News Stories
Please read some of our published news stories! Check our Facebook page South Seneca Agriculture Education for updates!
May 2024
SOUTH SENECA ATTENDS NYFFA CONVENTION
by Patty Parsons
Four of our Chapter Officers and I traveled out to the 99th NY FFA Convention in Buffalo today. We were able to wander about the expo, experience a general session, go to a leadership workshop, attend the District 8 meeting, and we were recognized on stage as a new chapter at the afternoon general session! It was quite a day!
May 2024
JESSE ALEXANDER SPEAKS AT CAREER DAY
by Patty Parsons
I was so pleased to have former student, Jesse Alexander, as a guest speaker in my room this morning for our Career Day at SSHS! Jesse is the Head Winemaker at Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars. He was able to talk to our students about what kind of education is needed to work in the wine industry and some of the ins and outs of being a winemaker. The kids learned a lot and had many great, thoughtful questions for him! Thanks for coming in to share your experiences, Jesse!
April 2024
SENECA MEADOWS EDUCATION CENTER AND WETLAND PRESERVE
by Patty Parsons
Our Plant Science class visited Seneca Meadows Education Center and Seneca Meadows Wetland Preserve today! Even though the day started out foggy, it was beautiful once we arrived in Seneca Falls! Students were able to learn about the history of the Wetland Preserve and were able to see many plant and bird species. The highlight of the trip was to view the nesting Bald Eagles and get a glimpse of their young ones! We were able to see an Eagle fishing in one of the ponds nearby their nest as well. Mr. Fred Leff from the Montezuma Audubon Center was a great guide and helped us to learn so much about the plants and birds that call the Seneca Meadows Wetland Preserve their home! Thanks so much, Seneca Meadows Inc , for making this trip possible for us!
April 2024
AG CLASSES CELEBRATE EARTH DAY
by Patty Parsons
To celebrate Earth Day today (but isn't everyday Earth Day?!) the Intro to Ag class went out to the community garden to help fill beds with compost for the Ovid Community Garden gardeners! We even pulled weeds in the walkways and picked up garbage to and from the garden! What a beautiful day!
April 2024
STUDENTS FILL BEDS WITH COMPOST IN OCG
by Patty Parsons
Plant Science Agenda today? Move mulch in the Ovid Community Garden! Students put fresh mulch in 9 of the beds in the OCG today, with more to follow! Such a nice day to be out in the sunshine working! Students really lived up to the FFA Motto today: Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve
April 2024
LARGE ANIMALS CLASS GOES ON BEEF TOUR
by Patty Parsons
Today our Large Animals class and Mrs. Fulton's Bioethics class took a local beef tour! Our first stop was at Aman Family Farm in Interlaken. Students were able to see many of the family's Angus beef feeder cattle and even got a few licks from them! Kevin and Melissa Aman told students about their operation and answered the questions that students had about the operation. Students were able to learn about what goes into being a small scale beef farmer, see what the beef cattle eat on the farm, and were able to see how massive the grain bins on the farm are! The Aman's also do a great deal of grain based farming, and are able to feed their beef cattle with hay and grains that are produced only on their farm. The family also provided us with some hamburger patties to cook up at school to try the beef that is sold at their farm business.
Next stop was Schrader Farms Meat Market where Keith and Sue Schrader graciously welcomed us into their facility to show students what happens during the butchering process. Students have been learning about Temple Grandin's slaughterhouse design and handling techniques to minimize the stress on animals before slaughter. Mr. Schrader talked a lot about how Dr. Grandin has influenced the design of their facility and how they use her principles in their process. No animals were being slaughtered today, so students were able to go into many of the areas that are off limits during an active day. Students were also treated to snack sticks that are made and sold at the facility in their store.
Overall, even though it was a windy and rainy day, we were able to have a very successful day learning about our local beef industry! Thank you to both Aman Family Farm and Schrader Farms Meat Market for a wonderful and memorable experience!
March 2024
CHICKS HAVE HATCHED
by Patty Parsons
Now that spring is "here" and winter is back, we have chicks hatching in our classroom! Students have enjoyed learning about the development of a chick in the egg, candling the eggs to check for progress, watching the hatching process, and holding chicks!
