Countryside Debuts New Resource Center
Published: Friday, April 10, 2020
Steve Rigoni had been eagerly looking forward to showing off the Countryside Academy's new Agricultural Resource Center in Benton Harbor ever since the plans for the $1.4 million facility were finalized two years ago.
An open house was supposed to take place in conjunction with the beginning of a new school year in September, but it wasn't quite ready in time, said the school's agricultural education teacher and FFA adviser. At long last, what seemed to be a most-appropriate date was picked: April 2, 2020.
The 1,200-square foot greenhouse was to be bursting with seedlings ready for spring planting, tilapia fish would be swimming in the aquaponics tank, sheep would be munching on hay and pigs and piglets would be snorting in their pens.
There was a breakfast meeting planned with officials from MAPSA, Michigan's Charter School Assoc. in the all-purpose room. Counselors and teachers from other schools, parents, community members and other local dignitaries were invited.
Throughout the day, FFA members were going to give tours of the building's amenities and provide explanations of projects undertaken by students. At 6 p.m., an official ribbon-cutting ceremony was to be followed by appetizers and refreshments.
But then, coronavirus happened and the long-awaited open house ended up consisting of Rigoni and a visitor with a notepad and a camera practicing social-distancing on a foggy Thursday morning. With nary a student in sight—save for the two teens tending to the animals—a few flats of scrawny vegetables provided only slightest of hints of what was supposed to have been.
"This was supposed to be a big deal," said Rigoni, who last month was named Michigan Farm Bureau's educator of the year. "We were shooting for 200 to 300 people."
Nevertheless, even without all the bells and whistles polished to a high gloss, Countryside's crown jewel is a sight to behold and a much-needed upgrade over the outdated, undersized and makeshift facilities in use since the school, the brainchild of a group of farmers, opened 23 years ago.
"The way this whole thing started is, we were raising animals here and then the kids who take care of them and show them at the (Berrien County) fair, had temporary shelters for them," Rigoni said. "Then we built a couple of small, 8-by-12 (foot) buildings outside, and we basically outgrew those really quick.
"So I talked to the school board president and said I think the program has been successful and maybe it's time for a barn. He said, `I was wondering how long it was going to be before you asked me? Draw up what you want.' "
The board of directors might not have given Rigoni carte blanche when they asked him to design the new facility where K-12 students are immersed in all facets of agriculture, from aquaponics to zoology, but they did have to tell him to hold nothing back—often.
"I drew up what I wanted for a barn, and was told to make it bigger, so I made it bigger," Rigoni said. "I was told to make it bigger again, which usually isn't the case—it's usually just the opposite. And then they said, add a classroom to the side of it, which I did. And then they said add a second classroom and a greenhouse.
"So that's how this whole thing came to fruition. When it was designed, it was one-of-a-kind. The goal of our school board is to promote agriculture and to have this be the premier set-up others would want to copy in the future. I'm not aware of any other with barns and classrooms all attached."
Rigoni, who grew up on a farm, attended to every detail most ag educators (and a lot of farmers) can only dream about.
The multi-purpose room, with an adjoining kitchenette, is available for student assemblies and where the Farm Bureau, Berrien County Extension or other groups can hold meetings or give presentations.
Elementary school students, who were recently chosen to participate in a plant-for-outer-space growing project sponsored by NASA, gather in teacher Kathy Hollacher's classroom. Many of her students are introduced to agriculture for the first time and take part in the Countryside's Food, Agriculture, Renewable Resources and Environment curriculum.
A large transition area with two-story garage doors on opposite walls—one for entering from the outside and one opening to Rigoni's classroom—allow for extra-tall vehicles, or those carrying high cargo.
In one corner of his classroom is an experimental aquaponics project with a large aerated tank where eight or nine tilapia are being raised. Unfiltered, nutrient-rich fish water is transported through tubing to a growing bed where pok choi plants currently bask under a slow-moving grow light. After the water rinses through the ultra-porous, clay growing medium, it's returned to the fish, who recently produced offspring living in a nearby aquarium.
"That's the future," Rigoni said. "We can't keep getting fish out of the ocean, so we're going to be farming more and more of our fish. We're trying to reduce inputs into the soil and we're trying to grow more things year-round to feed the growing population."
The old greenhouse was re-used, but it was attached to the classroom and raised up a few feet for better efficiency.
Rigoni's classroom is connected to the state-of-the-art barn where he has pens that can be shaped into multiple configurations, and make moving livestock in to trailers or outside safe and efficient. FFA members raise pigs from birth, sheep and rabbits and past research projects have involved beekeeping, a pheasant-release experiment, broiler chickens and raising quail for eggs.
"I don't have the kids doing what I want them to do," Rigoni said. "I want the kids to do what they want to do and I provide them with help and assistance.
Rigoni's ag program attracts Career and Technical Education students primarily from the surrounding area, but as a tuition-free, public charter school, Countryside can accept students from anywhere in Michigan. In addition to a conventional high school curriculum, Countryside also offers a new aviation program.
Rigoni's objective is prepare his 55-75 students to enter the workforce in whatever ag-related field that may interest them from: marketing to law to business to agronomy and, yes, farming.
"We're not growing farmers," Rigoni said. "We're growing people that have agricultural experience. Some will become farmers, but what I'm always showing them is that back in the day, maybe all you had to do is know how to drive a tractor.
"Now, you get into one of these half-million-dollar modern tractors and they're full of computerized electronics. You need to have a level of education that far exceeds what you used to have to have."
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