Sheboygan teacher receives Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom Outstanding Teacher Award
From the Kettle Moraine UniServ Council newsletter
On January 8, 2009, students and staff from Cooper Elementary School gathered for an award presentation. Margaret Heyn, a 3rd-grade teacher in the Sheboygan Area School District, was recently named the recipient of the Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom Outstanding Teacher Award.
The award was given by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau. This award recognizes the top teacher in the state for achievement and effort in teaching students the importance of agriculture. Farm Bureau’s purpose is to promote, protect and represent the business, economic, leadership and educational interests of agricultural producers. They do this through:
- Legislative involvement and political activity.
- Public and media relations.
- Education.
- Training and leadership development .
Ag in the Classroom is a program coordinated nationally by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help students in grades K- 12 understand the important of agriculture. The Ag in the Classroom Web site www.wisagclassroom.org is an archive of resources for teachers and volunteers. The Web site also has links to educational resources.
“Margaret is very deserving of the award because of incorporation of agriculture into her curriculum so that her students understand the impact agriculture and the dairy industry makes in their lives,” said Darlene Arneson, Ag in the Classroom coordinator.
She chaired a committee of teachers and representatives of Sheboygan County Farm Bureau who planned a field trip to a local dairy farm for several hundred 3rd graders from the Sheboygan Area School District. The students experienced seven learning stations including a milking parlor, a barn, life of a cow, the role of a veterinarian, nutrition for cows and calves, machinery used for harvesting crops, and an information center on Wisconsin cheeses and farms presented by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Marcia Fenner, Sheboygan County Farm Bureau Woman’s Chairwoman, mentioned “how wonderful it was to work with Margaret.”
After the presentation, Margaret commented “what a great honor it was to receive the award, almost unbelievable.” She said she truly enjoyed working with the committee and appreciated all of the support from the committee members.
As part of this award she is Wisconsin’s nominee for the National Excellence in Teaching Agriculture Award. The five top candidates will be invited to the National Farm Bureau Conference which is being held in St. Louis this coming June. She also received a cash award plus numerous classroom resources.
Margaret has been teaching for 35 years with the past 18 of them being at Sheboygan.
Posted January 12, 2009