March 2024
SOUTH SENECA CELEBRATES AG LITERACY WEEK
by Patty Parsons
Today, members of our Plant Science class read "I Love Strawberries" by Shannon Anderson to the second grade classes at South Seneca Elementary School! In addition to reading the book, students did an activity about the life cycle of a plant (from seed to fruit). Plant Science members did such a great job reading the book and leading the activities!
March 2024
INTRO TO AG VISITS CASELLA RECYCLING FACILITY
by Patty Parsons
The Intro to Ag and Bioethics classes had the opportunity to visit Casella's Recycling Facility in Stanley, NY today! Thanks to Brian Sanders (Market Area Manager) and Ben (Strategic Account Manager) we were able to learn so much about the recycling side of the landfill (and a bit about the landfill side as well). We learned that the average person in the US creates 4.6 lbs of trash per day and that NYS produces 14 million tons of garbage a year. The three R's (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) can help lessen that amount of garbage greatly! This facility takes in 60,000 tons of recycling annually and can take plastic, cans, cardboard, and paper. Students were able to see the MRF (Material Recovery Facility) in action. The robotic sorter is able to sort the recycling quickly, and we were able to hear the puffs of air removing items from the line and see the robotic arm grabbing items from the line. We learned that much of the recycled plastic can be used in other forms like carpeting and Coca-Cola soda bottles. Overall, it was a very informative day! Thank you so much to the Casella Recycling Facility in Stanley Casella Waste Systems for the tour, to Ryan Staychock at Seneca County Cornell Cooperative Extension for setting it all up for us, and Mr. Jeff South at Seneca Central School District for his excellent driving and knowing right where to go from his previous career experience! It was an awesome trip!
February 2023
FIRST SOUTH SENECA FFA JACKET!
by Patty Parsons
The first South Seneca FFA Jacket to walk down our hallways! (Previously we had Ovid FFA and Interlaken FFA)
February 2024
SECOND SEMESTER INTRO TO AG
by Patty Parsons
Introduction to Agriculture is a half year course in the high school that introduces students to the world of agriculture. Since the second semester just started, we have a fresh batch of students! We are working through the CASE AFNR (Agriculture, Foods, and Natural Resources) curriculum. Students have been learning about how agriculture has changed over time, agriculture around our nation, where certain crops are grown across the US and why, and we are currently looking into the wide variety of careers in the agricultural industry!
February 2024
TOP CUT BEEF EXPERIENCE
by Patty Parsons
Seventh grade students have spent the last few classes planning and cooking their beef recipes for the NY Ag in the Classroom Top Cut Beef Experience! Classes had to create a beef-centric meal to cook in the classroom. Period 3 decided to make Beef Quesadillas. Period 8 made Spaghetti and Meatballs. Period 9 made Steak, Asparagus, and Fries! All of the dishes were super fun to make and the kids really enjoyed getting to eat what they made!
February 2024
THREE NEW GROW TOWERS
by Patty Parsons
Plant Science students put together three more grow towers for our cafeteria! These grow towers were funded through a FINYS (Farm to Institution NYS) Grant that we won a couple of years ago! The cafe was interested in having more fresh greens and herbs supplied by the towers! Both the HS and MS cafeteria now have two grow towers in them now! Grow towers are generally cared for by our HS Plant Science classes. Maintaining the grow towers includes many skills such as measuring water and liquid nutrients, measuring and adjusting pH of the water, harvesting produce, and replacing spent plants with newly sprouted plants!
February 2024
SOUTH SENECA OFFICERS VOLUNTEER AT LDE's
by Patty Parsons
Three of our South Seneca FFA officers went to the District 8 LDE's (Leadership Development Events) in Penn Yan today to volunteer! Since this is our first year, we are just learning the ropes, so volunteering is a great way to see what the LDE's are all about. Advisor Parsons was able to judge Sr. Prepared Speeches, which was a great learning experience for her as well! Great job all!
