Chantelle Hataway Named 2025 National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award Winner

Congratulations to our 2024 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year Chantelle Hataway, winner of the 2025 NAITCO Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award! 

Mrs. Hataway is a third-grade teacher at Lafargue Elementary School in Avoyelles Parish and the fourth Louisiana recipient of this national award. As a recipient of the distinguished award, she'll receive an honorarium of $500 and up to $1,500 for travel related expenses to the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota June 23-26, 2025.

Lafargue Elementary Teacher Wins Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Award

Effie, Louisiana—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.

Hannah Hebert Named 2023 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year

Kaplan, Louisiana—Sixth grade science and social studies teacher Hannah Hebert has been named the 2023 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year.

Hebert, who teaches at Rene A. Rost Middle School, was recognized for her innovative teaching methods that use agriculture to teach core subjects. She has a passion for agriculture and believes that it is important for students to understand where their food comes from and how it is grown.

"I think agriculture is very important in our life, and especially in a rural Vermilion Parish," Hebert said. "A lot of families do farming or you see farming happening. So it's important for kids to understand where their food is coming from, how it's grown and all the struggles that farmers go through in order to get you the food you need. It's not very easy to just get a meal on your table."

Hebert uses a variety of methods to teach agriculture in her classroom, including a school garden, a composting project, and a cook-off activity where students use food they’ve grown in the garden to prepare meals for their families.

"She really understands the concept that teaching about agriculture can be so much more than just planting a seed in her science classes," said Jamie Lee, chair of the Vermilion Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom Committee. "She does a really great job of starting with soil science, talking about compost systems, and then she really brings it full circle with her pirate garden cook-off activity where her students were able to use what they picked in their garden to prepare a meal with community members for their family and friends, which was really amazing to see."

Hebert is the first teacher from Rene A. Rost Middle School to be named Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year. She will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the National Ag in the Classroom Conference in Orlando, Florida, an Apple iPad, and $500 in cash. She will also be honored during the awards program at the 101st Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans on June 22nd.

"I was very shocked and very excited that I won," Hebert said. "I just feel like it's a testament to all my hard work and it helps to show other teachers that, you know, doing a little bit extra, going above and beyond really does pay off. And it's more than just an award. It's getting the students to understand, like, hey, if you put in hard work, you'll get recognized and it's going to pay off."

Vermilion Parish Educator Selected for 2023 National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award

By Avery Davidson, Louisiana Farm Bureau News

2022 Louisiana Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year Haley Broussard stands in the school garden at Dozier Elementary in Erath, Louisiana.

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2022 Louisiana Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year Haley Broussard will receive more recognition for teaching students about the sources of food, fiber and fuel. The National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Farm Credit selected Broussard to receive a 2023 National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award.

Broussard teaches second grade at Dozier Elementary in Erath, Louisiana. She gives her students real world experiences by having them make products from what they’ve grown in the school garden, determine the price at which the students should sell the product in order to make a profit and decide how they should market the product to entice others to buy it. Broussard teaches economics, food, health, technology and engineering by working agriculture into daily lessons.

Broussard is the daughter of a sugarcane farmer and says she took for granted that everyone knew the importance of agriculture.

“It wasn't until I started teaching that I realized that people don't really know where their food comes from,” Broussard said. “They see that tractor in the field, but they don't really know what it's doing. Or they see that loaded down cane truck going to the mill, but it's a bother to them. It's an inconvenience because it's in their way. But they don't really understand what they're doing. They're providing food for you."

Broussard will receive the award at the 2023 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference taking place June 26-29 in Orlando, Florida.

“We’re so proud of Haley and the work she does to ensure students at her school know the importance of agriculture,” said Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Coordinator Lynda Danos. “As a former teacher, it’s a joy to me when I see teachers, like Haley, who use hands-on activities involving agriculture to get students to grasp concepts essential to their learning.”

The Louisiana Agriculture in the Classroom Program provides educators with lesson plans and activities that use agriculture to teach math, science, language arts, social studies and health.

