Professional Development

This week I was fortunate enough to go to the Washington County Public School system in Maryland. During this time I spent the day with Mr. Garland who was gracious enough to take me around the community and then to Clear Springs High School.

I used this opportunity to get to know the school better and as professional development. The school is small - graduating about 120 students each year, but they take pride in their programs, especially the agricultural academy. 

School Based Farm

At first, I thought this was pretty scary - that may be a lot of extra hours. However, they use this farm for the students SAE and Capstone projects and things aren’t kept their over the summer. It’s within walking distance from the school or students can drive over as well. I think this is a pretty neat opportunity for students to complete their projects.

Capstone Projects

I have never heard of this in a high school before. However, at Clear Springs, all of the programs completes are required to design, propose, and complete a project their senior year as an independent study. They present these project proposals to their alumni. I think this is pretty awesome experience for high school students! 

Variety 

Clear Springs offers a variety of classes for their students. Animal and vet science courses to Ag powers and horticulture and soil science courses. Students choose their pathway and take classes to help them complete it. 

Everyone I talked to during my visit was exceptionally nice and willing to help. They were open and honest and wanted to answer any question I had! This visit really helped me to understand the importance of visiting schools and learning more about different types of programs that you may want to implement in the future.