 MN Delegation to NAITCO Conference (left to right) : Ann Marie Ward (MAITC Foundation Executive Director), Nicole Koons, Meghan Sunderland, Amanda Cook (MN Farm Bureau Representative), Carrie Allord, Marie Kruse, Jody Ruen, Keri Sidle (MAITC Education Specialist), Sue Knott (MAITC Education Specialist)
Nine Minnesota educators traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the annual National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization (NAITCO) Conference, June 24-27, 2024. This conference is the premier professional development event for pre-K-12 teachers, volunteers, and professionals in agricultural literacy.
Five Minnesota educators received scholarships to attend the NAITCO Conference:
- Carrie Allord, third grade teacher at St. Francis School in Brainerd, was recognized as a National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award winner.
- Nicole Koons, second grade teacher at Glacial Hills Elementary School in Starbuck, received the 2024 Outstanding Educator Scholarship from the MAITC Foundation.
- Marie Kruse, kindergarten teacher at Bluff View Elementary in Lake City, was awarded the CHS Foundation Scholarship.
- Jody Ruen, fifth grade teacher at Lanesboro Public Schools, and Meghan Sunderland, middle school English teacher at MACCRAY, received MAITC Educator Advisory Member Scholarships from the MAITC Foundation.
Conference-goers had the opportunity to attend workshops and tours, explore exhibits, and network with other professionals to help them learn more about teaching through an agricultural lens.
Take advantage of the free Agriculture Elevated virtual conference taking place on Thursday, July 18, 2024, from 9 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. Central Time. Join eight fun and educational presentations from the national conference that took place in Salt Lake City, UT. The conference will be kicked off by keynote speaker, author Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Thank you to CHS Inc and BASF for their sponsorships to this virtual conference.
To view the tentative schedule, visit: https://cdn.agclassroom.org/nat/data/conference/2024virtual.pdf
Registration is required.
The MAITC Foundation is excited to provide cash awards to K-12 educators through the Agricultural Literacy Grant Program. These grants encourage educators to bring agriculture and food systems education "to life" by integrating related content into their classroom. Grants are available for new ideas as well as enhancements to current events/activities. MAITC aims to fund projects that provide students the opportunity to experience agriculture in a cross-curricular manner.
FFA Chapters and 4-H programs are also eligible for grant funds to promote agricultural literacy with students in their community.
Apply by September 17, 2024.
MAITC has worked with MANY amazing teachers across our state! We would like to recognize one of these awesome educators with the MAITC Outstanding Teacher Award. This award is presented annually to an educator currently engaged in classroom instruction at the K-12 grade level and recognizes the teacher for their creative efforts to teach students about the importance of agriculture. The winning Minnesota teacher will receive $500 and have up to $1,500 of related expenses paid to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference, June 23-26, 2024, in Minneapolis.
Applications are due October 1, 2024.
July Trivia Question: What is Minnesota's official state muffin?
Send your answer to sue.knott@state.mn.us. The first two people to respond with the correct answer will win an MAITC travel mug.
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