Local Business Thriving with a Blend of Homegrown Talent

and Seasonal Migrant Workers

By Christian Schrader

    Seneca Foods plays a big part in the Princeville community and schools. Not only does Seneca Foods offer jobs, including to PHS Alumni, but a number of families migrate to Princeville each year and their children attend school at PCUSD 326 while they are in Princeville.  

Eric Martin is a 1989 graduate of Princeville High School. He was involved in FFA and played Football and Basketball while at Princeville. Soon after High School he worked as a mechanic seasonally for Owattana Canning when he wasn’t in college. At the time, Owattana Canning processed foods like Corn, Beans, Peas, and Asparagus. Martin majored in Marketing at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Il.  

Soon after college, Eric found work in his hometown at the canning factory. As we know it today, the canning factory is operated by Seneca Foods. Eric was a Production Supervisor and worked his way up to Plant Superintendent. He is now the Vice President of Seneca Foods and has come a long way. 

Martin's family has been involved with the canning factory and Princeville for many years.   Martin's grandparents sold corn and beans to the canning factory. “I’m Involved with it on a day-to-day basis. I can’t say I do that with every plant,” Eric Martin admitted, “It's a special plant to me because I grew up there and I know a lot of the people that work there.” 

Seneca Foods ships out more than four million cases of pumpkin a year by truck and rail from sea to shining sea. Seneca Foods has many migrant workers that keep the factory running. The Princeville School District accommodates the children of the migrant workers employed by Seneca. 

Princeville’s School District’s Migrant Director is Ms. Jada Crose. We asked Ms. Crose some questions about the PCUSD #326 migrant program. 

How many migrant students do we have this year?  

This year we had 12 migrant students. That is on the low side. I typically have between 15-20.

When are the students typically in Princeville?  

The students are typically in Princeville May through November, although some return later in the summer, such as June or July (and stay until mid-November).

What are the challenges for the migrant students?  

There are a lot of challenges. Since I've been in this position and gotten to know these wonderful families, I have spent a lot of time trying to put myself in their shoes and imagine what it would be like to be in their position. The fact of the matter is that nothing is easy about uprooting your life every 6 months and moving back and forth between two places. It's hard to feel settled anywhere, it's hard to build relationships, it's hard to develop a sense of belonging. They are being separated from close family and friends, pets, people, and places they love for extended periods of time. Academically, it's hard to keep moving between two different schools. Classes and credits and curriculums most definitely don't match up a lot of the time. All of that to say, I am so deeply inspired by these kids' resilience and their ability to find joy in every situation. Truly, they carry a strength and an ability to adapt that is so admirable. 

What services do you provide for the students and their families? 

As far as services go, I do it all! I teach English to the migrant students who are English Language Learners, which is my primary role. I also interpret and translate for the parents. For the most part, all parental communication is filtered through me. Any time the school needs to contact a parent, or vice versa, it goes through me. I help families schedule doctor's appointments, open bank accounts, and other miscellaneous tasks (that aren't necessarily in the job description). I have helped parents get set up with English tutors, so they can start learning English as well. For me, the most important "service" I want to offer my students and their families is a sense of belonging and that their voice is being heard. I want to provide support, build relationships, and create an environment, a community, and a line of communication that makes them feel included and valued.

What do the students add to the school culture at Princeville?  

Princeville is such an outstanding school district in so many ways, but I wouldn't want to imagine it without our beautiful pocket of diversity that the migrants bring. I believe with all my heart that we are so very blessed, beyond what we realize, to have these students and their families with us in our school and community. I think of my students like monarch butterflies. Monarchs migrate by the masses from the U.S. to Mexico each year. I picture my students like those beautiful monarchs who bring waves of vivid color to our schools every year. It opens the door to education about diversity and allows students in a rural, midwestern town to experience first-hand the beauty of a culture they might not otherwise experience.

Anything else you would like to add?  

I am just so very thankful and blessed beyond measure to get to be a part of their lives. It is such a hard thing, beyond words, to build such close relationships with my students and their families, then watch them leave every year and have no guarantee that they will return. But I am so deeply grateful to get to know them, teach them, learn from them, and watch them grow, even if only for a short time. I am so, so proud of each and every one of my students. For all of the challenges they face, they are so intelligent, motivated, inspiring, and full of joy. What a beautiful community and culture it is that I am blessed to be a part of.