Dear LOLHS Agriculture Families:
At Land O’ Lakes High School (LOLHS) we are committed to meeting the academic and career preparation needs of all our students. Moreover, we are very proud of the diverse and robust Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings at LOLHS. In creating these CTE experiences, we align student opportunities to current student interests and labor market demands.
Our agriculture program was established in 1975, and the Academy of Agriscience has been at LOLHS for the past 7 years. Both have served as an integral part of our campus culture. However, there has been a significant decrease in student interest and enrollment in these courses. Despite our best efforts to implement strategies to increase student interest, the academy has seen a 48% decrease in enrollment during the last four years. There are currently only 40 students that requested these courses for the upcoming school year. To properly allocate the program with a teacher and resources, we should have well over 125 students involved in the academy.
As a result of this decline and to align resources to current student interests, LOLHS will begin a phase-out strategy to end all on-campus agriculture classes. This will not happen immediately though. During the upcoming school year, incoming freshman and returning LOLHS students will have the ability to remain enrolled in the following ways:
- Freshmen and Sophomores may elect to take Agriscience Foundations (8106810) through Pasco eSchool as part of their six-period day. There will be no in-person course at LOLHS.
- Returning students may finish the program through enrollment in Agricultural Biotechnology 2 (8106850), Agricultural Biotechnology 3 (8206860), and Animal Biotechnology (8106120).
- All students may participate in FFA for the upcoming school year. With a completed Barn Agreement, students may house their animals at the school’s barn starting in July.
No courses will be offered at the school during the 2021-2022 school year and beyond. Since there will no longer be an FFA organization at LOLHS, the school will develop a plan that encourages students to participate in their local 4-H program with the support from an onsite club sponsor. Also, processes to utilize the school’s barn will be established.
We would like to acknowledge and thank all LOLHS staff, students, parents, and agriculture sponsors for their support through the years. We are acutely aware and appreciative of the core values and unique culture agriculture brings to Pasco County and are saddened to see this program end at LOLHS. Thank you for your understanding as we continue our charge to provide a world-class education for all our students.
Please contact Assistant Principal Tisha Doohen at tdoohen@pasco.k12.fl.us if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Ric Mellin – Principal
