By SUSAN BLOWER

Indiana Correspondent

MORGANTOWN, Ind. — With more than 600 acres of land In rural Morgantown, a first-of-its-kind middle and high school dedicated to agricultural careers will start class for the first time on July 30.

Not only will students in grades 7-12 have monthly hands-on projects on the massive farm campus, they will be able to study Core 40 courses from their homes via virtual classrooms. The Indiana Agriculture and Technology School is a public charter school, free for its students, including free monthly busing from all regions of the state to campus.

“This is the only agricultural virtual online school. It has project-based curriculum and is accredited by the Indiana Department of Education, offering Core 40, Core 40 honors and Core 40 technical honors degrees,” said Keith Marsh, chief academic officer for the school.

“Our big focus is be a career pathway for agriculture and technology so upon graduation, students will be ready to get into the workforce or go on to a two- to four-year school.”

Or, as Allan Sutherlin, the school’s founder, put it: “This is a virtual school with the option to get dirty!”

The farm campus has 220 acres of registered forest, 200 acres of tillable crops and 200 acres of pasture, enabling students to study forestry, row crops and animal agriculture – and all of the technological careers associated with them. The central Indiana campus is also home to 10 ponds and lakes, allowing for the study of aquaculture and water quality.

The plot is planted in soybeans and alfalfa this year. Future plans include greenhouses, buildings for classrooms and campuses in northern Indiana, said Sutherlin, also president of the school board.

Students will work on a tiered curriculum, finishing with senior projects of their choice in an ag-related career, lead by Indiana-licensed teachers in the classroom and experts in the field, Marsh said. “They will be applying technology for actual work they’d do, such as setting up a database for tree measurements, which would be used to manage a farm.”

Students will also be able to graduate with a commercial drone pilot’s license. “The use of drones in agriculture is established, and it is being developed in forestry, firefighting, utilities. There’s a huge demand,” Sutherlin said.

The median age of farmers is about 64, so the school’s organizers see a need for more young people going into agriculture, Marsh explained. The school will expose students to the science, land management, forestry and business sides of agriculture, as well food and nutrition, and many other aspects.

“Technology has already taken over in farming industries, and the younger generation will connect even better with that,” he said.

Sutherlin said Indiana agriculture contributes $31.2 billion to the state economy and supports 107,000 Hoosier jobs.

“Job demands are high in Indiana. High school graduates who have shown responsibility to stick to a virtual program and have hands-on training are in huge demand in agricultural businesses,” he added. “We need to feed the workforce, stimulate interest in agriculture and give a boost to our economy – and that’s why the school exists.”

Sutherlin grew up on a farm in Putnam County and has worked with agricultural and environmental concerns in his long career in Indiana politics. He said he is semi-retired from politics and fully engaged in the school.

“I’ve been tied into agriculture my whole life. I got together with some investors to acquire the 600-acre farm campus. It was purchased outright and is perfect for what we want to do,” he explained.

The Indiana Agriculture and Technology School already has partners in the agribusiness sector, which will provide internships and careers for students who have demonstrated success in the classroom and in the field. The school has announced a dual-credit partnership with Ivy Tech Community College and it will announce more partnerships later in the summer.

“We know agribusinesses are looking for these types of students. We want to put our students in position where they can grow professionally,” Marsh said.

The school’s leaders have planned regional informational meetings all over the state. For further information on times and dates, look on the school’s website, www.indiana.ag

With only a few weeks under its belt, the school has 43 students from all over the state enrolled. Specific courses and project-based learning will be offered in the following areas: biosciences, agribusiness, food and nutrition, informational technology, environmental science, forestry, drone certification and logistics/supply chain, as well as a range of career and technical education through partnerships with career centers.

For more information, check the school’s website, Facebook page or call 317-975-6189.