The Coastside high school is returning to its roots, updating and expanding its longstanding list of agriculture classes.
If approved by the Cabrillo Unified School District board, the high school agricultural department would add a new chemistry class, expand its economy class to include government studies, and update its standard science class.
 Half Moon Bay High Plant Sciences teacher Kristine Hodgson stands in the greenhouses at the high school Monday. She is trying to revitalize the neglected greenhouses, planting new seeds and cleaning up the space. |
Kristine Hodgson, agricultural department chair for the high school, says the cherished tradition of farming on the Coastside makes it important for local schools to continue educating students on agriculture.
“We’re an agricultural community at heart, and we want to hang onto those roots even in a time that’s leaning away from there,” Hodgson said. “Half Moon Bay has been a really supportive community of this.”
The high school has long offered agriculture courses, but those classes were not college-accredited for state universities.
Hodgson says that meant her students had to treat agriculture courses as electives, and then relearn much of the same material in other standard high school courses. That setup left agriculture students who wanted to go to college with no room for other electives.
For this school year, agriculture biology is the only department course that is college accredited. The proposal Hodgson presented to the board would add three more accredited classes.
Hodgson says that if the school board approved getting more agricultural classes accredited, she would expect more students to enroll in classes in the department. Students have already filled her chemistry and government/economics courses to capacity, she said.
“It seems like interest among students is definitely picking up,” Hodgson said. “I have both ends of the spectrum … I have kids who live on Main Street, and some who live on the country and live on a cattle ranch.”
The school board was receptive to expanding the high school agriculture classes and will vote on the proposal at its March meeting.
“Of all the San Mateo County school districts, we should definitely have the best agriculture classes,” said board member John Moseley.
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