Wiregrass Smile-A-Mile Program
Working in conjunction with the Wiregrass RCD Council and board members, we were able to provide a night at the Peanut Festival for 75 members of the Smile-A-Mile family. In addition, we had 17 children from the Wiregrass join us at camp this summer. Our relationship with RCD is growing and we hope to add an additional event in Dothan in the spring of 2024.
This program encompasses all of the counties covered by Wiregrass RCD.
The Emmett C. Strickland Pavilion is used for a variety of events including but not limited to the Crenshaw County Farmers Market, Senior Citizen May Day, Farm City Day, Farm Safety Day, Swamp Supper, workshops and trainings for local law enforcement.
Wiregrass RC&D provided funding for the Emmett C. Strickland Pavilion to install misting fans and shades to provide relief throughout the year. These new additions will be much appreciated during the various events that are hosted at the pavilion.
Extending Conservation, Agriculture, & STREAM in Pike County
Classroom in the Forest ‐ In the fall 2022, all Pike County 5th grade students were presented a program titled “Classroom in the Forest”. This program taught students about conservation of natural resources using an interactive outdoor classroom. The program was held at the Renfroe Plantation in Pike County which is a part of the Alabama Treasure Forest Association. The program consisted of different interactive stations including: Soil and Conservation, Recreational Pond Management, Wildlife, Prescribed Burning, and Forestry. This educational
program allows students the opportunity to learn our responsibility to the natural lands in our community and to gain a better understanding of environmental stewardship in an interactive, hands‐on experience.
Agriculture/Farm Day – In November 2022, all Pike County 3 rd Grade students were presented with a hands‐on, interactive program titled “Pike County Farm Day”. This educational program provides students the opportunity to “spend a day on the farm” and educate youth about agriculture and how it relates to our everyday lives. Students learn about different aspects of agriculture and career opportunities in the agriculture industry. The program consists of different interactive stations related to farming technology, agriculture equipment, poultry,
beef, soil and conservation, agronomic crops, chemical safety, and forest fires.
Summer 4‐H Day Camps – The Pike County Extension Office and Pike County 4‐H hosted Summer Day Camps in July 2023. These camps are designed to reach a wide number of diverse students throughout Pike County. Summer 2023 Day Camps provided programming focusing on Aquatics, Fisheries, and Wildlife. These programs provided hands‐on lessons for youth in Pike County in 3rd through 6th grade.
Fine Arts Auxiliary Guard Choreographer & Equipment
This project consisted of purchasing new equipment for our high school band Auxiliary Program. The Auxiliary Program includes the color guard (flags) and baton twirlers.
We also used the money to hire professional staff to come and teach throughout the year to grow the program.
Having the proper equipment ensured that enough students could participate in the program. Hiring of the professional staff made it certain that top rate instruction was being presented.
2023 Groundwater Festival and Classroom in the Forest
The Henry County Groundwater Festival and Classroom in the Forest are one-day events that were tailored to fourth & fifth grade students and teachers. This age group is able to understand natural resource and conservation concepts while still young enough to form their own value system. Numerous educators and enthusiasts from across the state team up for an exciting and interactive day of learning for the students and teachers. The students participate in hands-on learning activities focusing on natural resources and conservation.
The ATTA is a new interactive library in Henry County. The goals of the library are to: Expose people to STEM; Expose people to local history; Provide hands-on activities not available within 100 miles of Henry County.
High School students from Headland and Abbeville with strong interests in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math were invited to visit the ATTA. Students completed a hands-on project, ate lunch and learned more about careers in these fields.
The Southeastern Mvskoke Nation, Inc. is requested support for their Mvskoke Nature Trail project. Our intent was to construct a nature trail on our Tribal Grounds. The trail would start at the front of the Tribe’s property near County Road 2254 and extend toward the back of the Tribe’s property. We built bridges we along with an entrance and exit ramp for handicap accessibility. The Trail was cleared while keeping in mind that there are certain plants that are culturally significant, so we ensured that they were not disturbed and marked appropriately for visitors to see and learn about.
Wiregrass Public Safety Academy
The Wiregrass Public Safety Center just completed the third annual “Summer Safety Academy” for students ages 16-19 and recent high school graduates.
The Wiregrass Public Safety Academy (WPSA) is a tuition-free summer camp for those with an interest and a desire to pursue a career in public safety. The Academy covered two weeks, Monday through Friday and culminated at the end of each week with a live training scenario that the cadets will put into action the lessons that were taught during the week.
Over the two weeks, the cadets spent one week with members from the Dothan Fire Department and the other week with members from the Dothan Police Department. It was a high-intensity, very active and challenging two weeks.
Kinston School is endeavoring to equip our middle
school and junior high science classrooms with “Science
Stations” in order to allow students the opportunity for
hands-on, active engagement in the science content. Our
goal is to furnish our middle school science classroom
and our junior high science classroom with a portable
science workstation and stools that can be utilized to
empower students in their understanding of science. The
Alabama Course of Study for science outlines various
standards that are best met through hands-on learning;
providing our students and teachers with the opportunity
to perform experiments in their classroom through the
use of “Science Stations” will be a great benefit.
Educational Objective of the
Project
The educational objective of our “Science Stations”
project is to enable our students to have hands-on
exploration learning opportunities in the field of science.
The hands-on, interactive approach that science
workstations provide in engaging students can improve
test scores and instills a deeper interest in STEM subjects.
This project will allow us to enrich our science classroom
education and fill a void that our middle and junior high
school classrooms experience from sharing one science
lab on campus for grades 5-12.
Coffee County Groundwater Festival & Forestry & Wildlife Field Days
On April 19, 20, and 21, 2023, 732 4th graders attended the Coffee County Groundwater Festival. They rotated through 3 stations, edible aquifer, water cycle bracelet, and filtration. There was an awards ceremony where monetary awards were given out to our poster contest winners from each school.
In October 2022, all 5th graders in the county attended our forestry and wildlife field days. Students rotated through 4 forestry and wildlife activities. These sessions were good forestry management practices, skins and skulls, tree planting, and wildlife habitats.