Area high schoolers explore ag pathways at Orr Center
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By DAVID CAMPHOUSE
David Camphouse/Pike Press
LEFT: As part of last Thursday’s Agriculture Pathway Day event at JWCC’s Agricultural Education Center and University of Illinois Orr Agricultural Research & Demonstration Center, students from Pike, Adams, Brown, Scott, Greene and Schuyler counties toured the Orr Center’s calving shed. Students enrolled in JWCC’s livestock production program earn credit by learning hands-on by taking care of calving cows and newly born calves.
Secondary students from communities throughout the John Wood Community College (JWCC) district had the opportunity to explore career pathways and post-secondary educational options last Thursday at Perry’s JWCC Agricultural Education Center and University of Illinois Orr Agricultural Research & Demonstration Center.
Students with an interest in agribusiness, animal science, crop production, precision ag, or any other ag-related field were encouraged to attend last week’s Agriculture Pathway Day.
During the pathway day event, participants toured the newly built Fred L. Bradshaw Learning Center; met faculty, industry experts, and current students; explored hands-on learning opportunities and career paths in agriculture; and learned about scholarships, internships, and program options.
JWCC Ag faculty member Bethany Beeler said that community events such as last week’s pathway day are an excellent way to expose kids to the breadth of the agriculture industry and to get them excited about the programs offered by JWCC.
“Obviously we want to attract students who want to learn about agriculture, and we want to help them find their passion in agriculture,” Beeler said.
“This is another way that we can open our facility to the community and to young people, so they can see the facility and learn more about our programs and what we do here.”
For more information on the ag program at JWCC, call (217) 641-4558, email [email protected], or visit https://www.jwcc.edu/programs/agriculture/. Information can also be found at the program’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/jwccagcenter.
The Ag Pathway Day was part of a series of pathway events at JWCC that are designed for prospective students who are undecided about their academic or career paths. Each pathway day focuses on a different career cluster or group of academic programs.
According to the Community College Research Center, nearly 40 percent of community college students report being undecided about their program of study at the end of their first year.
David Camphouse/Pike Press
Students from communities throughout Pike, Adams, Brown, Scott, Greene and Schuyler counties participated in last Thursday’s Ag Pathway at the JWCC Agricultural Education Center outside Perry. Students are shown here in the calving shed University of Illinois Orr Agricultural Research & Demonstration Center, which is collocated with JWCC’s ag center. Ag faculty member Justin Lewis explains to the students the types of hands-on educational experiences that are offered at the facility.
The event is part of JWCC’s Guided Pathways work to help students identify an academic and corresponding career path as soon as possible. JWCC’s Pathway Days help students make informed decisions by focusing on early career identification, salary insights, and aligning career potential with student debt awareness.
“The sooner students start exploring a future career path, the better we can connect them to an academic major and provide meaningful experiences and specific courses to prepare them to be successful at JWCC, their transfer institution, and future career,” JWCC Pathways Director Kristen Ritterbusch shared.
“We want to help any student who may attend JWCC, or who is unsure of what they should do after high school, start to develop a plan to follow. That plan can always change, but we want them to begin to explore so they can connect their interests and strengths into a future goal.”
“Our goal is to show students how JWCC can be their smart choice for long-term success,” said Kristen Ritterbusch, JWCC Director of Pathways. “Deciding on a path can be challenging, and our JWCC team is ready to support them every step of the way.”
For more information on JWCC or the college’s pathway days, call Kristen Ritterbusch at 217-641-4314.
