New tradition continues at West Alexander Fair
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Kathie O. Warco/Observer-Reporter
Bob and Judy Wright of West Alexander have helped the program by paying for school buses to transport the students to the fairgrounds.
Kathie O. Warco/Observer-Reporter
Austin Clark, a senior at McGuffey High School and member of the Future Farmers of America, will explain about goats to second graders. He is with Stella, a boer goat who was born in March.
What was started more than a decade ago by second grade teachers in McGuffey School District at the West Alexander Fair will continue Friday as youngsters get a close-up look at the communities’ rural heritage.
Each year since about 2006, second-grade students from Claysville and Joe Walker Elementary schools have spent a day at the fairgrounds on Route 40 just outside West Alexander learning about everything from the farm animals to plants, antique farm equipment and even a history of the area. The students arrive at 9 a.m., when the fair is still closed to the public, and spend the day.
The district’s Future Farmers of America members come up with the lesson plans to teach the younger students, said Renee Cambruzzi, a vocational agriculture teacher in the district for the last 10 years. She and fellow Vo-Ag teacher John Leasure help oversee the program.
Cambruzzi said it is nice the fair is held during the school year because it gives them an opportunity to bring the students.
The first few days of the school are spent by the about 50 participating FFA members preparing the lesson plans for the day and gathering the educational material that will be placed in bags and handed out to each student, Cambruzzi explained.
“As soon as they come back to school, they get started. The high school students decide what to teach,” Cambruzzi said. “They create the workshops.”
Class began Wednesday for students in the district.
Organizations like the beef council and pork association often donate pamphlets and other materials that are placed in the bags for the students.
The students are broken into groups that then visit the different stations, said Cambruzzi.
Austin Clark, a 17-year-old senior at the school, will be teaching the students about goats. His family has a farm outside of Claysville where they raise about 30 head of goats. Some are used for breeding while others are sold to 4-H members both locally and as far away as Erie.
“We teach them about goats, hog and beef cattle,” Clark said. “We talk about plants, honey bees and different aspects of the farm.”
“Some of the kids have been raised on a farm, while for others, this is their first experience with agriculture,” he added.
Cambruzzi said the students get to see covered wagons and antique tractors. Some years, the fair queen has also visited with the students. There is even discussion about wildlife, hunting and fishing. Students also learn about judging and the weight of an animal.
Judy and Bob Wright, who both are retired teachers from the high school, support the program by paying for the school buses used to transport the students from the Claysville and Joe Walker Elementary schools. Bob Wright was a mathematics teacher while Judy Wright was a social studies teacher as well as a long-time member of the school board.
The Wrights raise polled Hereford cattle on the farm on Dry Ridge Road in West Alexander that has been in his family since 1821. Three generations of the family including their children and grandchildren make their home on the farm.
Judy Wright said it is a great opportunity for students.
“They get to see it hands on,” Judy Wright said. “It gives them a chance to learn about a family farm. We get to watch the kids learn.”
And it is a learning experience for the Wrights as well.
“I never knew that goats didn’t have front teeth,” Judy Wright said. “And we have learned about rabbits.”
Bob Wright said it also gives the high school students a chance to work with the younger students.
“We are now seeing some of the high school kids that went through the program as second graders coming through,” Bob Wright said.
Members of the FFA will be busy at the fair, showing their own animals. On Wednesday, they will get to test their skills at judging livestock.
The fair, celebrating its 112th year, started Monday and will continue through Saturday. It opens at 5 p.m. today through Friday and at noon Saturday. Events today include judging of the goats and market lambs, the Showmanship and Fitting Contest, performances by McGuffey High School Marching Band and New Silver Eagle Band, and a demolition derby.