OC HIGH / STUDENT NEWS AND VIEWS : Down to Earth : Education: The goal of a high school agriculture program is to help students develop confidence, self-esteem and interpersonal as well as hands-on skills.

In the midst of a generation filled with tagging, video games, smog and in-line skates, the red farmhouse stands in sharp contrast.

The barn is home to the Fullerton Union High School Agriculture Department--which takes in 3 1/2 acres--and its chickens, cattle, sheep, rabbits and plants.

It also serves as a classroom for more than 290 students.

The popularity of Fullerton’s award-winning program, ranked No. 1 in the state in 1993 by the California Future Farmers of America, makes it a standout in an era that’s seemingly less interested in agriculture.

Fullerton’s program is one of nine at high schools in the county, although by next fall there will be only eight. Dwindling enrollment in the program at Costa Mesa High School has led to the decision to eliminate it.

Despite the closing of the Costa Mesa site, agriculture-based programs overall in the state have gradually increased since the mid-’80s. Meanwhile, a significant shift in emphasis has occurred in many of the programs.

Although livestock production is an important part of Fullerton’s program, which began in 1928 with 25 students, department chairman Greg Beard is quick to point out that agriculture is more than “cows and plows, feeds and seeds.”

“Today, agriculture is science, it is business, it is research, it is public relations,” Beard said.

Students in the program have a chance to work in a computer lab, a flower and plant design lab and on the farm, and they attend FFA meetings “that provide kids the opportunity to get out and mingle with other high school students,” agriculture instructor Sheila Barrett said.

As part of the program, students are required to raise an animal or cultivate plants or to get a part-time job related to agriculture, such as at a florist, nursery, veterinary office or landscape service. This helps students gain responsibility and earn money, Barrett said.

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So do the kids get grief about being farmers in this urban age?

Just the opposite, according to most students, who say the program is well-respected and that participation is considered more cool than weird.

Some students join the program, which fulfills certain academic requirements for graduation, because friends or family members have enjoyed it.

Others are tugged by nostalgia.

“When I was a little kid, my grandfather had a farm, and being out here is just like reliving (that time),” said junior Jeff Mastin, who is participating in the breeding sow project and has classes in advanced animal and plant science and landscaping.

The opportunity to work with animals is a big draw.

When students sign up for an animal, it’s a 90-day commitment. Animals must be fed twice a day, and the stall or hutch has to be kept clean. At the end of that time, the animals are sold, usually after being shown at the Orange County Fair, and students get to keep the money. Animals on the farm include steer, sheep, pigs, rabbits and chickens.

“It’s a good way for students to learn more about nature hands-on, not just out of a science textbook,” said junior Patty Gomez, who is taking advanced horticulture. About one-half acre of the Fullerton site is devoted to growing decorative plants and flowers, which are sold to local nurseries and the public.

“In agriculture, you learn skills that will prepare you for life. You’re taught people skills,” said junior Erin Hunt, who is raising a lamb and is in the veterinary science class.

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The goal of the agriculture program is to help students develop confidence, self-esteem and interpersonal skills, says department chairman Beard.

Barrett says the program is important in this day and age because “kids need a place where they feel safe. They’re able to call this place a home. They can be themselves out here and still be respected.”

Freshman Brenda Gonzalez agrees, adding that the program can help keep kids off the streets and away from drugs and gangs. Freshman David Garcia said it allows a student “to learn what you can’t in the city.” Gonzalez and Garcia both take an introduction to California agriculture course.

Gonzalez, who plans to raise a sheep this spring, said one of her favorite features of the agriculture program is the competitive teams. Students compete against other FFA chapters in everything from floriculture and agri-science to parliamentary procedure and computers.

“You get to try to be the best . . . (to) make your school No. 1,” Gonzalez said. “Sometimes you can, and sometimes you can’t--but at least you really tried, and that’s what I like.”

Fullerton students recently took second place nationally in an FFA competition among schools from 22 states for marketing plans for an agriculture product. The team’s plan was based on Fullerton Fresh Eggs, a student-run enterprise in which the eggs from 160 chickens on the school farm are sold at the Fullerton Farmer’s Market.

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Students cite many reasons for being in the program--some have even transferred between schools to get into the well-developed Fullerton program.

Mastin’s favorite part is “raising my animals, because it is always a challenge. They either get sick or don’t eat. It is a kind of job that keeps you on your feet.”

Hunt enjoys the leadership conferences the most. “I have made many new friends,” she said.

Whatever the reasons for joining, Beard said he hopes the program provides the students “positive experiences that will last a lifetime.”

Agriculture Education

* Nine Orange County high schools have agriculture programs. Five--Fullerton, Buena Park, La Habra, Sunny Hills and Sonora--are in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District. The others are at Orange, Mission Viejo, Westminster and Costa Mesa; the Costa Mesa program will close after the current school term.

* Statewide, 43,036 high school students are enrolled in the programs, a number that has increased about 5% a year since 1986. In Orange County, 1,100 participate.

* When students enter the agriculture program, they automatically become members of the Future Farmers of America, which has been recognized as an integral part of agriculture education. A portion of a student’s grade--at Fullerton High it’s 20%--is based on FFA participation.

* Students, split about evenly between girls and boys, have diverse goals: Some go on to college to major in business, agriculture, veterinary science or other areas; some use their skills to enter the work force directly out of high school.

* The signature bright-blue jackets of the FFA, with the wearer’s name in gold-stitch, are worn by students participating in FFA functions. Students are eligible to wear the jackets--which cost $40--when they enter the program.