Grown Here at Home: VAITC accepting applications for 2024 Teacher of the Year Award

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom is inviting teachers to submit their application to be considered for the 2024 Teacher of the Year Award. Elementary, middle, and high school teachers are encouraged to apply.

“It’s a teacher that really has an exciting and creative way of incorporating agriculture into their core curriculum content throughout the year,” said Virginia Ag in the Classroom Education Coordinator Lynn Black.

The 2023 Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year is Jennifer Hatch -- a seventh-grade math teacher at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Rocky Mount. She used a hydroponics system to teach her students math concepts. Their test scores improved and learning math became fun for them. It’s reading submissions from teachers like Ms. Hatch that makes going through the applications fun for Virginia Ag in the Classroom.

“Often times, we have so many resources online, but you might not necessarily hear back about what someone is doing so that gives us the opportunity to see the resources in action,” Black said.

Click here to download the Teacher of the Year application. It must be submitted by December 8th. The winner will receive a $500 stipend and a trip to the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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