HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. — The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc. (MAEF) has selected Karl Kidd, a fifth grade Advanced Academics teacher at Urbana at Sugarloaf Elementary in Frederick County Public Schools for the Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award. This award is given to a Maryland teacher who has demonstrated dedication in providing meaningful learning opportunities for their students to understand the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.
Since attending his first Ag in the Classroom Conference ten years ago, Kidd has taught his students and his school about agriculture. He developed a school-wide Ag Program for grades pre-K – 5 using literature and lessons to bring ag to all of the classrooms and organized a fall “Pumpkin Chunkin” Ag Day as well as a spring “Ag & The Bay Day,” highlighting environmentally friendly farming techniques and
Kidd is the co-author of Amazing! Maryland Agriculture, a non-fiction classroom book highlighting agriculture in Maryland which was distributed to nearly every elementary school in the state. He also attended the National Ag in the Classroom Conference in Hershey, Pa., where he learned the latest in ag education to bring back to his students. Recently, he hosted the “1 Million and Counting” celebration at Urbana at Sugarloaf Elementary School, highlighting MAEF’s
With the award, Kidd receives a $500 classroom stipend and a trip to the National Ag in the Classroom Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, in June 2020. Kidd also is nominated for the National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award, sponsored by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the National Agriculture in the Classroom Consortium. This competitive national award recognizes exceptional teachers selected at the state level for their successful efforts in teaching agricultural concepts.
The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation is a 501c3 non-governmental nonprofit established in 1989. Through teacher workshops, scholarships, grants, Mobile Labs and Showcases, the Maryland FFA and advocacy, the Foundation pursues its mission to promote the understanding and appreciation of the importance of agriculture in everyone’s lives. The Foundation is funded through grants, service fees, generous donations from organizations, businesses and individuals and revenues from the Ag Tag license plate.
—Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation