MIDDLEPORT — Royalton-Hartland Central School is breaking ground on the latest addition to its continually growing agricultural program.
On Wednesday afternoon, a ground breaking ceremony behind the high school signaled the beginning of construction on the district’s outdoor learning agricultural lab, the first of its kind in Niagara County.
“This three-year journey to beginning this project and reaching agriculture excellence has been designed to help the hundreds of kindergarten through 12th grade students who are exploring and learning about agriculture,” district superintendent Jill Heck said.
In addition to serving as an agri-science lab for the district, the goal is to produce food as part of a community garden effort, and to support the food science lab where raw material will be converted into food.
“Our goal is to prepare students in our classes for a lifetime of successful choices in the agriculture industry,” program instructor Matthew Sweeney said. “And in doing so we want to develop their premier leadership, their personal growth and their career success, all through the lens of agricultural education.”
In 2021, the district secured a Congressionally Designated Spending award totaling more than $515,000 that was facilitated by then-U.S. Rep. Chris Jacobs. The funding will cover the first phase of the lab’s construction.
“This is great in particular in what it’s doing to help with the next generation of young people wanting to be farmers and aspiring to be in the agriculture sector, and hopefully right here, and that’s clearly what we need,” said Jacobs, who attended the Wednesday ceremony.
The first phase of the outdoor lab will include a large animal instruction area and that is expected to be completed by the start of the next school year.
“With this phase one we’ll be able to bring in large animals. I live on a dairy farm. The middle school agriculture teacher lives on a thoroughbred horse farm. Now we’re able to bring those animals to school so that we can educate our students with a live animal rather than using a picture or using a slideshow,” Sweeney said.
The second phase will include the construction of a seasonal greenhouse that will be operated from March through November.
Construction of the lab comes as Roy-Hart’s agricultural education program continues to see growth in and out of the classroom. The program has steadily grown since it was reintroduced in the district in September 2016.
Currently, 32 elementary students participate in the Green Team and 20 middle school students participate in Junior FFA. There are 35 FFA members at the high school, and 24 of them will graduate with a Career and Technical Education certification in agriculture that’s recognized by the New York State Education Department.
Last year, the district scored national honors in the form of the 2023 Outstanding Middle and Secondary School Agricultural Education Program Award given by the National Association of Agricultural Educators, amongst multiple other awards at the state and national levels.
While she won’t be able to see the lab’s completion as a Roy-Hart student, high school senior and FFA chapter president Sophia Santella said the lab will be a big boost to her fellow underclassmen.
“Agricultural students will be able to utilize these facilities for years to come. Hands-on learning is a crucial part of education and this new lab space will be highly beneficial for all students,” Santella said.