The North Carolina Farm Bureau has awarded Ansonville Elementary School teacher Justin Jones an Ag in the Classroom “Going Local” grant.
“There is no more valuable resource in North Carolina than our students and the teachers charged with their education,” said Larry Wooten, president of North Carolina Farm Bureau. “Through our Ag in the Classroom program, the state’s farmers are investing in the future leaders of North Carolina, as well as the future of agriculture, which is the state’s top economic sector.”
Jones is a fifth-year teacher at Ansonville Elementary. Originally from Winston-Salem, he now lives in Locust.
He began at Ansonville as a student teacher while completing his degree at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His adviser was from Wadesboro and recommended the position to him. After he got his degree, the school principal called him and offered him a position.
North Carolina Farm Bureau provides agricultural outreach grants to North Carolina teachers through its Ag in the Classroom Going Local program. Going Local grants are valued at up to $500 each and help teachers provide their PreK through 12th grade students with valuable, real-world education and experiences about farming and agribusiness, while adhering to the school system’s common core and essential standards. County farm bureaus play an integral role in providing information regarding the grants and curriculum to teachers throughout North Carolina.
North Carolina private and public school teachers are eligible for the grants, which are available twice a year. Grant submission deadlines are April 15 and Nov. 15.
Justin Jones gives lessons for fourth- and fifth-grade students at Ansonville Elementary.