Students at the Laredo R-7 School will use their adoption of a baby Berkshire pig to explore the agriculture importance that swine production brings to north Missouri.
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Students at the Laredo R-7 School will use their adoption of a baby Berkshire pig to explore the agriculture importance that swine production brings to north Missouri.
The adoption will take place in November, however, students began planning earlier this month by learning about the election process as they choose a name for their new “classmate.” Students from each grade chose a name for the baby Berkshire as well as a slogan to introduce the project. A primary election was held to determine the top three name candidates and to vote for an introductory slogan. Students voted in precincts, which were presented by their teachers’ names – Precinct Williams, Precinct Burress, Precinct Owens, Precinct Lynch and Precinct Garrison. When students arrived at their precincts, they were asked for a “voter registration card” and were required to sign in before being given a ballot with an explanation of how to vote.
To make this a fun learning experience, students are being awarded prizes for various contests, including guessing the birth and weight of the baby pig as well as submitting a winning slogan. Area businesses have contributed to the program, including Hoffman and Reed, Hy-Vee and Holt-Some Beef, LLC, which donated the pig.
The winning slogan, “Laredo – Far Cry from a Pig Sty,” came from the kindergarten/first grade class, which received a prize for submitting the top slogan. Preschool through eighth grade classes are campaigning this week in hopes of strengthening their candidates’ chances of winning, with the final election to take place on Wednesday.
Students will monitor the progress of the Berkshire pig and learn how it can play a role in social studies, math, science, health, art and language arts. At the end of the school year, students will host a hog roast (not their pig) as a fund-raiser and share with the community what they have learned from the project.