Jefferson Middle School fifth graders in Jennifer Conti’s homeroom recently won a district-wide contest through the American Dairy Association North East, earning exciting new resources and a private virtual farm tour. Students were amazed as they learned about high-tech robotic feeding systems, the milking process, and the birth of calves.

A fifth grade homeroom at Jefferson Middle School recently had an unforgettable experience thanks to the American Dairy Association North East.

In October, Conti received an email from the American Dairy Association North East thanks to the JPS Food Service Department, inviting schools to watch short videos featuring New York teens who lived and worked on dairy farms. Each video included an easy and delicious way to incorporate dairy into daily life–milkshakes, parfaits, overnight oats, and more.

“I incorporated these videos into our daily morning homeroom routine,” said Jennifer Conti, a fifth-grade teacher at Jefferson.

In December, Conti’s class found out that they had won the contest, participating the most among classrooms across the district. The prize? Cool new resources for the school, including two Grab-and-Go Breakfast Carts, insulated breakfast bags, and 50 student prizes. But the best part was yet to come–a private virtual farm tour.

“We were so excited that we won cool items for Jefferson and our class,” Conti said.

Just before winter break, the prizes arrived. Each student received a pencil pouch filled with fun goodies–a cup, two straws, an eraser, a ruler, pencils, and a pen. “The kids were super excited,” she added.

On December 11, the class gathered around their screen for the live virtual farm tour. They watched in awe as farmers guided them through the barn, demonstrating the high-tech robotic feeding systems and the milking parlor. The calf barn was a highlight — learning that four to five calves were born on the farm each day left the students wide-eyed with wonder.

“The whole point of the tour was for our students to understand how a farm works and what we receive from them,” Conti explained. “The tour showed us the cool new robotic systems used in the barn for feeding and in the milking parlor. The kids were also fascinated with the calf barn. This dairy farm told us they have four to five new calves born every day.”

For Conti, the experience was a reminder of the world she grew up in, but for her students, it was an eye-opening journey into a way of life they had never seen before.

“I come from Wyoming County where there are more cows than people,” she said. “I have grown up with the farming aspect. It was eye-opening to see how my students had never seen cows being milked, and what it takes to run a farm. This was a great opportunity for my students to understand the hard work and dedication that these farmers put in on a daily basis to provide us with the milk and produce we need.”