Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Earlier this spring, Mishicot High School won Advance CTE’s 2019 Excellence in Action Award* for its plant science program. The program has gone from a single plant science class to a full program of study with opportunities to earn college credits and industry certifications, under the guidance of Justin Gerlach and Jamie Propson, agricultural instructors. But what sets their program apart from other outstanding programs is the relationships they’ve built along the way.
Propson joined Mishicot seven years ago after graduating college, and she’s the first to admit that building relationships can be intimidating. But her philosophy is, “Just ask. The worst they can say is no.” The Mishicot program benefits from more than 30 local businesses that have said yes, including Wilfert Farms, Woodland Dunes, Lakeside Foods, Brilliant Blooms, and Natural Beauty Plant Growers.
These generous partners provide not only work-based learning opportunities, but materials and equipment. “We’ve had donations of grow lights, benches, and floral coolers,” says a grateful Propson.
She needed those grow lights for the floral business operated by the local FFA chapter. Students started with boutonnieres and corsages, and worked their way up to weddings and floral competitions. Without a local paper, the chapter depends on the community for word-of-mouth and messages to Mishicot’s agriculture Twitter site (@Mishicotag) or the Mishicot FFA site (@Mishffa). The community has built it into a tidy business.
Propson has also developed partnerships with area technical colleges. These relationships are crucial in creating seamless transitions for her students into postsecondary education. Here, too, she has learned to ask for help. “We’ve had credit transcripted in ways I didn’t think possible,” she says.
As a result of the nine credits in plant science, the general education dual credit classes, and the AP exams in biology and environmental science available at Mishicot, 89 percent of ALL 2017 graduates earned 12 or more college credits in high school.
Most important are the relationships with students. “By knowing kids, you can find the right program for them,” says Propson.
One of those students is Molly Thorne who didn’t grow up on a farm and might have gotten lost in a plant science course. But she enjoyed it, and Propson took note. Thorne says Propson “really helped students find their niche in FFA.” With some encouragement, Thorne soon distinguished herself in floral competitions, showed an interest in agriculture education, and developed an agriculture education program for the elementary grades.
Thorne is now studying agricultural education at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. “I felt like I was ahead of the game,” she says, and with 15 credits from Mishicot, she was. According to Thorne, Propson worked hard to develop the program by challenging the norm.
“With hard work come the rewards,” says Thorne, echoing her role model. And, with the help of the community of businesses, tech colleges, and students, the rewards have come. Congratulations to Jamie Propson, Justin Gerlach, and the Mishicot agriculture education and plant science program.
*A second 2019 Excellence in Action Award went to Kaukauna High School for its Manufacturing Program. See last month’s story.