By Andi Anderson

Amanda Stanko, a STEM and preschool teacher at Corpus Christi Catholic School in Bloomington, has been honored with the National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award. Stanko, also named the 2024 Illinois Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year, will receive the national recognition at the 2024 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In her role as the STEM teacher at Corpus Christi, Stanko engages over 275 kindergarten through sixth-grade students, encouraging them to think critically and creatively about real-world problems and solutions. Her lessons cover a range of topics, including plant life cycles and the everyday use of farm products. Stanko and her students have initiated a 'Giving Garden' to support the school cafeteria and local food bank.

Tailoring her lessons to fit each grade level, Stanko's approach is both innovative and impactful. For instance, kindergarteners learn how to make butter with their adopted cow, while sixth-grade students delve into testing and amending soil after each growing season.

Stanko's dedication to integrating agriculture into education is evident in her pursuit of a master's program in ag education, with aspirations to establish an FFA chapter at her school. Judges evaluating her application for the award commended her tenacity in incorporating STEM activities and agriculture topics across all grade levels.

For more information about the Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) program and the Teacher of the Year award, contact Kevin Daugherty at 309-557-3334 or kdaugherty@ilfb.org.

Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom's mission is to impart the importance of agriculture to Illinois children, supporting educational efforts by providing high-quality, standards-based agriculture information for easy integration into existing curricula. Each year, IAITC reaches over 660,000 students and 37,000 teachers throughout Illinois, providing services and materials at no cost to teachers.

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