Schools to launch agriculture program

Starting next trimester, students interested in agriculture as a career or as a way of life will have a chance to get educated in the field.

Last week, the Sisters School Board approved a pilot agricultural sciences program for Sisters High School. The program will be funded through a grant of $10,000 by the Deschutes County Farm Bureau. The grant will fund one teacher to teach one period per day in the second and third trimesters of school.

The High Desert Educational Service District will fund books and supplies.

Future Farmers of America will be a partner in the program, which is spearheaded by Matt Cyrus, whose family has farmed in the Sisters Country for generations.

"I've been approached by parents and students over the last several years asking why is Sisters the only high school in Central Oregon without an ag program," Cyrus said.

He recalls his own experience taking ag classes at Redmond High School 30 years ago.

"All the basic things that every homeowner should know were in that class," he said. "It's probably the single class that I use things I learned in that class every day," Cyrus said. "(It was) probably the most diverse curriculum of any class."

A curriculum for the Sisters program won't be developed until a teacher is found, a process that is expected to take a few weeks. But "Ag" can encompass everything from forestry to horticulture, welding and shop to animal sciences.

And Cyrus is quick to note that agricultural sciences satisfies a number of Oregon diploma requirements.

"It can meet a lot of Oregon diploma requirements," he said. "It's not just an elective."

Cyrus says that he is confident that there will be a high degree of interest in the pilot program.

"I'm optimistic that there's a potentially significant degree of interest, given the number of 4H-ers active in the Sisters area," he said.

If the pilot program is successful, Cyrus hopes the program will become a permanent part of the offerings at Sisters High School.

"The hope is for the future that there will be enough interest and demand in this pilot program that the school district will prioritize it and offer more classes in the future," he said.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 5415499941