PAHS Agriculture Club students take a visit to Penn State University
by Ava Drozd, Shadow Staff Writer
Recently, the Punxsutawney Area High School Agriculture Club attended a field trip to Penn State University where they were able to expand their agricultural knowledge. PAHS woodworking and construction teacher and Agriculture Club advisor, Chad Stiteler helped to organize this enrichment opportunity for students. PAHS woodworking and construction teacher Chad Stiteler is the club advisor of Agriculture Club as well as the organizer of this field trip and has been teaching here for about 25 years. Accompanying Steitler were nine students including Harper Peterson, Olivia Huber, Falyn Hughes, Bri Busch, Peyton Behm, Malia Powell, Troy Powell, Gavin Stiteler, and Alayah Kerr.
Stiteler, who is in his 25th year teaching at PAHS, said his favorite part about being the advisor of the Agriculture Club is “seeing the kids work together for the betterment of the school and community.” Stiteler also noted the various experiences the students had throughout the field trip, ranging from deer to dairy.
Students said, “If we want to live on a farm when we are older it'll benefit us.”
Left to right: Alayah Kerr, Bree Busch, Falyn Hughes, Harper Peterson, Olivia Huber,
Melia Powell, Peyton Behm, Troy Powell, Gavin Stiteler
One component of the trip was a visit to Penn Farms, a Penn State deer research center. Here, the students learned about chronic wasting disease in deer, how to identify the age in deer by jawbone and teeth, and information about deer ticks.
Students also visited the Penn State Beef and Sheep Center where they got to see beef cattle production along with sheep and wool production.
Their final stop was the dairy farm, where they got to witness the various stages of a cow’s life cycle and how they are cared for and utilized for farming. During this portion of the trip, students got to put their arms inside of a cow as they learned about cannulation, a process where a live cow has an opening cut in its side for researchers to study the digestive system and draw fluids for testing. This process is beneficial to the cow, because it can improve its digestion. The procedure is done under anesthesia; but once the cow recovers, it is known to live 12-15 years longer.
This educational field trip demonstrates just one of the vast learning opportunities here at PAHS. Agriculture Cub is just one of the many clubs offered here at PAHS.
Siteler noted that he is grateful for the members of the club and their efforts in organizing learning opportunities like this one. He hopes students continue to invest in their own educational experiences and notes the importance of exposing students to the field and study of agriculture for future generations.