September 19, 2023

Goldendale Department of Agriculture Receives $80,000 in Grants | News

As part of the Washington State Legislature’s capital budget allocation for 2021-2022, Joshua Krieg, Randi Krieg, and Melissa Jensen of the Goldendale School District received $80,000 to acquire the program Agricultural Science Education (CASE) Equipment and technology program to advance agricultural science education.

CASE is an educational support system for the classroom teacher, operated by the National Association of Agricultural Educators. It is an interdisciplinary program with a strong focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In 2021, the Washington State Legislature has prioritized $2 million for local school districts to acquire CASE equipment and technology as part of an ongoing effort to advance the course offering in agricultural education. These grants are administered by the Washington FFA Foundation.

CASE-certified teachers participated in a competitive application process for the Capital Equipment Grants in October 2021, with successful recipients notified in late December 2021. Grantee application grant supplies will be purchased by individual recipients through the district grant. .

Goldendale Agriscience teachers qualified for this grant because they are CASE Certified Instructors who have completed at least one CASE National Institute and achieved certification.

A CASE institute is a professional development workshop that provides teachers with training for teaching related to a specific CASE course. Once a teacher has successfully completed 80 hours of intense professional development at a CASE institute, the teacher is certified to teach the specific CASE course.

Josh Krieg is certified in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Animal Science, Agricultural Energy and Technology, Natural Resources and Ecology, Food Science and Safety, Mechanical Systems in Agriculture, Environmental Issues, Agricultural Research and Development, Technical Applications in Agriculture, and Foundations of Agriculture. agricultural enterprises. Randi Krieg is certified in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Animal Science, Plant Science, Food Science and Safety, Agribusiness Foundations, and AgXplorer. Melissa Jensen is certified in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Animal Science, and Plant Science. Additionally, Josh Krieg is a Master Teacher and Course Leader, providing professional development to other teaching professionals nationwide.

The Goldendale Department of Agriculture serves more than 300 agricultural education students in grades 7-12. This grant will provide new agricultural science equipment that will impact students for many years to come.