National AITC Teacher Award Winner

Ms. Lisa Wiederholt wins the National Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award 2004

St. John of the Baptist Elementary
Fifth grade
Draper, Utah

"This is the best work we have ever had!" says a student of Lisa Wiederholt, a fifth grade teacher at St. John the Baptist Elementary in Draper, Utah. Lisa earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Louis University and later a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Portland. She has made a huge impact on her students by incorporating agricultural concepts across the curriculum. Her instruction details where our food comes from, processing, distribution, science, and the environmental issues of food and fiber production. She was especially innovative in using agricultural lessons to motivate students in math and writing.

Additionally, Lisa took agricultural lessons and taught many concepts and objectives concerning U.S. history and diversity. She also includes a service-learning project where her students participated in a fundraising project for Heifer International. To culminate this unit, she had her students create posters about the importance of animals and how they help families around the world. Lisa explains that "agriculture is a fabulous theme because it capitalizes on the students' interests, provides real-world projects, and can be integrated across the curriculum." Lisa Wiederholt is an exemplary teacher; committed, innovative, and is honestly the teacher you'd want your kids to have.