It is seldom good news when my cellphone rings early in the morning before I leave home. Rarely is a message as alarming as the one I received in the early morning hours of Feb. 6 when Southeast Whitfield High School’s principal told me that the animal science barn at the school was burning.
Denise Pendley reported that the fire department was on the scene, but the barn appeared to be a total loss. I grabbed a jacket, threw on a ball cap and went straight to the campus. At Southeast, public safety officials and the teachers from the agriculture department confirmed our worst fear. There was no evidence that the livestock had escaped the fire. Several of the animals inside the barn were owned by individual students and were kept in the barn as part of their agricultural lab and competition experience. I met with some of the students and parents involved in the program who had already begun to gather at the scene. Seeing the faces of some of those directly affected immediately put this horrible loss into perspective.
Immediately after the news of the tragedy became public, there was an outpouring of support from the community. Pledges and donations began pouring in from many different sources. These funds and in-kind service donations will help rebuild and bolster the Agriculture Education program at Southeast. Whitfield County Schools continues to work with insurance adjusters, architects and educators to coordinate rebuilding a new facility and replacing the contents.
Because of this horrific incident, I am reminded not only of our community’s generosity but also the importance of agricultural education. With the extensive manufacturing and industrial growth that our community and state have witnessed in recent years, it may be easy sometimes to overlook agriculture’s impact on our economy. Still the largest industry in Georgia, agriculture provides many career opportunities for our graduates. Agricultural education is one of the most popular of the 28 career pathways offered in our Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) programs. Students at all three traditional high schools can participate in both plant and animal science courses. Many of them participate beyond normal school hours in Future Farmers of America (FFA) programs and competitions.
Students participating in animal science programs experience hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, as well as career exploration and preparation. In our post-agrarian society, knowledge of the origins and sustainability of our food supply should not be taken for granted. Perhaps the most important lessons students learn are responsibility and empathy by learning to care for animals humanely.
If there is anything positive to come from this tragedy, it would be that community awareness of our agricultural programs has broadened. Since the fire, I have had conversations with people who were unaware of the scope of agricultural programs in our schools. With the support from the community, these programs at Southeast, Northwest and Coahulla Creek High Schools will continue to grow and thrive. Students completing agricultural career pathways will play an essential role in ensuring the security of our food supply, the strength of our economy and the leadership in our community for years to come.
Mike Ewton is superintendent of Whitfield County Schools.