GREENVILLE—Greenville High School students shared their knowledge about food production and safety with first-graders on Friday, Oct. 14, during the FFA’s Annual Safety Awareness Day at the Darke County Fairgrounds.
“We host this annual event because it’s a learning experience for both our high school students and our school district’s first-graders,” said Karri Sherman, agricultural teacher and FFA adviser.
First-graders from Greenville City Schools, St. Mary’s as well as Montessori, attended the event at the fairgrounds. The high school students set up many learning stations at the fairgrounds.
Many of the stations are focused on safety – such as bicycle safety, fire safety, grain safety, and first aid. Other stations focus on various aspects of agriculture. Students also learned about products made from milk, corn, soybeans and apples, as well as the products that go into making a cheeseburger. They were able to pet farm animals, set on a tractor, roast marshmallows, and paint pumpkins.
“Most students today do not live on farms,” Sherman said. “Days like these give students an opportunity to learn about where their food comes from.”
Members of the Greenville FFA and the Greenville Careers with Children Class provided and served lunch for the children.
Safety Awareness Days is a unique opportunity for the younger students to experience agriculture for a day, and learn about being safe in a way they can understand,” stated Jayden Hicks, Chapter President. “It’s an educational day,” said Kyrie Unger, FFA Secretary, “They get to taste hot chocolate, eat popcorn, roast marshmallows, and learn how grain augers work, as well as how dangerous hopper wagons are.”
She also said that as the children boarded the buses to return to school, they received a few reminders of their trip to Safety Awareness Days. This included pencils, small goodies, and pumpkins. Assisting in the program were Hicks Farms, Koenig Equipment, Darke County Agricultural Society, Greenville High School Careers with Children, and MedTech. A huge Thanks to Remington Seeds for sponsoring the event. The Chapter is looking forward to next year!
