Migrant and seasonal workers are an integral part of the agricultural industry on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and their families become a part of our local communities, even if only temporarily. School programs and other services are available to help the families become acclimated to the area, introduce them to community resources, and bring those families together, like the Migrant Education Program (MEP) through Queen Anne’s County Public Schools (QACPS).
University of Maryland Extension educators partnered with this important program, directed by QACPS’s Dr. Darren Guido, Supervisor of Instruction, and Ana Padilla, Migrant Recruiter and Interpreter, to provide educational fun in nutrition and agriculture for more than 20 students from the area. This is the first time UME has partnered with the school for this purpose in MEP’s 20-year history.
“These families are here, their kids go to school. Some may leave, but return again for the next season,” said Cheryl Bush, Registered Dietitian and Extension agent for Queen Anne’s County who cultivated the partnership with Padilla and the MEP program. “This is all about making these families feel like they belong in this community.”
Participating students were bussed to the Sudlersville Elementary School throughout the summer to work together and socialize, all while learning life skills. The kids were split into two groups for age-appropriate lessons and experiences.
Students in Bush’s group ranged in age from 8 to 12 years old and were involved in a series of activities focused on learning about food and making healthy choices. The introductory “Nutritious Night” featured a lunch where the students could create a mock lunch for themselves using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate method which encourages a balanced diet including fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, and proteins.
Students learned about the parts of plants and learned about the basics of planting from Extension program assistant Lee Bridgman. Queen Anne’s Master Gardener Senior Agent Rachel Rhodes also provided Italian herb grow kits. “We started a contest at the first family meeting – whoever could grow something and bring it back at the end of the program would win a prize,” said Bush, who works with other populations in Queen Anne’s County in healthy dietary choices. “And sure enough, four kids came back with beautiful little herbs at the end of the summer.”
The younger group also learned about oral health and played ‘Sugar Detectives’ with Cecil County Extension Educator Beverly Jackey and AGNR intern, Katie Deaner. Youth participated in an Olympic Challenge where they learned about the importance of physical movement and how to take their pulse. Their sessions culminated with a full fiesta where the students played games, earned certificates, and celebrated the community they had fostered throughout the summer.
The older group, ranging from 13 to 16 years old, worked with Queen Anne’s County 4-H educator Amy Lang, who taught them the basics of aquaponics. “When we talked with Dr. Guido, he shared that he thought the students were interested in agriculture because that’s what their families do and what they know, but the kids have these really diverse skill sets,” said Lang. “So we wanted to stick within the agricultural industry but look at new innovations in farming and more competitively paying career tracts.”
Students were treated to the experience of building an aquaponics system as a group, a resurgent farming technique using an aquarium with fish and plants that provide mutually beneficial roles to one another in nutrition and growth. If they chose, students could also take the parts home to build their own aquaponics system.
On the final day, Dr. Jose-Luis Izursa, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science and Technology at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, took the class on a virtual tour of his aquaponics lab on campus at the University of Maryland. “He speaks Spanish fluently, so it was great for the kids because many of them are just learning English,” said Lang. “And having Dr. Izursa was a great way to finish up the sessions because the kids were able to see and hear someone who looked and sounded like them doing that work in a university.”
Bush was specifically interested in engaging with the MEP program and partnering with Padilla through the public school system because of her history with other programs sourcing fresh produce from local farms like Godfrey’s Farm in Sudlersville.
“I know a lot of these families are working right there at Godfrey’s, picking all of this produce for my DASH-Plus Extension programs across the county,” Bush said. “And that’s the reason I felt a need to do this circular thing to give back to these families.”
Both Bush and Lang hope to continue collaborating with the MEP program in the future. “We did a little evaluation after the program and the kids were more interested in science and scientific careers, and that’s what it’s all about,” said Lang. “So we’re starting to brainstorm how we could do a program next year with these same kids, so it would be different, but still really valuable content.”
“Partnering with the schools for outreach like this is really important for the kids; and through the kids, the families are brought along and they build their own connections,” said Bush. “It’s stressful to pack up and move across the country, so it’s important to help these people feel like they belong to this community.”
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