By SEAN CHAE
As students prepare to register for next year’s classes, two courses added this year, Agriscience and College Real Estate, are enjoying success according to both students and teachers.
Agriscience is an interdisciplinary busines and science course co-taught by business teacher Mr. Goldin and science teacher Ms. Sforza. Its formation developed after Mr. Cohen approached Mr. Goldin and Ms. Sforza about its potential.
Mr. Goldin has long been connected to the subject of agriculture, having grown up in a family of gardeners and having participated in a program during graduate school at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland where he lived and worked on a farm. Similarly, Ms. Sforza has long been devoted to gardening and said, “I’m excited to be able to bring in the different science concepts of agriculture to students.”
Students learn about agriculture, food, science, business and family and consumer sciences. Social Studies, Business & Libraries Curriculum Associate Dr. Sundberg greatly approves of the new course. He said, “There is more of a real-world application for what they learn. It’s not just textbook biology.”
Students learn through a variety of hands-on methods. Senior Brendan S. said, “The way they organize the class is really interesting since they have two class sections, but we get to collaborate often with people in the other classes and have a different teacher every other day.”
As for the hands-on aspect, the class uses a variety of types of gardens. Senior Arjun B. said, “The teachers showed us the outdoor gardens we’ll be using, and even though we haven’t gotten to that part of the class yet, I’m excited to start.”
Students have begun working to compete in competitions related to the course. Many students recently participated in the Grow-NY competition for which they created business proposals and prototypes for hypothetical agricultural companies. Four teams were selected as finalists.
Students of the agriscience class held a bake sale. Mr. Goldin said, “The sale was the project for our seasonality unit. Students leveraged seasonal products and flavors to plan and execute a bake sale. They tested and baked their own products, designed their packaging, and priced their products to earn a profit. The money has been reinvested into the class to fund our next product line–microgreens.”
Always on the lookout for ways he can engage students, Mr. Goldin had the idea to propose a real estate course, so he surveyed his students. He said, “Once they showed interest, I began working on my certification to prepare myself to teach the class.”
The popularity of the class surprised Dr. Sundberg who said that he had not expected that students would sign up to fill two ssections.
Students in the course learn the fundamentals of real estate, ranging from law, investing, and how to be an agent, and will prepare to take the New York State Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Exam. Students are also given the option to earn college credits while taking the class.
Students are impressed with Mr. Goldin’s credentials and teaching style. Senior Arush V. said, “Mr. Goldin is a very enthusiastic teacher and keeps classes entertaining by including games and simulations, but is also insightful through his presentations and explanations.”
The class is geared to teach students valuable lessons that will last them a lifetime. Senior Sahaj S. said, “I think there are a vast variety of things that this license can be used for. I plan to become a lawyer in the future, and as I learn more about real estate law, I increasingly consider it as a specialty I would consider in my future.”
Mr. Goldin and Ms. Sforza are hoping to grow their programs in the coming years. Mr. Goldin said, “We’re hoping that more and more students, as they hear about our classes and see what we do, continue to become interested, and join us in these really unique and valuable courses that are offered here at Jericho.”
Students looking to take the Agriscience class next year should keep in mind that the course title has been changed to “The Science & Business of Agriculture.”