January 2024
MIDDLE SCHOOL TAKES OVER MAINTENANCE
by Patty Parsons
Seventh grade students got to help do some of the high school class chores today since HS had been out of class all week for Regents and midterms! One class learned how to do maintenance on the Grow Towers and the other class learned how to care for the small animals in our class.
What's involved with Grow Tower Maintenance?! Lots of things, including: measuring water added to tower to determine how much of the liquid nutrients need to be added, measuring out liquid nutrients, chemical safety, measuring pH, giving overgrown plants a trim, and inserting new plants into the tower!
Students enjoyed having a chance to be responsible for cleaning out the animal cages, fill water reservoirs, and food bins. They were very responsible and very excited to be helping our animals get set for the weekend!
January 30, 2024
WELCOME TO THE SOUTH SENECA ZOO, AKA MRS. PARSONS'S CLASSROOM
by Michael Nocella (article and photo)
The Bronx Zoo is 281.7 miles from Ovid. Even the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester is 51 miles away. Point being – those in the South Seneca Central School District looking to see some exotic animals better be ready to travel.
Unless, of course, they have access to MS/HS Agriculture Teacher Patty Parsons’s classroom – room 108. If that’s the case, you don’t have to travel at all. That’s because Parsons’s classroom moonlights as its own mini zoo, with nearly 20 different creatures getting their own high school education.
So it’s no surprise that students are always eager for Mrs. Parsons class – they get to spend time with these animals while they learn, often taking them out of their habitats for cuddles, treats, and companionship.
“I’d have to say our chinchilla, Stella, is my favorite,” senior Elizabeth Dendis said. “She has an absolutely amazing personality and loves to cuddle and sit with us while we do our work.”
Dendis elaborated on what it’s like to be at school with so many unique and interesting characters cohabitating in the classroom.
“The biggest thing I have learned,” she said, “is exactly how much care goes into these animals and all the different, but very specific, qualifications that all the animals need to thrive. I definitely find it more interesting and engaging to have the animals in the classroom. Since we spend the time that we are not doing chores learning about the individual animals I find it very helpful to have the real life animal to compare to. It is also always the best part of the day to de-stress and snuggle with the animals.”
Mrs. Parsons said taking care of the animals is a lot of work, but gets help from the students, and loves having them be a part of her classroom. She gave a full rundown of all of her animals, and here they are:
Andy is a Flemish Giant: “He is about a year old, so should be about as big as he's going to get! He really loves fresh greens and carrots as a snack! Everyone loves Andy because he is so big!”
Raisin is a Lionhead Mix: “We aren't sure of his age. He came to us from another ag program that was looking for homes for their rabbits. Raisin is a sweet guy!”
Oreo is a black and white mix rabbit: “We aren't sure of her age. She came from the same program that Raisin came from. Oreo can be a little grumpy, but she sure likes her greens!”
Chinchilla: ”The chinchilla, Stella, came to us from the Wayne Fingerlakes BOCES Animal Science Program. Stella is about 4 years old. She has been a big hit with the students and staff alike since she came to our program! She loves to run on her wheel, hide out in her hut, and take dust baths!”
Degu: “Grimace, our male degu, was donated to our program from another Ag program in Eastern NYS. Grimace is a fast little guy and likes to evade us when we are trying to get him out of his cage! Grimace also loves his dust baths!”
Hedgehog: “Sprinkles is a hedgehog that belongs to one of the students in our Small Animal class. Sprinkles isn't very active during the school day, but she is willing to come out and visit! She is sharp and spiky, so we have to be extra careful when holding her!”
Hamster: “Muffin is a hamster that we got at the beginning of the school year. Muffin is active mainly at night, so we don't get to see her unless we wake her up. She does have a hamster ball that she will roll around the classroom with!”
Blue-Tongued Skink: “Blue is a Blue-Tongued Skink who came to us as a rescue. We are not sure if Blue is male or female. Blue loves to eat earthworms, quail eggs, and blueberries! Blue wasn't very comfortable being handled when he first came to us, but now Blue enjoys being handled!”
Leopard Gecko: “Mushu is a male Leopard Gecko that came from the same program that we got the Degu from. Mushu likes to keep himself tucked away under his rock for most of the day because he loves to be warm! Mushu's favorite food is mealworms.”
