Agriscience

Environmental/Agriscience & Future Farmers of America.

A middle school agricultural education program is often the starting point for students to explore pathways and occupations related to the agriculture industry and serves as a place for students to learn by doing. Students gain hands-on experience while learning about basic agricultural practices.

Our courses further education and careers in Agriculture, Food Sciences, Natural Resources, Agricultural Technician (CAT), and Veterinary Assistance (CVA) as career clusters.

 

Agricultural Technician

Veterinary Assistance

An agricultural technician seeks to understand the impact of the environment on crops and their yield. In this role, students study the effects of disease and insects on plants by collecting and analyzing samples collected in the field. Responsibilities and duties include working on farms and setting up experiments as well as in labs to perform test analysis. Students examine specimens from both crops and farm animals to determine any issues. This field prepares students for the future when collaborating with technicians and other scientists to perform their work. 

Vet assistants are a vital part of veterinary teams. They work alongside veterinarians and have experience working with animals, so choosing a program that includes some clinical experience may be something to consider. Our program covers the following coursework:

  • Emergency wound care
  • Small and large animal nursing
  • Animal behavior, handling and restraint
  • Body systems and terminology
  • Radiology and surgical preparation
  • Veterinary practice administration and procedures
  • Nutrition, history and physical examination

Marine Science Academy

Join our Marine Science Academy to see what careers in oceanography are just over the horizon.

The goal of the Marine Science Academy is to provide students with an enriching and rigorous education of the ocean and all the wonderful creatures that call it home. In addition, students will learn twenty-first century skills designed to meet the challenges facing our global ocean. Instilling a lifelong love of learning and sense of stewardship about the dynamic Florida Coast that can lead to a career in oceanography will also be a major focus of the program.

Outdoor Pursuits/ Lifetime Activities

This class is not a traditional Physical Education class.

This class is more outdoor pursuits and activities where students can continue throughout their lives to stay active and fit.

The three main components of this class are KAYAKING/SAILING, GEO-CACHING, and FITNESS.

Kayaking/Sailing

Geo-caching

Fitness Related Activities

KAYAKING/SAILING Our students take a trip to Oleta River State Park and first learn the basics of how to maneuver a vessel on the water and all safety precautions that need to be kept in mind.

They then embark on one of four adventures:

1) Kayaking through the mangroves.

2) Paddling over to the island for a swim.

3) Go out on a point to point run and tie up.

4) Basic maneuvering skills where we play fun games that enhance kayaking/ sailing skills.

For example, we play “Toss the Sponge” one person tosses the sponge into someone else’s kayak and moves away from them so they can not toss it back.

There are too many fun games to list them all – join our class and you can experience them first hand.

What is GEO-CACHING? It is a worldwide sporting activity where you find hidden treasures using GPS. 

We have:

  • Geo-caching at school where students must find hidden treasures. 
  • Fitness – Geo-caches: Where once the individual gets to the location, they must complete a fitness activity before looking for the hidden treasure and videotape the activity. The student then returns to class demonstrates how they found the spot, did the activity, and found the treasure.
  • A field trip to Oleta River State Park where students find Geo-caches placed by other geo-cachers.

Below is a video to help understand what Geo-caching is and how it is played:

FITNESS RELATED ACTIVITIES We have a fitness room at Palm Springs Middle with bicycles, ellipticals, treadmills, exercise balls, weighted bars so that we can perform a multitude of different fitness activities.

Students learn not only how to use the equipment but why it is used as well. Students start the year with a physical assessment. Knowing their current physical level helps them strengthen and maintain their health and well-being.