RRHS AgriScience Teacher Receives Award for Incorporating Community Service into Program
Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District No.35 is proud to announce Rio Rico High School teacher Richard McPherson has received the 2021 Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Carl Perkins Community Service Award for Region V.
This award, according to ACTE guidelines, “recognizes individuals who have used CTE to make a significant impact on their community and demonstrated leadership in programs and activities that promote student involvement in community service.”
Mr. McPherson and Rio Rico FFA students have demonstrated leadership through community service projects incorporated into the CTE Program. Under Mr.
McPherson’s guidance the Agriscience program:
- created and maintained an alliance with the Green Valley Gardeners to custom-produce 4,500 Texas white onions as a fundraising project.
- partnered with Rio Rico Golf Course and ReNature Inc. to conduct an Ag Science Project on soil health of course greens and tees.
- participated in a multi-state, multi-community project partnering with the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation.
- created and implemented new programs which included est. hydroponic house, traditional greenhouse, raised beds, and traditional row crops.
partnered with the WakWay Foundation and Giumarra Produce to provide 134 tons of fresh produce to families living in Tucson, Dallas, Phoenix, Mesa, Peoria, Chandler, and Luke AFB.
attends Farmers’ market and instructs the community about water conservation.
- donates up to 10 tons of produce annually and up to 50 dozen eggs per week to local food banks.
“Their mission is to improve the quality of life, through service programs and there is no question they do so,” said CTE Coordinator Jorge Moreno who also nominated McPherson for the award.
The awards were announced virtually in April of 2021. RRHS’ program is part of ACTE’s Region V which consists of Palau, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Mr. McPherson is one of five finalists for the 2021 national title. The national winner will be announced at the ACTE Visions Conference in New Orleans Dec 1-4, 2021.