techniques and helped students flip sheep more efficiently. She also brought along her ultrasound machine to use on the pregnant sow prior to her farrowing. This was a great experience for our students and a beautiful partnership that will continue into the future.
Freshmen Livestock
⇛ All freshmen have officially completed their livestock and equine curriculum for the year! Freshmen in Mrs. McKenna’s class helped out last week by moving the flock of sheep down to the livestock barn for the vet visit which allowed the veterinarian to move through all of the animals much faster! This also helped the students with their haltering and leading skills. This week, freshmen continued to improve their mucking and leading skills in the horse barn!
New Piglets
⇛ There was a lot to be thankful for this holiday, namely, the school is thankful for their 12 new piglets born on Saturday! These were the piglets seen on the ultrasound just a few days prior! Students in veterinary and livestock classes had the opportunity to assist in the processing of this new litter and classes are doing regular weight checks to track their growth. Welcome to the farm!!
Advantage Truck Group
⇛ The Ag-Mechanics juniors took a field trip to Advantage Truck Group in Raynham MA with Mr. Brol and Mr. McNamara. Upon arrival, the students met in the upstairs conference room at ATG for introductions and an overview of the day. Students were then broken into four teams to tour the facility's four main departments; Service Advisor, Shop Floor, Front Parts, Back Parts, and a spokesperson from sales. A scavenger hunt was incorporated into the tour. The scavenger hunt included finding items at each location, how many eye wash stations; what is shop rate, etc. Answers to questions ATG provided will describe a typical day in Job X; What skills are most important, etc. Advantage Truck Group has also agreed to work with the Aggie's Ag-Mechanics department to establish Co-Op opportunities for seniors and a new internship opportunity for juniors.
Surgical Prep
⇛ Students in the junior veterinary science classes learned about surgical preparations. Students participated in an antiseptic hand wash lab to experience the process of preparing for an operation. This week, students were introduced to surgical scrub as they prepared the tables and their (stuffed) animals for abdominal surgery!
Blood Lab
⇛ Junior animal science majors in Ms. Garrett’s classes learned about the circulatory system. This unit includes lessons on blood and yesterday, students had the opportunity to view blood smears on the microscopes! Students compared and contrasted the blood cells between species as well as looked at the shape and structure of the main types of blood cells; red blood cells & white blood cells.
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