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MACON, Ga. – Georgia elementary classes in third through fifth grades put their science, technology, engineering and math skills to work in the 2024 Fall STEM Challenge, Turning Trash Into Treasure. Special education classes, homeschool groups and community or after-school groups participated in this hands-on sustainability project.

The challenge tasked students with answering the question: “Why is composting important, and how do brown and green materials break down differently?” To explore this, students created compost bins, documented the decomposition of organic waste and shared their findings through creative video presentations.

First-place winners were selected in four categories: after-school groups, third grade, fourth grade and fifth grade. Each received a prize package totaling $350 for their class.

The Ithica Elementary Garden Club from Carroll County, led by Lura Scruggs, won first place in the after-school category for their teamwork, detailed research and creative use of compost to enrich their school garden.

Rowes Growers from Austin Road Elementary in Barrow County, led by Andrea Rowe, earned first place in the third-grade category. Their entertaining skit about worms’ role in composting and their use of household materials to create compost bins impressed the judges.

The homeroom class of Amanda Edwards from Chattahoochee County Education Center took first place in the fourth-grade category. Their project demonstrated strong research and a clear understanding of how green and brown compost materials break down differently.

The Trash Transformers from West Point Elementary in Troup County, led by Valerie Carter, claimed first place in the fifth-grade category. The team creatively used cafeteria scraps and materials from the school grounds to build their compost bins and involved the entire school community in the process.

“This challenge gives students a hands-on way to learn about sustainability,” said Phoebe Beard, Georgia Foundation for Agriculture educational programs assistant. “We were so impressed by their creativity and hard work, and we cannot wait to see what ideas they come up with for the next challenge in February.”

The biannual STEM Challenge is organized by the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture’s Georgia Ag Experience mobile classroom program and sponsored by the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture and Georgia Farm Bureau.

The next STEM Challenge will launch in February 2025. For more information, visit www.gfb.ag/stemchallenge.

 The GAE is a mobile classroom, created by the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture, housed in a 36-foot trailer that gives third through fifth-grade students and consumers a chance to virtually visit a poultry house, cattle pasture, stand of timber, horticulture nursery, cotton and peanut fields, and a produce stand full of fresh Georgia fruit, vegetables and pecans. Colorful farm photos, interactive technology and displays of products made from the various ag commodities highlight the importance of Georgia agriculture to our daily lives. All exhibits and lessons that are part of the GAE mobile classroom have been professionally designed to meet STEM curriculum standards.

The Georgia Ag Experience has been visiting schools statewide since 2021. Each year the mobile classroom travels across Georgia educating students on the importance of agriculture in their communities and the role agriculture could play in their future. For more information about the Georgia Ag Experience visit www.georgiaagexperience.org. 

The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to preparing the next generation of leaders for success in Georgia agriculture. The GFA works with Georgia Farm Bureau and other Georgia agricultural and educational organizations to achieve its mission. The foundation offers scholarships to students pursuing agricultural careers, funds leadership development programs and projects that increase the public’s understanding of agriculture. To make a tax-deductible donation, learn more about the foundation or the scholarships, visit www.gafoundationag.org or contact Lily Baucom at info@gafoundation.org or 478-405-3461.    

The purpose of the Georgia Agriculture in the Classroom program is to increase agricultural literacy among children and consumers. It provides tools for effective teaching about agriculture and its role in our daily lives. The program assists Georgia educators in using agriculture-related concepts in the classroom. This mission is achieved through the activities of county Farm Bureau volunteers in their local communities and through teacher training courses held throughout the state. Learn more by visiting: https://www.gfb.org/ag-in-the-classroom/about