Getting Students Outside, One Busload at a Time

By Alix Clausen, Director of Education & Engagement

“Teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events in their lives.” Ecologist and writer Thomas Berry’s words capture why we value the educators we get to work with across Stanislaus County. When teachers bring their students outside to see agricultural conservation and restoration in action, they help young people form a connection to the land that can last a lifetime.

This month, we want to recognize one of those educators: Hali Hallock, Farm Coordinator for Turlock Unified School District, who we’ve had the pleasure of working with for the past few years. This past August, Hali and TUSD ag teachers brought a busload of TUSD ag students to our SOILS Education Center open house! Students got a close look at how native seed is cleaned and prepared for planting, then dug into a compost demo to see how food and garden scraps break down into rich, living soil.

Hali’s support for hands-on learning doesn’t stop there. She also helped bring 3rd grade students to the Farm Bureau’s Ag Edventure Day at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds and has led the planting of native plant hedgerows at the TUSD farm.

Getting students out of the classroom and onto a working site takes real effort, and Hali’s dedication makes these experiences possible. Watching students ask questions and connect what they study to what happens in the field is exactly why we do this work. Hali continues to open that door for her students.

Thank you, Hali, and thank you to all the educators we get to work with across Stanislaus County. Your effort to get students outside makes our work possible, and we look forward to many more seasons of learning together.