“[My students] traded comfortable classrooms for dirty hands, tiny seeds, and sometimes uncomfortable weather, showing that genuine learning often happens with your hands in the soil.”
Last Friday, Jeff, his students, and guests celebrated the Grayslake FFA Charter Signing at the farm. Grayslake High School District 127 (D127) launched the second FFA chapter in Lake County, and the first chapter to host student learning at an organic farm.
Before signing the charter, Jeff shared the school district’s Portrait of a Learner, which are the qualities that make up a D127 student, and the one that resonated with Jeff was the idea of being unfinished. “Unfinished is an idea that keeps me engaged with farming for nearly 20 years. In farming, there is never-ending room for improvement, and always something new to discover. The same could be said for teaching. Every lesson, every activity could be made better. FFA embodies this principle — embracing the journey of continuous growth.”
Each of Jeff’s current and former Engineering a Sustainable Future (ESF) students signed the FFA charter. Lucas Allen, the Illinois FFA Program Advisor, then declared the Grayslake FFA Chapter was official!
Students beamed with pride and enjoyed FFA-themed cookies to celebrate. Then, they led attendees on a tour of their “classroom” including the farm’s grazing pastures, greenhouses, and fields.
The students’ experiences not only build practical skills but also inspire confidence, leadership, and a sense of community. The future is bright with these earth stewards!
Your farmers,
Jeff, Jen and the farm team