Louisiana Ag in the Classroom
TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Apply now to be the 2025 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year! The annual award recognizes a Louisiana teacher for achievements and efforts in teaching students the importance of agriculture. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2025.

LEARN MORE

Lafargue Elementary Teacher Wins Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Award

Chantelle Hataway, a third-grade teacher at Lafargue Elementary School in Avoyelles Parish, has been named the 2024 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year. The program recognizes educators who effectively integrate agriculture into their core curriculum.

Hataway's passion for agriculture shines through in her classroom. "I was raised on a farm," she says. "My daddy raised cattle. We had chickens, we had pigs...That was our way of life." She brings this experience to life by using chickens, a garden, and hands-on activities to teach math and science concepts. Students get a chance to care for the chickens, counting eggs and even selling them at school to fund their projects. "13 plus 5 equals 18 eggs," one student exclaims while collecting.

This dedication extends beyond the classroom. When the pandemic forced schools to close, Hataway's students were waiting for chicks to hatch. "So, I took the incubator home, hatched the eggs at my house," she explains. "The joy that I got out of that, I was just like, this is wonderful. We have got to expand this." This experience solidified her desire to expand the agricultural program, leading her to successfully secure funding for a chicken coop on campus.

Hataway's efforts have had a real impact on her students. Charlotte Marks, Avoyelles Parish AITC Chair, who nominated Hataway for the award, shared a touching anecdote. "I was here when the students were learning to milk the dairy cow," Marks says. "And two little girls came to the side of one of them and said, 'Are you the person who got Ms. Hat interested in Ag in the Classroom?' Yes I am. ‘Thank you so much. Last year I was held back in school, but I did not mind. I have Ag in the Classroom and I had Ms. Hat. That is a testimony to a teacher. A nine-year-old student. Can't get better than that."

As the 2024 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year, Hataway receives an all-expenses-paid trip to the National Ag in the Classroom Conference, an iPad, and $500 in cash. She will also be honored at the upcoming Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans on June 27.

Applications for the 2025 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year will be available September 15, 2024. The annual award recognizes a Louisiana teacher for achievements and efforts in teaching students the importance of agriculture.