Mr. Aaron Parker

Listen below to hear Aiken high school students discuss justice and their jobs in environmental justice from this part summer.

When we consider what “Democracy and Me” can mean, we must consider the idea of justice.  Over the next few weeks, the Agriculture Career Tech Pathway Students and Community Partners of Aiken New Tech High School in the Cincinnati Public Schools will be contributing their perspective and voice on how they are taking action on issues of social justice, environmental justice, heath justice, financial justice, and food justice (sovereignty).  

Aiken New Tech High School is a grades 7-12 college and career preparatory high school.  The Agriculture Career Tech Pathway is a vocational series of classes focusing on Agribusiness and Production that includes:  Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Animal and Plant Science; Greenhouse and Nursery Management; and Global Economics and Food Markets.  Students take part in the 3-Circle Model of Agriculture that is:  1. classroom as an interactive laboratory,, 2. Supervised Agricultural Experiences / Work-Based Learning, 3. Participation in Future Farmers of America.  Situated on 61 acres of land, our Agriculture Campus includes a production farm of 35-raised beds, mushroom growing lab, coffee roasterie, 2 high tunnels, a greenhouse, orchard, 4 alpacas, 6 goats, 1 Zebu steer, and a collection of rabbits, quail, ducks, chickens, and Guinea fowl.  Completing the Agriculture Campus are an on-campus forest and prairie as well as the adjoining Cincinnati Parks Preserve of Greeno Woods that supports habitat for wildlife.  It is within Aiken’s agriculture program that students are provided opportunities to take action on issues of social, environmental, health, financial, and food justice.  

The food we grow is to provide food security for the students and community members needing local, fresh, and nutritious food.  Students source seed, plant, care for, harvest, and distribute food that is culturally valued by our community, so it is valued.  Eggs hatched by students of quail, chicken, duck, and Guinea fowl are a source of protein so frequently missing from growing and active adolescent diets.  The expertise and resources of the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati, La Soupe, and the Society of St. Andrew - Ohio helps ensure food sovereignty for all.  Financial security is achieved through students who perform and get paid for work-based learning during and after school as well as during the summer.  Good paying Green jobs that are centered around sustainability and technical skill attainment provide resume building, employment skills, and income that is essential for both students and the families that money assists.  Work-based learning occurs with the interest and support of Groundwork Ohio River Valley, Co-op Cincy, Cancer Justice Network, La Terza Artisan Coffee Roasterie, and Hamilton County Youth Employment.  Health is improved through the mental wellness of having an outdoor classroom as well as access to the healthy food from our Aiken Farm and the Health Fairs and Vaccination Clinics organized by our FFA Chapter.  Taking care of one's health requires eating well, practicing mindfulness, being active, and knowing how to navigate a complex and sometimes difficult health care system which our FFA students help educate as Health Navigators with Cancer Justice Network.  Care for the air we breathe, water we drink, and land we occupy is monitored for sustainability through stewardship and engagement of community partners for environmental justice with Green Teams of Groundwork Ohio River Valley, Environmental Protection Agency and Green Umbrella as a Regional Climate Collaborative.  Social justice is the diversity, equity, and inclusion we seek through an urban agriculture pathway that is in need of capitalizing on resources as well as being able to give back the community through service and value through the telling of our stories at Maketank Inc. and the dedication to inclusivity in our Cincinnati Public Schools.

Through a series of blog posts and podcasts we aim to draw your attention to the selfless action of care that is embodied in justice that is layered throughout our Aiken New Tech High School Agriculture Career Tech Pathway.  Students sharing their perspectives and voices will raise awareness and ignite a fire of action in you in which they are the spark.  For a preview of what you can expect to read, hear, and see on “Democracy and Me,” we encourage you to visit a few resources:

Aiken New Tech High School:

https://aikennewtech.cps-k12.org

Aiken Agriculture Weekly Newsletters:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pxceKYPKjjrHt6OkiBKM7UF3FbNhKDXA?usp=drive_link

Aiken Agriculture Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/AikenStudentGarden

Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: Agriculture and Environmental Systems:

https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Career-Tech/Career-Fields/Agricultural-and-Environmental-Systems

Future Farmers of America:

https://www.ffa.org

Groundwork Ohio River Valley:

https://www.groundworkorv.org

Maketank Inc.:

https://www.maketankinc.org

Cancer Justice Network:

https://www.cancerjusticenetwork.com

Co-op Cincy:

https://coopcincy.org

Hamilton County Youth Employment:

Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati:

https://www.civicgardencenter.org

La Soupe:

https://www.lasoupe.org

Society of St. Andrew - Ohio: