The Parole (Annapolis) Rotary Club Foundation has made a $40,000 grant to the Phoenix Academy. This grant is to be used specifically for the construction of a greenhouse associated with its Rise Up Farm initiative, which is an innovative educational program. With proceeds from fundraising activities, such as the Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival, the Rotary Club of Parole (Annapolis) is making a difference in our local community and the lives of numerous children. The Club’s objective is to fund the second phase of the project as well as the third and final phase of the Rise Up Farm’s vision.
Club members were first introduced to the Phoenix Academy and the Rise Up Farm initiative back in August. The primary goal of the Phoenix Academy is to provide education and help students prepare for success in an ever-changing world. The goal of their Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs are to provide equal access to all programs that reflect state of the art changes in technology, business, industry and society. One of the Academy’s CTE programs is “Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education” (CASE). This program develops a structured sequence of courses and serves as a model for elevation rigor and relevance in agriculture education. CASE is a special project of the National Council for Agricultural Education providing resources for curriculum development and course rollout.
The courses include Supervised Agriculture Experience and Life Knowledge as integral connections to enhance the future growth of the students. Numerous career paths are associated with agriculture and this program will offer students the opportunity to explore careers such as animal production, bio-chemistry, nutrition and plant science.
According to Stacey Nicholson, President of the Rotary Club of Parole (Annapolis), “Our club has been meeting with folks to determine how our club could make a difference in our local community. It was important that whatever we decided to do needed to have a positive impact on the environment. This program is going to teach the students how to grow and sell the food they raise. The learning opportunities are boundless and our ability along with the communities to work with the children is equally boundless. Not only will they be able to sell the food they grow but they are also going to learn how to prepare it and take it home. This touched our members on so many levels we, as a Club, decided to work with them on building this little farm over the next three years. That will not end our volunteer relationship, as our Club members will continue to work towards teaching the children to generate by selling food, plants and fish. It is quite a large undertaking but we are ready to help them reach their goals.”
Rotary’s guiding principle is Service Above Self. The Rotary Club of Parole (Annapolis) is committed to the Phoenix Academy and will continue to support our shared values and vision with them to better our overall community, making a difference and improve the lives of children in our community by supporting important and innovative programs such as Rise Up Farm.
For more information about the Rotary Club of Parole (Annapolis), please visit www.Parole-Rotary.org or email [email protected]
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