            Learn more at www.aitcla.org.

Haley Broussard Named 2022 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Haley Broussard, the 2022 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year! Mrs. Broussard, a 2nd-grade teacher at Dozier Elementary in Vermilion Parish, grew up on a sugarcane farm in Louisiana and has always had a passion for agriculture. She brings this passion into her daily lessons, using hands-on experiences to teach her students about agriculture in all its aspects—from cultivation to marketing.

Mrs. Broussard's students are lucky enough to have access to an aquaponics garden, where they grow ingredients like rosemary and lavender to make their own homemade soap, which they then sell to other teachers and students. They grow produce and Louisiana commodities, like sugarcane, rice, and crawfish, in their school garden. Her students even get to hatch baby chicks!

The Louisiana Ag in the Classroom program provides educational materials for teachers to use in all subjects, helping to incorporate agriculture into the lessons. Mrs. Broussard's efforts in teaching her students about the importance of agriculture have been recognized with the annual award, which includes a trip to the National Ag in the Classroom Conference, a $500 cash prize and an iPad.

Mrs. Broussard's hands-on approach to teaching has had a lasting impact on her students. They are able to learn about agriculture in a way that is both fun and meaningful, and they go home with knowledge and experiences that they can share with their families. Mrs. Broussard's superintendent, Tommy Byler, recognizes the value of this approach, "The hands-on experiences are definitely the things kids are going to remember."

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mrs. Broussard on her well-deserved recognition as the 2022 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.

Teachers can now apply for the 2023 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year award until January 31, 2023. The criteria, application and prize list are available at https://aitcla.org/teacher-of-the-year.

Lisa Wiggins Named 2021 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year

The Louisiana Ag in the Classroom named Lisa Wiggins of Natchitoches Parish the 2021 Teacher of the Year, her second time winning the award.

The award recognizes a Louisiana teacher for achievements and efforts in teaching students the importance of agriculture. Wiggins is the school librarian at Northwestern State Elementary Lab School in Natchitoches, LA where she teaches English language arts, science and reading to her K-5th grade students using literacy gardens she built more than a decade ago.

Wiggins is inspired by Cicero who said, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”

Although she knows she’s not an expert gardener, Wiggins enjoys growing her gardening skills with her students.

“I’m learning just along with the kids,” Wiggins said. “A lot of the stuff they’re learning, I didn’t know before either. So we’re applying a lot of our research into discovering new things, so I feel like a student along with them. We’re all growing together!”

As Wiggins expands her literacy garden roots, she’s run into a few snags. She introduced an aquaponics garden to the library but didn’t have any books associated with the topic in her library. Instead, she and her students wrote a book of their own – “Plant Wars,” inspired by Star Wars and set in a galaxy far, far away.

“She’s bringing the library to life with these literacy beds in her garden, so they are living the stories that they read,” said Lynda Danos, Louisiana Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom State Coordinator.

Danos presented Wiggins her award package and a plaque naming her the 2021 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year. Wiggins also received the award in 2011 and since then, she expanded her garden by adding an outdoor classroom, a greenhouse for aquaponics and a garden for each grade at the school.

Winning the award a second time means more to Wiggins than it did a decade ago, she said.

“I’ve grown to appreciate and respect this organization and all that they do for everyone, and the generosity and the wealth of resources and how they really are trying to promote and support teachers,” Wiggins said. “Just to be associated with Ag in the Classroom and to be recognized as one of their outstanding teachers is quite an honor.”

Her prize package includes a trip to the National Ag in the Classroom Conference, a $500 cash prize and an iPad. Teachers can now apply for the 2022 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year award until January 1, 2022. The criteria, application and prize list are available at https://aitcla.org/teacher-of-the-year.

Aimee Perret Wins 2020 Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year

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The walls of Mrs. Aimee Perret’s 3rd grade classroom at Bridgedale Elementary in Jefferson Parish are adorned with positive messages written in rainbow letters like “I believe in myself” and “I will help others.” However, many of the children in the classroom were not able to read them the first day of school, as Perret’s students are learning English as a second language.

