Maryland’s statewide 2019 Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award goes to Frederick County Public Schools’ teacher Karl Kidd.
Today, the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc. announced that the group selected Kidd, who teaches fifth grade advanced academics to Urbana at Sugarloaf Elementary students, as this year’s winner. Since attending his first Ag in the Classroom Conference 10 years ago, Kidd has developed a schoolwide agriculture program using literature and lessons to educate all classes in his school. He organized a fall “Pumpkin Chunkin’” Ag Day and a spring “Ag and the Bay Day” to highlight environmentally friendly farming techniques and agricultural commodities in Maryland.
The FCPS Teacher of the Year 2013-2014, Kidd also co-authored Amazing! Maryland Agriculture, a nonfiction book distributed to nearly every Maryland elementary school. He recently hosted a “1 Million and Counting” celebration highlighting MAEF’s mobile science lab’s outreach and education.
Principal Tess Blumenthal says, “Mr. Kidd is very deserving of this recognition. His passion for this topic is continually demonstrated through his integration of agriculture and environmental topics into curriculum.”
With the award, Kidd will receive a $500 classroom stipend and a trip to the National Ag in the Classroom Conference in Salt Lake City, UT in June. He is also nominated for the USDA National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award.