Meet the new Art and Agriculture teachers at PCHS
- Funding was provided by the Foundation for Pinckneyville to help reinstate Art and Agriculture programs at Pinckneyville Community High School which were lost due to the State’s financial issues.
Art -- Brigid McCannBrigid McCann started teaching Art classes at PCHS in August of 2016. Here is what Brigid has to say about the art program in Pinckneyville.
“I love teaching art. I love seeing and hearing students express themselves in thoughtful and creative ways. I have been making art (good and bad) ever since I could remember, my favorite being printmaking. My goals for future of the PCHS art department are many. For the up-coming year I plan to highly focus on my new courses Drawing and Painting, creating new interesting projects that inspire the students. Art Club is also a new development and I wish to find ways to reach out to the community. Over the past year I have been considering and mapping creative student-led group projects for the Art Club; for example, creating a boat for the SIU Cardboard boat regatta. My long-term goals include raising funds to have a kiln and ceramic program at the school. I am a graduate of SIU-C with a BFA in Art Education and a minor in Art History. I was born and raised in Southern Illinois and have been fortunate to travel in the United States and Europe. I’ve always been drawn back to the area that I love and call home.” |
|
Agriculture -- Austin McAllister
Austin grew up in Thebes, IL on a small family beef farm and was immersed in agriculture from a very young age. He has been involved in FFA since 8th grade. At Shawnee High School, in Wolf Lake, Illinois, he was a very active FFA member, serving as an officer all 4 years of high school, and as a section officer for 3 years. His freshman year of college he served as the section 24 president and was a student director for District 5 on the FFA Board of Directors.
During his 2 years at Shawnee College he stayed active in the Agriculture club as well as the Future Teachers Organization. He then transferred to Southern Illinois University Carbondale to continue his degree. He graduated from SIU in May of 2017 and started his teaching career at PCHS as the Agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor in August 2017. The first year PCHS reinstated the agriculture program, there were 28 students in FFA, and over 100 in agriculture classes.
"My goal is to continue to rebuild the program and have it a top chapter in the state again. I plan to work with community businesses, farmers, and supporters of the program to set up shadowing experiences for students, and opportunities for the SAE record book projects. I would like to see the program builds a new greenhouse that students can grow plants in year-round without having to worry about factors such as high heat and partial sun. The plants that are grown in this greenhouse can be sold to help benefit the program and students. I would also like to have a small animal barn or lab where students could raise small animals such as rabbits, chickens, goats or even hogs. This would allow students to learn hands of from the experiences and not just from a lecture and pictures. This can also turn into students record books, or event fund raisers for the programs. Eventually, I would like to see the FFA Chapter over 100 students and about half of the students at PCHS enrolled in an agriculture class each year. Within the next two years I would like to have at least 3 students receive their state FFA Degrees, and within 5 years have 2 students receive their American degree. I would like to see the classes that are offered at PCHS to continue to grow and diversify. I would also like the classes to be able to contribute to projects in the community and across Perry County that would not only benefit the students, but Pinckneyville and Perry County in general. It is my goal to take the Pinckneyville Agriculture Department from nonexistent, to thriving and well-known across the state in just a few short years."
During his 2 years at Shawnee College he stayed active in the Agriculture club as well as the Future Teachers Organization. He then transferred to Southern Illinois University Carbondale to continue his degree. He graduated from SIU in May of 2017 and started his teaching career at PCHS as the Agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor in August 2017. The first year PCHS reinstated the agriculture program, there were 28 students in FFA, and over 100 in agriculture classes.
"My goal is to continue to rebuild the program and have it a top chapter in the state again. I plan to work with community businesses, farmers, and supporters of the program to set up shadowing experiences for students, and opportunities for the SAE record book projects. I would like to see the program builds a new greenhouse that students can grow plants in year-round without having to worry about factors such as high heat and partial sun. The plants that are grown in this greenhouse can be sold to help benefit the program and students. I would also like to have a small animal barn or lab where students could raise small animals such as rabbits, chickens, goats or even hogs. This would allow students to learn hands of from the experiences and not just from a lecture and pictures. This can also turn into students record books, or event fund raisers for the programs. Eventually, I would like to see the FFA Chapter over 100 students and about half of the students at PCHS enrolled in an agriculture class each year. Within the next two years I would like to have at least 3 students receive their state FFA Degrees, and within 5 years have 2 students receive their American degree. I would like to see the classes that are offered at PCHS to continue to grow and diversify. I would also like the classes to be able to contribute to projects in the community and across Perry County that would not only benefit the students, but Pinckneyville and Perry County in general. It is my goal to take the Pinckneyville Agriculture Department from nonexistent, to thriving and well-known across the state in just a few short years."