Aimee Perret of Jefferson Parish named 2020 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year.

To help those boys and girls learn English, language arts and social studies, she found a language they all could easily understand: agriculture.

Perret had her students read a story about sweet potatoes, a food many had never tried. She also introduced them to a beekeeper who taught the students about how bees collect pollen and nectar to make honey. Perret said watching them learn is rewarding, but the real victory is seeing them apply what they’ve learned.

“Outside on the playground, they would say ‘Mrs. Perret, there's the honeybee! It's going to make honey,’” Perret explained. “Those were the ‘aha’ moments that were super rewarding for me because they got it. They remembered it and then they were able to apply it. So, if I can enrich their brains, I'm not just giving them information, they're retaining it and able to make a connection. I'm doing my job!”

There was a time when agriculture was almost like a foreign language to Perret, before she met her husband.

"I grew up in a rural area, but not on a farm,” Perret said. “Then I met my husband and moved to a real farm and that was eye-opening.”

Now, Perret is doing more than teaching her students. Bridgedale Elementary Principal Julie Broussard says Perret is educating the other teachers about the lesson plans and materials available through the Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Program.

"She saw that if she pulled in some information about agriculture and some real life experiences about these things,” Broussard said, “that the students would not only connect more with the curriculum, but they would be able to experience things they never had.”

Perret had at least one new experience this school year: recognition as the 2020 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year.

“I was completely blown away. I was completely surprised,” Perret said. “I was being recognized for something that means so much to me. I really think it's important for kids to understand how agriculture affects them in everyday life—from the clothes they wear to the food they eat, to the way they get from one place to another. It's imperative for kids to know where all of these things come from.”

Perret received an iPad and a $500 cash prize from the Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Program as part of the award.

In November, Bridgedale Elementary School named Perret its teacher of the year.

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Photos of Mrs. Aimee Perret’s 3rd grade class learning about agriculture, courtesy of Bridgedale Elementary in Jefferson Parish:

Michele Levis Wins Ag in the Classroom 2019 Teacher of the Year

By Lacey Dodson

A Lafayette Parish school teacher has won the 2019 Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the year for her inspiring program that helps students learn through gardening.

Michele Lewis of Lafayette Parish named 2019 Teacher of the Year. Photo by Avery Davidson.

Michele Levis, a 1st grade teacher, at Green T. Lindon Elementary in Youngsville was recognized for this prestigious award aimed at developing agricultural-based curriculums that incorporate both ag lessons and core educational skills.  She includes a garden in her lessons to help the students learn about the plants growing in the garden, along with how to take care of them. 

“The process of it growing, the process of taking care of it, the process of eating good foods and trying things,” Levis said.  “That’s been one of my favorite things about the garden.”

Although the Lafayette Parish school's current garden won Levis the title of AITC Teacher of the Year, it wasn’t her first garden at the school. She began with one called Dylan’s Garden and from here the impact Levis had has expanded far beyond just the students she is teaching. 

“Dylan was a student of mine that I had for two years in both 1st and 2nd grade,” Levis said.  “Unfortunately, he died, so we built this garden.” 

With this seed being planted, it has sparked interest throughout other classes within the school to take care of their own plants.
“She’s touching all 902 students,”  Lindon Elementary Principal Ginger Richard said.  “We have expanded from Ms. Levis’ AITC to a school-wide initiative where every child is included in the garden with their buckets.”

Lynda Danos, the Louisiana Farm Bureau AITC Coordinator, was in attendance to help recognize Levis’ achievement and said she exemplified the goals of the AITC program.

“What a wonderful role model for these young children here,” Danos said. “Something’s working here to touch the lives of these students and bring a little bit of understanding of agriculture to those students.  I think it’s very inspirational and I hope that other parishes will follow their lead.” 

The AITC program is available to teachers across the state.  More information on the program, including curricula, seminars and free classroom materials may be found at www.aitcla.com. 

