Free Home Elementary School teacher Carmen Power is the winner of the 2014 Georgia Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Educator Award, presented by Georgia Farm Bureau. Power, who teaches fourth- and fifth-grade science, will receive a $500 grant for use in her classroom and will be presented the award at the Georgia Farm Bureau annual meeting on December 7 in Jekyll Island.

The annual award recognizes one teacher in Georgia who makes an outstanding effort to introduce agricultural information into their classroom curriculum in an effort to assist students in learning the importance of agriculture. Nominees, who are nominated by a county farm bureau, must complete an application that includes a narrative about how they make agriculture education a part of their classroom; an agriculture education lesson plan; and letters of recommendation from the county farm bureau, the school's principal and a fellow teacher.

Power's sample lesson was, "How Do We Grow Food in Small Spaces?" which used the school's new greenhouse for agriculture activities that integrated inquiry into science, plant biology, critical thinking and mathematics. "My goal this year is to bring agricultural awareness to my students and use these topics to teach my science content, as well as bringing in language arts skills, geography/social studies, and most certainly math," she stated on her application. "The most important skills I hope to instill in my students are being able to think critically and problem-solve. If I can spark the interest of even one child in an area of agriculture, I am hopeful that the farming lifestyle will continue to impact our community."

Power will be recognized by the Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools and School Board at the school board meeting on December 4. In addition, Power will present a workshop at the organization's Educational Leadership Conference in March in Stone Mountain. She also will represent Georgia at the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference this summer in Kentucky (the value of this trip is $1,500) and will be entered into the 2016 National Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Educator Award competition.