Via news release: Craven County Schools celebrates North Carolina locally grown produce and produce by creating the first farm-to-table event. This special week was conceived by the School Nutrition Department and is being conducted in collaboration with the Career and Technical Education Department as a way to showcase the innovative strategies being utilized in both areas. The Farm-To-Table activities were developed in alignment with our system’s vision, in part to help spark innovation in our students and “lead in community engagement.”
The Craven County Schools Farm-to-Table events will occur the week of April 19 – 23rd with a special menu utilizing local produce and proteins from our farmers including beef from McCoy Cattle Farms in Cove City and pork from Otter Farms in New Bern. Each school will have the opportunity to enjoy this delicious menu for the week:
On April 20, 2021, activities to support this community event and partnership included a visit and luncheon with North Carolina’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Steve Troxler at James W. Smith Elementary. In addition, there was a cooking competition including our culinary arts students utilizing locally grown products, a round table between Commissioner Troxler and local Craven County farmers and finally, a visit to Future Farmers of America (FFA) students at West Craven High School.
The activities for the week will take place at James W. Smith Elementary in conjunction with their Agricultural Week:
Activities range from
| Day | Activities | Description |
| Monday 8:30am -noon | Kickoff Event | Official Farm to School Cheer. Southland Dairy Expo. Students will be able to explore by classroom the process of milking a cow and sampling dairy products. Classrooms will be sitting by classes under “classroom tents” with social distancing observed outside near our outdoor learning center. |
| Tuesday WCHS Noon JWS 12:45 – 3pm | North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture; Steve Troxler’s Visit | The NC Commissioner of Agriculture will visit JWS Craven County School District. His first stop will be at WCHS to visit the FFA Class. He will then have lunch with the Craven County Board of Education, guests from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, FFA Teachers and a few other guests. The commissioner will then read to the students at JWS via a centralized location. Finally, the Commissioner will gather in the cafeteria with a small group of farmers for a round table. Refreshments will be provided. |
| Wednesday | Virtual Expo | Farmers will be invited to share with students the different crops they grow and their challenges as well as their successes. Students will learn from these farmers through videos that have been submitted and complete aligned tasks. All done virtually. |
| Thursday 10am – 11:30am | Culinary Competition | Students will compete in two categories to be judged. The winning recipes for the category will be featured on the school menu the upcoming school year. Cash prizes will be awarded for the winning recipes in either the entree category or the side dish category. All students at James W. Smith will participate in a Taste Testing in their class. They will have the opportunity to give feedback on a Recipe Feedback Card. |
| Friday 10:30 – noon | Classroom Art Competition | Every classroom will design a door that represents our local farming community. The doors will be decorated based on the vision of the students. The winning class will receive a cash prize to purchase supplies for the classroom and additionally. A panel of judges will use a rubric to determine the winning door. |
| Closing Activity | All students at JWS will receive an ice cream from simply natural. They will be privileged to hear a cheer from the WCHS cheer team and closing remarks from Ms. McCoy Agriculture Teacher. In addition all students at James W. Smith will participate in a Virtual Field Trip to McCoy Cattle Farms hosts by past James W. Smith students who would like to pursue in the future. |