October 31, 2024

Ag Days Are Here Again at Fresno’s Fairmont Elementary

This school is redefining education through an innovative STEM program that brings local agriculture into the classroom.

In his poem “The Tables Turned,” English poet William Wordsworth wrote, “Come forth into the light of things, let Nature be your teacher.”

That declaration is brought to life just 20 minutes outside of Fresno at Fairmont Elementary School, where children can experience something truly unique—perhaps even magical.

From kindergarten to eighth grade, students discover science through the exciting framework of local agriculture, gaining knowledge in areas that include ag tech, ag business, ag marketing and animal science.

The idea took root just eight years ago when Christine Torosian-Klistoff, now the head of the ag program, met with the school’s principal Jared Savage to discuss ways to make Fairmont extraordinary. That’s when they decided to make the school an ag-focused program.

“I said, ‘What if we decided to base our school around agriculture and bring all of the kids their sciences through an ag lens?’ There are so many opportunities with technology and innovation and agriculture that they wouldn’t otherwise know about,” Torosian-Klistoff said.

For Torosian-Klistoff, the idea wasn’t entirely out of nowhere—she had grown up on a farm, where her father grew grapes and alfalfa and raised cattle. Drawing on this deep-rooted knowledge and passion for agriculture, she set out to create practical lessons aimed at providing students with a thorough understanding of agricultural fundamentals and their vital role to the San Joaquin Valley, one of the most productive food-producing regions in the world.

She started small, setting up a chicken coop and several planter boxes in the back of the school. Eventually, she invited the district to view two acres of land that had become available next to the school, and they quickly decided to purchase it.

Soon after, Torosian-Klistoff was introduced to Western Growers member Heather Mulholland, a fourth-generation citrus grower and chief operating officer at Mulholland Citrus in Orange Cove. There, the operation produces a diverse array of products, including citrus, almonds and pistachios, along with nursery trees and beneficial insects.

Mulholland’s eight-year-old daughter Olivia currently attends the Fairmont. In fact, it was Torosian-Klistoff ’s passion and appreciation for agriculture that aided in Mulholland’s decision to enroll her daughter there, she said.

“Christine is the greatest gift. She touches so many students’ lives and impacts them positively with creating love and knowledge for agriculture,” Mulholland said.

Mulholland noted that Olivia has embraced the program enthusiastically, even insisting on attending school on days she’s not feeling well because she doesn’t want to miss Ag Day.

The curriculum is comprehensive—covering a wide range of topics, including soil science, seed germination, pollination, plant sciences, fertilizers, agtech, irrigation, crop cycles and propagation. Engineering, drones and robotics, sustainable energy and 3-D printing are taught by Charlene Greisner and Tisha Jett, two other teachers who are part of Fairmont’s ag team. Students also benefit from field trips to packing plants and engaging lessons from local college students who are enrolled in ag-related programs.

“When I was in third grade, I definitely didn’t learn about irrigation systems or robotics or propagation,” Mulholland joked.

A standout feature of the program is the on-campus market, which not only teaches students about the business side of agriculture but also allows them to compete by selling produce. Torosian-Klistoff notes that the school collaborates with a local produce company, which provides the students with favorable pricing on goods.

“The students get to choose off a list what produce they’d like to sell. They then decide on the price, when to sell their produce and how to best market it on social media. Parents and community members can purchase the produce at the school’s temporary market. The goal of the students is to achieve a good profit,” Torosian-Klistoff said.

The school has seen an increase in enrollees since the start of its ag program, going from 500 students eight years ago to more than 700 today. The program has captured the attention of not only parents from around Fresno, but also other school districts. “This program is the first of its kind in California, and many districts have come to learn more about the program, in and out of California,” Torosian-Klistoff said.

To accommodate its growth, Fairmont has plans to expand its facilities and construct an $8 million, two-acre complex that will house dedicated areas for plant and animal sciences. The expansion also includes a 4,000-square-foot innovation lab, which will focus on water energy and robotics. The agricultural complex will be accessible to all 8,000 elementary school students in the Sanger Unified School District, Torosian-Klistoff said, adding that all of this wouldn’t have been possible without the community and the Grow the Legacy Foundation.

“It’s our goal to expand a program like this to other schools,” Torosian-Klistoff said. “We want to be able to create a blueprint for other schools to implement in classrooms not just in California, but anywhere. No one is putting this kind of focus into their curriculum plans,” she said.

Torosian-Klistoff explains that the program has been a momentous opportunity for students as they transition to high school, offering them additional pathways to agriculture. “Kids have a great opportunity to get their associate’s degree in high school, so now there are 20-year-old students who graduate and are already out in the field working in incredible ag careers,” she said.

Mulholland sees the program as a good way to bring more awareness to high-tech positions in the industry. “Technology has been evolving so quickly, and growers are having a harder time filling specialized roles that require a lot of technical skills. We see a push for ag curriculum in college to attract people with these specialized skills, but at the Fairmont, it’s starting way earlier. It’s not just focused on production agriculture; it’s high-tech and includes the affiliated components that go into agriculture,” she said.

Torosian-Klistoff ’s passion for education is driven by a simple yet powerful goal: to make school a place where students are excited to learn. “I want kids to love school. That’s the hook of what’s going to get them loving it. So that has been my mission,” she said.

And so far, that mission has proven to be fruitful. “Knowing that my child genuinely loves and looks forward to school, finding an additional reason to be excited about learning—it’s a tremendous achievement,” Mulholland said.

“My hope is that each one of these students becomes an advocate for agriculture and gains knowledge about where their food comes from, no matter what path they choose in life. At the very least, they will have learned the fundamentals of agriculture and developed a deep appreciation for it.”