SCE STEAM Academy celebrates Agriculture Literacy Day with State Commissioner

Students at Rockdale County’s Shoal Creek Elementary’s (SCE)STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Academy received a special visit from Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black on March 22 in celebration of Georgia Agriculture Awareness Week and Agriculture Literacy Day. The goal of Agriculture Literacy Day is to better communicate to students how food and fiber products are produced and the role agriculture plays in our daily lives.

Black read “Who Grew My Soup” to SCE second graders – the story of a child who goes on a magical journey to learn where and how the ingredients of his soup were grown. Students presented the commissioner with hand-drawn thank you cards and ended the event with a cheer – “Thank you, Georgia farmers!”

“It’s important to be thankful for what Georgia farmers do,” said Black. “Agriculture is important for our security, our health – to have a safe, reliable food supply. Food doesn’t just magically appear. Every time you sit down to a plate of food, there’s a family involved in producing it.”

SCE Principal Patrice Graham said, “This week was a great opportunity to tie together lessons in STEAM, such as agriculture-focused art, lessons in plant and animal science, and more. Our students were engaged and fascinated to learn where their food comes from.”

RCPS School Nutrition Executive Director Peggy Lawrence agreed, adding, “This event helps our students connect food to its source. When students make this connection, they are more likely to make better food choices.”

In Georgia, 1 in 7 people work in agriculture, forestry, or related fields, and agriculture is the state’s largest industry, contributing $74.9 billion annually to the economy, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture.