A captive audience listens to Rodney Buchanan as he talks about Fraser Fir growth during Science Evening.
Science became magical for more than 150 students earlier this month during Deyton Elementary’s Science Evening during which students stayed after school from 2:15 – 5 p.m. to enjoy the event, sponsored by Mitchell County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee.
Barbara Harrell served as chair and worked closely with Deyton Principal Brandon Birchfield. She was assisted by County Extension Director Eve Kindley and volunteers from Farm Bureau and 4-H.
Student teachers from Lees-McRae College earned their final grades by developing and setting up learning stations for the participants. Their content was provided by Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom curriculum. Additional sessions were set up by Mitchell County leaders in agriculture and youth development.
Participating Deyton students were treated to an afternoon snack and water before they were divided into 10 groups of about 15 students each.
Each group was led from station to station by one or more volunteers.
The sessions taught by the Lees-McRae student teachers included: Crazy for Compost, A Career for Me in Agriculture, Portion Power, Farming in a Glove, Animal Care, Chicken Little, Taste Bud Challenge, Fact or Fairy Tale and Parts of a Plant.
The Wonderful World of Bees session taught by Toecane Beekeepers member Ed Gouge was a highlight because of the beehive and bees he brought. North Carolina Christmas Tree Growers Association leader Rodney Buchanan’s Fraser Fir seedlings brought attention in another.
Jackie Wall’s Microgreens session gave students a chance to taste greens they may have never seen before. Wall is the owner of The Little Half Acre, a homestead business.
The final class on Rolling Vortices in Agricultural Machinery was taught by Kindley with the assistance of Shauna English and Mylee Chapman, both 4-H teen leaders.
“Everything was fun,” said third-grader Keller Blanton. “My favorite activities were watching the smoke go through the vortex cups we made and doing a plant experiment. One seed grew but the other one was planted too deep, so it didn’t come up.”
North Carolina Farm Bureau representatives from Agriculture in the Classroom included Director Heather Willoughby, and members of the videography team along with Luke Beam, field representative for Mitchell County.
Gloria Huskins represented the Mitchell County Farm Bureau at the event. Mitchell County’s Farm Bureau Women’s Committee provides agricultural education for students, works with Assisted Living facilities and provides an educational scholarship annually to a deserving student.