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Alum fosters cultural heritage and agricultural awareness at Cherokee Elementary School

agriculture

Beekeeping in K-12 Education

Jul 22, 2025

Teacher Innovator Spotlight: Brandon Dillman ’25 Connects Weather Science and Beekeeping to Inspire a Love of STEM

Our Teacher Innovator Spotlight showcases the creative, hands-on teaching strategies that Kenan Fellows are bringing to their schools, districts, and beyond. In this edition, we feature Brandon Dillman, a science coordinator with Onslow County Schools, who is using the art of beekeeping to help students explore and understand weather patterns. The N.C. Department of Public…
Apple Tree in North Carolina Mountains

May 8, 2025

Henderson Teacher to Explore Apple Industry with NC Farm Bureau

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C.– Maggie DeCorah, a STEM and Academically Gifted teacher at Atkinson Elementary School, has been named a 2025-26 Kenan Fellow by the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership at N.C. State University. The Henderson County Farm Bureau, the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, and NC Ag in the Classroom support her fellowship. DeCorah is…
Photo by Ashanda Grissett who explored the oyster industry for her fellowship.

Oct 5, 2023

Brunswick County Farm Bureau Kenan Fellow dives into North Carolina’s oyster industry

BOLIVIA, N.C.⸺On a sweltering summer day in mid-July, high school earth environmental science teacher Ashanda Grissett boarded an oyster boat off the North Carolina coast. Grissett’s mission was to immerse herself in the intricacies of North Carolina’s $14 million oyster industry and distill her newfound knowledge into an educational Ag Mag for North Carolina Farm…
Students plant a school garden.

Aug 22, 2023

Alum fosters cultural heritage and agricultural awareness at Cherokee Elementary School

CHEROKEE, N.C.—In collaboration with ASAP, a leading advocate for sustainable agriculture in western North Carolina, Nichole Efird is connecting her students at Cherokee Elementary School to their Cherokee heritage and raising their awareness of local agriculture. Efird’s fellowship was made possible through the support of the Dogwood Health Trust and the Kenan Fellows Program for…