BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- On Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., the agriculture education students at Highland High School hosted over 400 children at the HHS Ag Field north of the campus for “Fall Harvest.”

The children, in grades Kindergarten - 1st grade, came from 5 local elementary schools, visited 13 booths — or “stations” — participated in activities ranging from sponge-tossing and face painting to learning about Halloween Safety, fall flowers and apples, and watched eggs actually hatch.

The common thread was that each station brought to light — in a fun, interactive way — some aspect of agriculture: how plants grow, where chicks come from, or how food gets to your table. The purpose of these activities — and of the celebration as a whole — was to teach children the importance of agriculture in our world. In addition, the high school students learned communication skills and lots of responsibility.

What set Fall Harvest apart from the average school carnival was that it was put on completely by the students: from planning to inviting the elementary schools to building the booths… every aspect of its execution was performed by the high school ag students themselves.

HHS students manned the booths and maintained the “traffic flow” of the event, and were completely responsible for teaching the children at each station.

The student that headed up this year’s event was Junior Morgan Solorio. “For the [high school] students,” Solorio said. “The leadership skills attained through this process is immense and life changing. It gives me a better appreciation of working as a team and getting a job done right!”

Highland High School’s celebration of Fall Harvest began in 1988 with Mr. Ric Lemucchi, head of the school’s Ag Department, which is affiliated with The National FFA Organization. The event takes place annually in autumn. This is Highland’s 21st Fall Harvest.

Information Provided By THE HH Agriculture Department