Waterloo High School Agriculture Program Philosophy Statement Agriculture is the most fundamental and essential industry in the world, an industry that provides our entire society with food, clothing, and shelter. This makes Agricultural Education one of the most important components in a child's education. Agriculture is the science and art of providing food and fiber products to consumers. Agriculture includes input industries necessary for production, manufacturing, processing, marketing and distribution. Agricultural education at the secondary level teaches and reinforces science, math, language arts and social science principles. Major areas of instruction in secondary Agricultural Education include: Agricultural Business, Agricultural Mechanics & Technology, Horticulture, Agricultural Sciences, and Environmental/Natural Sciences. Instruction at the high school level in agriculture includes academic content and career oriented courses that could lead to a college degree or industry certification. The WHS Agriculture Program provides a well-rounded, practical approach to learning through three components: 1. Classroom education in agricultural topics such as plant and animal sciences, horticulture, forestry, agrimarketing, etc. 2. Hands-on supervised agricultural career experience such as starting a business or working for an established company 3. FFA, which provides leadership opportunities and tests students' agricultural skills. Student involvement and participation in courses as well as extracurricular activities is essential to leadership development and career success. The National FFA Organization in an integral component of the Agriculture Program at Waterloo High School. The FFA provides opportunities for cooperation, citizenship, and leadership development at the local, state, and national levels. Students gain experience in decision making, develop public speaking skills, conduct and participate in meetings, manage financial matters, strengthen problem-solving abilities and assume civic responsibility. Degrees earned at local, state and national levels recognize members' increasing accomplishments. Competitive events and awards programs in areas such as public speaking, commodity marketing and agriscience recognize students' achievements, encourage them to excel beyond the classroom and develop career skills. Community service programs help students contribute to society.
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