Louisiana Farm Bureau Recognizes 2018 Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year

By: Avery Davidson and Neil Melançon

In a special outdoor classroom, Guidry helps her students research garden pests and how to identify them. Photo by Monica Velasquez

SCOTT, La.—The hunt is on for bugs at L. Leo Judice Elementary School, part of what is now an award-winning curriculum.

Paula Guidry, a fifth-grade science teacher at the school has been named the 2018 Louisiana Farm Bureau Ag in The Classroom Teacher of the Year for her ability to tie academic lessons to agriculture.  On this day, her students are looking for a cucumber beetle in the school’s outdoor garden, which becomes a fun lesson in entomology.  

"You're going to research a pest and you're going to make a wanted poster,” she tells the class.  

It’s all part of her plan to bring real learning both inside and outside of the classroom.  

“They can learn about the pests in the garden,” Guidry said.  "They can learn about the different vegetables and the fruits and where they come from. So, we connect it not only to reading but to social studies and, of course, science. Science is an easy fit with the garden and also with math. You know, you’re talking about spacing and depth, so a lot of measurement is included, so it adds to that, as well.”

L. Leo Judice Elementary’s principal Mia Lemaire is constantly amazed at the students’ progress, but not at all surprised by Guidry’s award, as it’s not the first one.

"Paula Guidry is outstanding,” Lemaire said.  "She is the teacher you would want your personal child to have for any subject area.

"Our theme here is environmental science and so with that, we do do grade level gardens,” Lemaire added.  "Paula is the director of our program for environmental sciences. In fact she was named the school of choice director of the year. She's received that title, as well.”

Louisiana AITC Coordinator Lynda Danos agreed, saying the recognition for Guidry was an easy decision.

“Wow! I mean, really, I’m speechless,” Danos said.  "It’s obvious the children love being out here and the outdoor classroom was just amazing that the school has a facility like that.” 

Guidry herself was surprised at the award, but said she’s happy if it helps her students.

"Well, I was sort of shocked was the first response, because we basically feel we're a team here,” Guidry said. "So, we all work together to make this program work and I know there are some fantastic things going on in the state and with teachers, just in our own parish here and throughout the state, so it was sort of shock and excitement, too, at the same time.”

Danos said the gardening project at the school was a picture-perfect example of the goal of AITC.

"Education has evolved and that's what we need to be doing more of—getting students out and doing things,’ Danos said.  "Getting their hands dirty, digging potatoes. Experiencing life.”

Guidry will get to experience some good life soon.  As part of her award, she will be recognized at the upcoming Louisiana Farm Bureau Annual Meeting on Thursday, June 21 in New Orleans, La.  Her prize pack includes a new iPad, as well as a free trip to the national AITC conference in Portland, ME.  

To be part of Ag in the Classroom or for more information, you can visit aitcla.org.  

Owens, Parrino Named 2017 Ag In The Classroom Teachers of the Year

Story By Allie Doise

Lisa Owens and Karen Parrino may have very different curriculums’ in their classrooms, but they are united by a single goal.

Parrino, the 2017 AITC Elementary Teacher of the Year, has her students explore the insides of a seed, to learn where their food comes from. Photo by Monica Velasquez.

Owens decided to bring agriculture into her English classroom at Homer High School.  Parrino has used agriculture to help touch the lives of her kindergarten students at North Live Oak Elementary.

Both teachers use agriculture to teach life-changing lessons and now both have been named 2017 Ag in the Classroom Teachers of the Year for their efforts.

Using agriculture in her kindergarten lessons is a natural fit for Parrino.  She uses ag to teach her students everything from the rules of buoyancy to developing basic thinking skills.

Parrino said seeing her students make connections between agriculture and daily lessons are important.

“I love it when I see them make those connections,” she said. “I see them using critical thinking and problem solving. It makes me so happy because I try to lay that foundation all year so that they’ll use that.”

Even without trying, Parrino has always incorporated agriculture into her lessons.

“When I moved to kindergarten about 20 years ago, I just inherited a bee at that time,” she said, referring to a bee plaque on her door. “So I’ve just always been the bee room.”

Parrino uses the class pet to give students a visual of the lesson when she can.

“Over the years it’s just worked with ag and science,” she said. “We learn about pollination and bees and I had a friend bring me an actual honeycomb this year and some honey.”

Parrino believes in the importance of teaching youth about agriculture because sheknows how valuable it is to both her and her students.

“Agriculture touches everyone’s life every day,” she said.

On the other hand, Owens hasn’t had it easy when it comes to fitting agriculture into her curriculum, but by finding ways to make it both fun and informative, she made it fit. 

Owens, the 2017 AITC High School Teacher of the Year, teaches the importance of agriculture to her english class students, using tools like the Ag Literacy program. Photo by Monica Velasquez.

Owens received a grant from the Claiborne Parish Farm Bureau to buy books for her students to read to the local elementary school. Her students review these books after reading them as part of the Ag Literacy Volunteer Reader Program. These reviews are then used to help teachers choose the right book to help others learn about agriculture.

Owens admitted fitting agriculture into her classroom wasn’t easy.

“In English, in high school, it’s sometimes a little more challenging because it’s not a science class or a vocational ag class,” she said. “But we still find ways to sneak it in.”

“Ag in the Classroom stuff is fun stuff,” she added. “I think that surprised a lot of the students. After the first visit, some of the student teams came back and said, ‘can we go again?’ and I wasn’t expecting that.”

However fun or sneaky it may be, the results of putting ag in her English curriculum speak by the unexpected growth in her own students, Owens said.

“Some of those students who never talk, who never answer questions, I saw them leading the group discussions,” she said.“I saw them getting up in front of the class presenting, talking about the PowerPoint, actively.”

This project allowed Owens to reach an audience larger than her own classroom.

“I can talk about ag in the classroom with my 35-40 students every day,” Owens said. “But, we’ve visited more than 10 classrooms at the elementary school this year. So, we’ve actually touched more than 200 students.”

The Louisiana Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom programs helps ensure a new generation of farmers and ranchers by giving teachers the necessary tools they need to effectively incorporate agriculture into every subject they teach.  Each year the AITC committee selects a teacher who excels in incorporating agriculture into the classroom as the Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year.

Vickie Mayeaux of Cottonport Elementary in Avoyelles Parish Named 2016 Ag In The Classroom Teacher of the Year

Story by Allie Doise

Vickie Mayeaux helps her pre-K class making the connection between full bellies and farming. Mayeaux’s class raised carrots and chickens through the school year not only to teach her class about agriculture, but using ag as a way of teaching math, science and reading. Mayeaux said making that connection is important for students of any age and many of the other classes at Cottonport Elementary used the Ag in the Classroom material to teach their students as well. Photo by Monica Velasquez.

Vickie Mayeaux helps her pre-K class making the connection between full bellies and farming.  Mayeaux’s class raised carrots and chickens through the school year not only to teach her class about agriculture, but using ag as a way of teaching math, science and reading. Mayeaux said making that connection is important for students of any age and many of the other classes at Cottonport Elementary used the Ag in the Classroom material to teach their students as well. Photo by Monica Velasquez.

In Vickie Mayeaux’s classroom, students are shown what they love to eat can develop a hunger to learn.

Mayeaux fills minds and bellies in her pre-kindergarten class at Cottonport Elementary. The agriculture lessons she teaches develops a love of learning that has been brought to homes and the community all year long. For her efforts, Mayeaux has been named the 2016 Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year.

“We need to teach the masses that farmers want healthy food and safe food just as much as anybody else, but you also have to be realistic about how you go about this,” Mayeaux said. “What is possible, what is not possible.”

AITC helps Mayeaux fill her curriculum in the same way she fills minds. With a carrot garden and a crop of chicks that grew into hens, the students get lessons they can see, touch and taste. This pre-K class at may be the youngest at the school, but they are setting examples for other students. The projects have been such a success in Mayeaux’s classroom that its effects are reaching throughout the entire school. Older students and 4-H members often venture into her classroom to have a part in the project.

“Little children at this age are like sponges,” Mayeaux said. “They learn and they love to do and, to me, this is the way to do it.”

Although she has set the example for ag learning in Cottonport, the Teacher of the Year award was the one thing she wasn’t expecting.

“I was absolutely flabbergasted and absolutely thrilled,” she said. 

Avoyelles Parish Ag in the Classroom Chair Charlotte Marks, said it was no surprise for her. She knew Vickie Mayeaux would be the State Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year the moment they met. Mayeaux worked on her own to provide the money to purchase child size gloves and gardening tools.

“I think it comes natural from her,” Marks said. “She has such enthusiasm for her students and for agriculture in general.”

As 2016 State AITC Teacher of the Year, Mayeaux received an iPad, as well as an all expense paid trip to the National Ag in the Classroom Conference.

The Louisiana Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom programs helps ensure a new generation of farmers and ranchers by giving teachers the necessary tools they need to effectively incorporate agriculture into every subject they teach. Each year the AITC committee selects a teacher who excels in incorporating agriculture into the classroom as the Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year.

Judy Morgan of Charles M Burke Elementary in Lafayette Named 2015 AITC Teacher of the Year

Story by Avery Davidson

Morgan brings out her students, to check on their garden in the back of the school. Photo by Monica Velasquez.

Judy Morgan, a fourth-grade teacher at Charles M. Burke Elementary School in Duson has been named the 2015 Ag in the Classroom (AITC) Teacher of the Year.

Morgan, a 34-year veteran, was chosen for the top honor by the Louisiana Farm Bureau AITC committee because of her commitment to using agriculture as a means to give her students a real-world education. Normally active and verbose in the classroom, Morgan said the award came as something of a shock.

“It was stunned silence,” Morgan said. “It’s kind of beyond my imagination. I never in a million years dreamed of something like this. It’s beyond words for me.”

Burke Elementary Principal Loretta Williams-Durand not only had no trouble finding words, but had no doubt Morgan deserved the honor.

“Well, Ms. Morgan has always been a phenomenal teacher,” she said. Williams-Durand is the daughter of a lifelong master gardener and the garden at the school Morgan oversees evokes fond memories, as well as clear evidence of the education the students are receiving.
“I have parents calling me,” Williams-Durand said. “Some of these kids have gardens at home. That was very heartwarming for me—I get teary-eyed, because that’s what learning is all about.”

Seven years ago, Morgan began working with LSU AgCenter master gardeners to bring the school’s garden to life. One of the first lessons was that the garden would have to be planted in buckets.

“We had to figure out what the garden would look like here because we have unique soil problems,” Morgan said. “This land is in fact a crawfish pond that was filled in to build the school on, so the quality of the soil is not optimal for an in-ground garden.”
Since that time, Morgan has used the garden, the lesson plans and other materiel provided by the AITC program to show her students how basic educational concepts have real-world applications.

“For me, it’s a living laboratory, because there’s so much there that’s going on,” she said. “You know, I can teach it and you might remember it, but if I show it to you, you’ll never forget it.”
Lynda Danos, the Louisiana AITC coordinator, agrees. She says with so much controversy surrounding education right now, it’s rewarding to see educators like Morgan teaching beyond the times.

“They don’t just learn science, they do science,” Danos said. “When it comes down to it, it really doesn’t matter what we call them, whether it’s a benchmark, a standard, a common core, or an objective. It’s what do we need those students to learn. Those life skills that we need them to learn. And this living laboratory here, provides us that opportunity to teach those skills.”

For being named the AITC Teacher of the Year, Morgan received an iPad from Progressive Tractor and Implement, $500 from the Louisiana AITC Foundation and an all-expenses paid trip to the national AITC convention in Louisville, KY also courtesy of the La. AITC Foundation. Since the national AITC convention is on a different week, Morgan gets to go to the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation annual convention in New Orleans, courtesy of LFBF.