Bearded Dragon: “Jolene is a female juvenile Bearded Dragon. We got her through a Pets in the Classroom grant this past fall! Jolene gets to go home with Mrs. Parsons on the weekends because as a juvenile, she still needs to eat fresh insects multiple times a day. Jolene enjoys eating crickets and Dubia beetles. It has been fun to watch Jolene grow! She has at least doubled in size since we got her in the fall!”
Red-Footed Tortoise: “Tabitha (Tabby) is a female Red-Footed Tortoise that belongs to Mrs. Nina Redmond's family. Tabby has been living in our classroom since this past fall since her main owner has gone off to college. Tabby may be a tortoise, but she can move around the room pretty fast, especially when you aren't paying attention! Sometimes it's like a game of hide-and-seek to find her! Tabby loves to take a bath in her swimming pool once or twice a week. Her favorite foods: lettuce, cooked chicken, and bananas! She is fuve years old.
Parakeet: "Banana is a male parakeet that came from the same Ag program that the Degu and the Leopard Gecko came from. Banana loves to sing and chatter, especially when Mrs. Parsons is trying to teach! Banana really enjoys his millet treats!"
Fish: "We have two fish tanks in the room. One tank has the Beta fish that the 4-H afterschool kids set up last year. The other tank has several tropical fish in it and is still in progress!"
Quail: "While picking up the Parakeet, Degu, and Leopard Gecko, Mrs. Parsons was sent home with several quail eggs from the school's Ag program. Students in the Intro to Ag class put the eggs in the incubator and we were able to hatch out some quail! We have three quail and all three have started laying eggs! Quail mature at 6-8 weeks. The quail are known for their unique noises!"
Parsons also noted that they try to be creative with how they sustain caring for so many different animals.
“We try to be more sustainable in our insect consumption for the animals, we have a mealworm set up and a Dubia roach setup that we are raising both of these bugs in. This helps to offset the costs of purchasing insects for our lizard friends!”
December 2023
FARM TO SCHOOL IN DECEMBER
by Sarah Horton (article and photo)
Adam Snell and his team does it again! Today's lunch consisted of pulled pork sandwiches with house made bbq sauce and served on a Heidelberg hamburger bun. Served with a side of local cabbage coleslaw (with fresh dill from our grow tower), Brussel sprouts, and baked beans.
December 2023
WREATH MAKING IN PLANT SCIENCE
by Patty Parsons
Yesterday in Plant Science, students learned how to make wreaths! Most students enjoyed the process and it looks like we have some professional wreath makers in our midst! Students were able to take their wreaths home to decorate their doors with! Thanks to Evergreen Acres Plantation for the branches, as well as branches that were cut from Mrs. Parsons' family's property!
November 2023
DOGLESS DOG SHOW
by Patty Parsons
Students in the Small Animals class have been studying different breeds of dogs. Information pertinent to the breed was gathered, such as accepted heights, hair colors, temperaments, etc. and then created a life size cardboard cut out of their dog. Students then could use paint to make their dog as lifelike as possible. We had over 50 judges (staff and students) that judged our "Dogless Dog Show" and prizes were awarded in each breed category, as well as Most Realistic, Best Information, and Best of Show! Students really had a chance to show their creativity and learn about the dog breed of their choice during this project! Judges really enjoyed being able to come in and make some tough choices while reading about all of the different dog breeds!
