Sibley East receives Ag Dept. grant
January 20th, 2007Sibley East’s Agriculture Department was recently awarded a $3,165 grant from the Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council [MAELC].
The grant was among $54,000 in grants awarded to Minnesota high schools, community organizations, FFA chapters, and institutions of higher learning that work to improve agricultural education in the state.
Jeff Eppen, ag teacher at Sibley East, said that the grant was used to purchase curriculum for a new course, science and sustainability. “It is a science-based class taught through the agriculture department,” he explained. “Every other day there is a lab.”
The course will cover a variety of topics, including natural resources, food production, and environmental issues, he said. This is the first year the class is offered here.
Two types of grant applications are funded by MAELC. Innovation grants are open to any school or organization whose program focuses on educating youth and the public about agriculture in an innovative way. Priority Issues Grants are targeted specifically toward high school agricultural programs.
Since its creation in 1997, MAELC has provided more than $1 million in competitive grants, scholarships, sponsored projects and awards. A total of 13 grants were awarded to schools and organizations around Minnesota.
A second round of Priority Issues Grants will be given this spring with a deadline of March 30. Applications may be obtained by going to the MAELC Web site at www.maelc.state.mn.us.
