Recruiting Future Alcornites, School Host annual Ag High School Day

Over 200 students were welcomed to the School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences on April 12, for its second annual Ag High School Day.

“Ag High School Day has become a treasured tradition within the School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. Every year students from various high schools throughout the state get a day to hang out with our faculty, staff and students to learn more about agriculture and the benefits that are associated with majoring in one of our programs,” states Casnacita Gray, student services coordinator.

High school students — sophomores, juniors, and seniors — were invited to the Lorman campus to explore the many opportunities the Departments of Agriculture, Human Sciences, and Advanced Technologies, and the Center for Biotechnology have to offer.

Schools from Jefferson, Holmes, Humphreys, Forest, and Warren counties attended.

“This School can send you more places than any other School on this campus, or in this state,” Dr. Keith McGee, interim dean and director of land-grant programs, boasts to students.

The day was filled with various workshops, displays, and exhibits.

Students were exposed to many programs within the School, such as, Animal Science, Ag Education, Agri-Business Management, Agricultural Economics, Plant and Soil Sciences, Natural Resources, Environmental Sciences, and the Department of Advanced Technologies.

There were exhibits from United States Department of Agriculture agencies, including Rural Development, Agricultural Research Service, Food Safety and Inspection Services, Risk Management Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, and Alcorn State University Center for Conservation Research.

Alumnus Allen Curry, soil scientist, NRCS in Pearl, Mississippi, was, also, available to answer questions.

Sonya Coker, transfers admissions recruiter, from the Office of Admissions, was on-hand to share admission requirements with the students. Students, also, heard from the School’s Student Ambassadors Denzel Weatherspoon, Shivonne Marshall, and Rodricka Allen.

Teddrick Hargrave Sr., instructor, research associate, Department of Agriculture, told visiting students to prepare themselves to compete with not only the best in high school, but the best in the world.

Many students were excited to learn more about agriculture at Alcorn.

“Today I realized that agriculture has different fields and is more than farming,” says Jarnee Henderson, a junior, from Humphreys County High School.

Austin Willoughby, a sophomore, from Humphreys High School, adds “This event was very fun, I liked it. Learning how much money is involved in agriculture really stood out to me.”

Following the presentations, the students were treated to lunch prepared by Cottrell Ragland and Rodrique Gray, members of Eta Tau Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and were entertained by several Alcorn’s Greek organizations. The day ended with students touring the Lorman campus.

“They get the opportunity to not just hear about agriculture but they, also, get a hands-on approach to it,” adds Gray.

Sanderson Farms, Inc., of Laurel, Mississippi contributed to the event.

For more information on the School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, or to request a tour of the School, contact Casnacita S. Gray, at 601-877-6552 or [email protected].