November 2023
SOUTH SENECA STUDENT PARTICIPATES IN GROW-NY
by Sarah Horton & Patty Parsons
For the past month or so, Elizabeth Dendis, senior at South Seneca Central School, has been preparing her pitch for the Grow-NY Youth contest. The first step of this competition was applying to be given a chance to make a pitch to the judges on the youth stage at the annual Grow-NY contest. The Grow-NY Youth contest calls on food system and technology entrepreneurs to pitch their idea to four judges to compete to win prize money that would benefit their business. Elizabeth, owner of Sweet Sprinkles Bakery that just opened up this past summer in Trumansburg, NY, already has a business plan, a storefront, and is already operating her business, but she has big ideas and knew that she could put money for her business to good use. Not really knowing what to expect from this competition, the small group from South Seneca arrived in Binghamton on November 14th for the Grow-NY summit. After wandering through the presentation tables for the Grow-NY competition, and watching some of the pitches that ag start-ups were giving on the main stage, Elizabeth prepared for her pitch on the Youth Stage during lunch at the event. Elizabeth delivered a flawless pitch, explaining the ins and outs of her business, and was able to effortlessly answer the four judges' questions about her future plans for her business. Awards were announced on November 15, and Elizabeth placed 5th place in the competition, earning $500 to put toward her business. Thank you to Grow-NY, Cornell University, NYS 4-H, NYS FFA, and New York Agriculture in the Classroom for providing this wonderful opportunity for young entrepreneurs to advance their business!
November 2023
PLANT SCIENCE CLASSES VISIT CORNELL AGRI-TECH
by Patty Parsons
Today our Plant Science classes visited Cornell AgriTech in Geneva along with classes from Romulus, Seneca Falls, and Waterloo. Students traveled to four different stations to learn more about the operation. They learned about how apple trees are created through grafting, how long it takes for a new apple variety to be created (many years...around 20), they toured the vineyards of about 20 species of grapes that serves as a "library" of sorts for people who are developing new types of grapes, visited the largest collection of apple trees in the world and tasted many of them (some were sweet, some were tart, some were sour, some were big, some were small), and learned how research is carried out with using beneficial insects in the garden setting. Students were able to taste the new SnapDragon apple and even a russetted apple that is not released to the market yet (everyone loved it--super delicious)! Overall it was a whirlwind of a trip and they learned so much! Thank you to Seneca County 4-H NY, NYS Farm to School Program - CCE Seneca, and Cornell AgriTech for organizing this trip for us!
October 2023
THE GRAPE INDUSTRY VISITS OUR CLASSROOM
by Patty Parsons
Shannon Brock, owner of Silver Thread Vineyard in Lodi, NY, visited the South Seneca Plant Science classes this week. Bringing three different types of grapes for students to dissect and sample (Marquis, Niagara, and Gewurztraminer), Brock discussed the similarities and differences of different grape varieties, which grape varieties are grown in the Finger Lakes area, the purposes that the different grape varieties have, how harvesting is done, and many other grape and vineyard related topics. Students were able to ask questions that they had about the grape industry and have those questions answered on the spot!
October 2023
INTRODUCTION TO AGRICULTURE
by Sarah Horton (article and photos)
Working in a science-related field requires specific tools and the ability to make precise and accurate measurements. Just ask our Intro to Agriculture students who are working on just that!
September 2023
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
September 2023
SOUTH SENECA AGRISCIENCE TEACHER ATTENDS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE
CASE Press Release
Patricia Parsons, agriscience educator at South Seneca Middle/High School recently attended a Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education professional development institute at Lowville Academy to teach the Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources CASE curriculum.
CASE is an instructional system that is changing the culture of agriculture programs in the United States through teacher professional development; inquiry-based, student-focused lessons; assessment; and certification. Teachers use the curriculum to elevate student experiences in the agriculture classroom and prepare students for success in college and careers emphasizing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). CASE is an initiative of The National Council for Agricultural Education.
During the CASE Institute, Parsons spent 72 hours working through nearly every lesson in the year-long curriculum and learning how to deliver lessons in an inquiry-based way that will shift focus in the classroom from teacher-led to student-directed learning.
“Students in Agriculture classes this year will be able to experience several hands-on lessons that will deepen their understanding of agriculture,” said Parsons.
For more information about CASE, visit case4learning.org.
Left: Mrs. Parsons doing some measurements in the "field" (AKA the front lawn of the school). Right: Mrs. Parsons (second from left) and her teammates determining how clean or dirty certain fuels burn. (Photos by CASE Instructors)
The CASE Institute attendees for the AFNR and Food Science Institutes. We spent 72 classroom hours learning the curriculum to be able to teach it in our home districts! I was able to learn with teachers from all over NY and the USA (with participants from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Washington, and California too)! (Photo by CASE)