Adventist School in Tortola Teaches Students to Impact Community with its Agricultural Courses

March 7, 2022 | Tortola, British Virgin Islands | Royston Philbert and Inter-American Division News

Hundreds of students at the British Virgin Islands Seventh-day Adventist School in Tortola continue to contribute to the community and help fund the school thanks to agricultural science courses that teach healthy lifestyle choices and promote a sustainable way of life.

Primary school-aged students are involved in planting vegetables while 8th to 12^th graders are planting, studying and experimenting on a variety of seeds, as well as growing chickens while they are enrolled in the elective class.

Agricultural Science Teacher Lisa Peters-Powell said the entire school has been excited about the initiative and how it takes the education of students to the next level. “The agriculture program is intended to develop the skills needed in their future careers and put into practice what they have learned in the classroom,” she said.

Students are allowed to take a sample of their hard work after harvesting, and most of the produce is sold and proceeds are returned to the school, explained Peters-Powell. Students learn to plant and to harvest, to start seedlings, and to preserve seeds, she added. “They will carry this knowledge and experience with them throughout their lives and even teach it to their children,” she said.  The experience also allows for connections with the local community.

“Senior students relate well with the community as they have marketed their commodities like chickens and vegetables in several neighborhoods. They reach out to parents and others and there are also announcements to the Adventist community [about] agricultural products for sale,” said Peters-Powell.  “It’s been a big help for the community and the school. This is truly a life-changing experience.”

The smiles on the students who participate speak volumes, Peters-Powell shared.

Jade Smith’s enthusiasm was evident. She is a senior enrolled in the course. “The two lessons that will stay with me are animal production and plant farming, the organic and inorganic methods,” she said.

The practical assessments attached to science topics were most useful to fellow senior Jada Barnwell, who said she was impressed with the poultry farming techniques and her new ability to identify all kinds of plants.

High School Senior Delroy Prince was inspired by the practical side of teaching and added, “I learned a lot about selling produce in agriculture, which was quite shocking because I didn’t’ realize how accounts and different subject areas are all incorporated in agriculture.”

Shadae Brewley, a senior, said she appreciated the teacher’s creativity as well as the vital link between farming and consumption. “I learned how to raise chickens and how agriculture is really important to us.”

According to Peters-Powell, the senior class recently evaluated the growth rate of green onions, or scallions, using both cow manure and synthetic fertilizer. The findings of their research are part of the school-based assessment criteria for the 2022-2023 examination. The research carried out by senior students is mainly for the Caribbean Secondary Examination Council (CSEC), otherwise known as CXC, she said. “The school also uses its findings to guide its gardening and animal husbandry practices.”

Agricultural Science is among the school-leaving examinations offered by the CSEC, and BVI Adventist School has enjoyed a 100% passing rate among its students since 2014, reported Peters-Powell.  She affirmed that the passes achieved by the school can be attributed to God’s constant guidance and teaching methods outlined in the Bible, which have enabled her to help students achieve their individual goals.

The science program satisfies the CSEC requirements that the British Virgin Islands government has placed on participating education entities to maintain a vibrant garden at each center of learning, said Peters-Powell.

The knowledge and skills shared through the program continue to make a positive difference in the lives of teachers, students and the community, school officials said.

“We are excited, not only for the educational opportunities the program brings, but also for the chance to preserve the agricultural legacy,” said Wade Tobin, principal of BVI Seventh-day Adventist School. “We have been a part of an agricultural community and it is an honor to carry on the tradition of our founders.”

BVI Seventh-day Adventist School in Tortola, has 300 students in K-12. The school was established in 1954 as a primary school and added a secondary school division in 2007.

To learn more about the school its programs and initiatives, click HERE