Board member James Gennaro and Adrienne Adams, president of the New York Coty Council, with students and faculty at the John Bowne High School farm on November 20.
Photo by Rachel Butler
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter for news and game coverage from your favorite teams
Queens Council Member James Gennaro and City Council President Adrienne Adams joined students and faculty at John Bowne High School in Flushing on Nov. 20 to announce a $5 million donation to the state’s agriculture program. school.
This new allocation will help fund a new exotic animal lab, farm equipment, storage shed, farm tools and other improvements at the school.
Adams allocated the funding after Gennaro advocated for the high school, located in his district at 63-25 Main St. in Flushing.
Gennaro said that although he grew up in an urban environment, he always enjoyed visiting farms as a youth and that this introduction to nature and agriculture inspired him to pursue a career in policy development environmental public.
“Many people would be surprised to learn how many agricultural jobs are available in New York,” Gennaro said Monday. “This investment will cultivate fertile ground for hands-on learning, innovation and community growth. Together, we are sowing the seeds of a better future for our students and our city,” he said.
The John Bowne Agricultural Program, also known as the Agri-Science Program, is nationally recognized as outstanding urban agricultural training for its students. It has existed since 1964 and currently has more than 500 students and eight teachers.
President Adams said this program helps students excel in a number of different career paths, as well as gain practical skills and knowledge that will help them later in life as adults.
“The Council is proud to allocate $5 million to the agri-science program at John Bowne High School,” Adams said. “This program offers students the unique opportunity to participate in supervised agricultural activities. Through this financial allocation, we hope to inspire our young scholars to engage in a holistic educational experience that is personally enriching and enriching.
School Principal Dr. Iannelli thanked Adams and Gennaro for providing the necessary resources to support the growth and development of the school farm.
Students in the program spoke about the importance of this funding for the future of the program and their agricultural education.
“In addition to having our farm and being able to have this hands-on experience, our program provides us with training on how to write resumes and cover letters, good interview skills and much more to prepare us for the high school and beyond. said senior Melissa Pratt. “We also learned a lot about urban agriculture and are grateful that this funding contributes to our hands-on learning on our farm.
The school farm currently sits on four acres consisting of a chicken coop, a large animal barn, an exotic animal laboratory, a greenhouse, an orchard and a field corps. The program is conducted in collaboration with the FFA (Future Farmers of America) organization.
